CCA Joins the “Getting to Zero” Campaign

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).

No preference updated.

02 December 2011
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) joins the World AIDS Day observance on December 1st or nearest Sunday following and calls on Member Churches, Councils of Churches and the Interfaith Communities in Asia to work towards the Global Goal of “Getting to Zero” – Zero Discrimination; Zero New HIV Infection; and Zero AIDS-Related Deaths. CCA commits to support the Global Plan to Eliminate New HIV Infections among Children and to Keep the Parents Healthy and Alive.

In addition, CCA supports the campaign for Zero Gender-Based Violence. Gender inequality is at the centre of gender-based violence which is a pervasive public health and human rights issue. The active response to HIV and AIDS cuts across fair and respectful relationships, human sexuality, gender justice, human rights and universal access.

For three decades now, HIV has continued to spread across all levels of Asian societies, creating stigma and discrimination that is fuelled by ignorance, injustice, denial and hate. All of these are against the teachings of the different faiths in Asia. HIV and AIDS is not just a health issue; rather it is a socio-cultural and development issue closely related to poverty, gender inequity, low level of literacy and lack of knowledge about prevention. HIV is also spread through unprotected sex, unsafe blood or sharing needle.

The UN AIDS reported at the end of 2010 that almost 5 million people are living with HIV in South, East and South-east Asia. Although national HIV prevalence in most Asian countries is relatively low and there are progress made in prevention, the population of some countries like China, India and Indonesia is so vast that these low percentages actually represent very large numbers of PLHIV+. Each country and even within countries in Asia face a different concentration of epidemic. In 2009 across East, South and South-East Asia, only 32% of HIV-infected pregnant women received AntiRetroViral (ARV) treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. HIV infection in Asia is still largely concentrated among members of 'high-risk' groups. The groups most at risk of becoming infected – sex workers, IDUs, and those who engage in sex between men – are still too often being neglected and even criminalized in some countries in Asia.

The ministries of the Churches need to address vulnerable children, orphan children, elderly, young people, women, men and key affected populations. CCA supports the meaningful involvement of People Living with HIV (PLHIV+) and the creation of safe spaces for dialogue with Key Affected Populations. CCA is committed to collaborate with the Asian Interfaith Network on AIDS (AINA), the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA), the International Network of Religious Leaders Living with and Personally Affected by HIV and AIDS (INERELA+) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) in meeting the challenge of HIV and AIDS.

CCA’s policy on HIV and AIDS seeks to act from deep spirituality and theology: loving others as oneself (John 13: 34-35); serving the least of our brothers and sisters (Matthew 25: 31-40); seeing the whole community as part of one body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12;12); nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8: 35); Jesus came that we may have life in all its fullness (John 10: 10). Jesus also clearly mentioned the, “other sheep” in John 10:16a and the Church needs to look into the response to these people of God as well.

This policy on HIV is built on the Christian principles of peacemaking, healing and reconciliation, and aims to equip churches in Asia to be “HIV competent”. This year, CCA started the seminars on building HIV Competent Churches in Myanmar, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Philippines, and Thailand. In addition, churches sent representatives from Laos PDR, Indonesia and Vietnam to participate in the Training of Trainers for Building HIV Competent Churches in Myanmar. India developed its HIV Policy in 2008 and started integrating HIV in theological training. CCA commends Member Councils in Indonesia and the Philippines for developing their HIV Policy this year.

CCA also contributes to strengthening interfaith collaboration through sponsoring the Pre International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific Interfaith Conference in Busan in August and the follow-up program in Cambodia. CCA endorses the SAVE toolkit on Prevention of HIV as it does not stigmatize PLHIV+. CCA through the Member Churches and Councils of Churches is committed to ensure stewardship of time, resources and finances in support of the Global Goal of Getting to Zero. Together, we can do more.

“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matt. 25.40, NRSV)

Henriette Hutabarat Lebang
General Secretary