CCA-WCC Interfaith Conference on ‘Reversing the HIV Epidemic in Asia: Faith-Based Engagements’ to begin in Cambodia

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.

11 November 2024

Chiang Mai, Thailand: The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) will jointly organise a regional interfaith conference on 'Reversing the HIV Epidemic in Asia: Faith-Based Engagements’ from 14 to 16 November 2024 in Cambodia.

Organised as part of CCA’s Action Together in Combating HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA) programme and the Asian Interfaith Network on AIDS (AINA), the three-day conference will bring together religious leaders, representatives from the United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), medical practitioners, health workers, grassroots social activists, and health-focused NGOs from across Asia to identify priorities and strategies to combat HIV, address stigma and discrimination, and promote inclusion and acceptance of affected persons within diverse Asian communities.

The conference will be opened by CCA General Secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara and held at the Sunway Hotel in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh.

Key sessions include a presentation by Ms Stela Sacaliuc of UNAIDS, as well as a panel featuring Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, and Christian leaders exploring possible engagements of faith organisations in HIV and healing processes.

Other main thematic presentations will focus on ‘Addressing Vulnerabilities: Tourism, Human Trafficking, and Migration’, ‘Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges: Mental Health Perspectives’, and ‘Trends in HIV Prevalence Among Youth in Asia’.

A special session on ‘Understanding Cambodian Realities’, along with visits to Cambodia’s "Killing Fields" and the Tuol Sleng Prison Museum—sites of torture during the country’s genocidal regime—will be part of the exposure arranged to deepen participants’ understanding of Cambodia's past, as well as transitional developments in the country and their impact on current health challenges. Despite these challenges, Cambodia has made significant progress toward ending the AIDS epidemic.

“By involving faith leaders and medical professionals, the conference aims to address the root causes of the epidemic, spread awareness, eliminate stigma, and strengthen preventive measures among communities”, stated Dr Ronald Lalthanmawia, coordinator of the Phnom Penh Conference and the ATCHAA programme.

Through interactive sessions, the programme will provide practical training and disseminate information by facilitating intergenerational and interfaith discussions on HIV and AIDS.

With an estimated 6.7 million people living with HIV in the Asia-Pacific region, and high rates of new infections, the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia recognise the urgent need to advance faith-based responses in Asia.

More than eighty participants will attend the three-day conference.