CCA General Secretary affirms Asian churches’ solidarity for peace on the Korean Peninsula at the 2026 International Ecumenical Peace Convocation

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

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11 September 2026

Picture credit: NCCK

Seoul, Republic of Korea: The General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), Rev. Jung Eun Grace Moon, affirmed the solidarity of Asian churches with the Korean people and all who strive for peace, reconciliation, and healing as she delivered greetings at the opening of the 2026 International Ecumenical Peace Convocation.

Jointly convened by the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), and the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation is being held from 9 to 13 September under the theme, “World Peace and the Korean Peninsula: The Church as a Community of Healing, Reconciliation and Peacebuilding.”

Speaking at the Seoul Anglican Cathedral on 9 September, Rev. Moon emphasised the urgency of renewing the global commitment to peace at a time of escalating conflicts, militarisation, forced displacement, economic insecurity, ecological destruction, and the persistent threat of nuclear weapons.

“In too many places, political ambition is valued above human dignity, weapons are falsely seen as protectors of security, and fear is allowed to shape relations between nations and communities,” she said.

Against this backdrop, Rev. Moon said that the Christian faith calls the Church to speak “another language”—the language of reconciliation, compassion, justice, and hope.

“The Gospel does not permit the Church to remain silent in the face of suffering, division, and the destruction of life. Jesus calls blessed the peacemakers, and in Christ we are called to become a community that breaks down walls of hostility and builds pathways toward peace,” she stated.

The CCA General Secretary described the Korean Peninsula’s continuing division as a profound human, moral, and spiritual tragedy. More than seven decades after the Korean War, separated families, military confrontation, and the shadow of nuclear danger remain enduring realities.

“We declare unequivocally that the Korean Peninsula must never be reduced to a stage for geopolitical rivalry or the interests of powerful nations. The people of Korea deserve a future where children live free from the threat of war, families are reunited, and human connection triumphs over suspicion and hostility,” she said.

The Convocation has brought together prominent church and ecumenical leaders, peace advocates, human-rights defenders, civil society representatives, and communities affected by conflict from around the world. Through theological reflection, dialogue on disarmament and denuclearisation, and discussions on peacebuilding in Northeast Asia, participants are exploring ways of strengthening the churches’ witness and commitment to Just Peace.

The gathering marks the 40th anniversary of the historic Glion Consultation of 1986 and draws inspiration from the World Council of Churches’ International Ecumenical Peace Convocation held in Kingston, Jamaica, in 2011, renewing the ecumenical movement’s shared commitment to peacebuilding in today’s rapidly changing world.

In conjunction with the Convocation, Rev. Moon also had the opportunity to engage with public officials of the Republic of Korea. On 11 September, the General Secretaries of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), and the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) paid a visit to Prime Minister Han Sung-sook. During the meeting, they shared key reflections emerging from the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation, particularly the churches’ commitment to peace, reconciliation, and dialogue on the Korean Peninsula. Prime Minister Han expressed the Korean Government’s hope that religious communities and ecumenical partners would play a more active role in helping to reopen the currently stalled channels of communication between the two Koreas through dialogue, mediation, and people-to-people engagement.

Photos from the opening prayer service of the 2026 International Ecumenical Peace Convocation and the visit to Prime Minister Han Sung-sook can be found here.