CCA Plans Strategic Programs on HIV and AIDS Advocacy

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.

20 January 2016

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Participants deliberating on HIV and AIDS Advocacy

“As an increasing number of people are affected with HIV and AIDS problem in their daily lives in several Asian countries, the faith based organizations and civil society have responsibilities to combat the spread of HIV and AIDS in Asia”, opined a strategic planning  consultation organized by the Christian Conference of Asia.

The strategic planning consultation was organized by CCA as part of its efforts for developing a strategic planning process for intensifying advocacy and empowering churches to build up HIV competent communities in Asia.

A group of experts on advocacy and health management programs together with CCA staff attended the consultation held at the headquarters of CCA from 17th to 18th January.

“The new project cycle and the programs that will be implemented during the next project cycle by CCA will be an outcome of careful planning and preparation initiated with the assistance of a team of professionally qualified experts who have considerable experience in advocacy on HIV and AIDS”, said CCA General Secretary Dr. Mathews George Chunakara.

Dr. Alphinus Kambodji, Project Coordinator of CCA HIV and AIDS program said, “Going through the strategic thinking on HIV and AIDS advocacy will help facilitating the best ways to implement the project in a more efficient way in future”.

Dr. Kambodjie added that CCA’s programs will make significant contribution towards global HIV and AIDS goals of getting to zero: zero new infection, zero discrimination and zero AIDS related deaths within Asia.

The team of experts participated in the planning process  developed a project proposal on Advocacy to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ACHAA)  for a four year project cycle from 2017 to 2020 .  The proposed programs  will not only aim  at  advocacy through churches to combat HIV and AIDS, it will also focus on encouraging all faith communities in Asia to be engaged among communities   through mass education and campaigns in partnership with various sectors in each country.

The strategic planning process also considered the goal of expanding the interfaith network addressing HIV and AIDS advocacy through an interfaith platform –Asian Interfaith Network on AIDS, which was initiated by CCA in 2003. AINA will continue to be a CCA facilitated platform of various Asian religions and religious organizations to be engaged in HIV and AIDS advocacy.