CCA General Secretary urges GRP and NDFP to resume stalled peace negotiations in the Philippines

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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30 August 2024

Chiang Mai, Thailand: The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) General Secretary, Dr Mathews George Chunakara, has called for an urgent and renewed commitment to resume the stalled peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) to realise lasting peace and security.

Sunday, 1 September 2024 is declared as the National and International Day of Prayer for Just Peace in the Philippines by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP).

In solidarity with the initiatives of the churches and the ecumenical movement in the Philippines advocating for the resumption of peace negotiations between the GRP and NDFP, the CCA General Secretary stated, “The root causes of the ongoing conflict in the Philippines remain unaddressed, and military solutions alone have proven inadequate in achieving conflict resolution and lasting peace. It is imperative that both the GRP and the NDFP return to the negotiating table with determination to resolve the longstanding conflict and people’s struggle for human rights. Comprehensive dialogue must address social injustices, economic disparities, and human rights violations that fuel the conflict in Filipino society.”

Since 1969, the Philippines has experienced ongoing armed conflict between the GRP and the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army/National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDFP).

Efforts to address the conflict through peace negotiations have seen intermittent progress, including the signing of The Hague Joint Declaration on 1 September, 1992, and other agreements like the Comprehensive Agreement for Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL). However, the peace process has faced setbacks several times, and the last such action was the unilateral termination of negotiations by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017.

A Joint Statement by the GRP and the NDFP in November 2023 suggested a potential resumption of peace talks, but no formal action followed.  Meanwhile, the conflict continues, with ongoing military skirmishes and concerns over the shrinking civic space. Counter-insurgency programmes have led to severe human rights violations, internal displacement, the diversion of enormous funds from the budget for social services to military spending, and the loss of thousands of lives, mainly civilians.

“Ensuring peace and people’s security requires addressing the root causes of the conflict through dialogue. The continuation of military operations, red-tagging, and human rights abuses only deepens divisions among people and communities and prolongs suffering of the poor and marginalized people. By resuming peace talks, the government can work towards a just and enduring resolution that upholds the human rights of its citizens, fosters socio-economic development, human security and promotes national unity”, added Dr. Mathews George Chunakara.

The CCA has prepared a prayer for peace and reconciliation in the Philippines in solidarity with the NCCP’s observance of the Day of Prayer.

“The CCA expresses solidarity with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) and supports its initiative in observing the Day of Prayer for just and lasting peace in the Philippines. While CCA is committed to accompanying the churches and the ecumenical movement, we urge member churches and councils of CCA to stand in solidarity with the people of the Philippines by observing this Day of Prayer for Just Peace in the Philippines on 1 September 2024”, said the CCA General Secretary.

The CCA’s prayer in solidarity with the NCCP’s observance of the Day of Prayer can be found here: