Experts to analyse impact of COVID-19 on Food Insecurity in Asia at CCA Virtual Conference

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.

27 May 2020

Panellists of the CCA Webinar on 'Will COVID-19 Worsen Food Insecurity in Asia?'

The sixth and final in the first phase of a series of virtual conferences (webinars) initiated by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic will focus on the theme, ‘Will COVID-19 Worsen Food Insecurity in Asia?’.

Experts dealing with food security and sustainable agriculture from diverse backgrounds, such as the UN World Food Programme, agricultural scientists, and civil society and faith-based organisations promoting sustainable agricultural practices will be the panellists of this virtual conference.

The webinar will be held on 28 May 2020 from 12 PM to 2 PM (12:00 to 14:00 hrs) Bangkok (Thailand) time and will discuss the short-term and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security in Asia.

UN reports have confirmed that over 820 million people were food-insecure prior to the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an apprehension about an impending escalation in food insecurity. The ongoing COVID-19 crisis situation affects food security negatively in many Asian countries due to a chain of adverse events starting with the lockdown, constraints on mobility, and loss of employment, which subsequently affects the production, distribution, food supply, sudden stoppage of income, and the inability to purchase food. The impact of COVID-19 on food security and sustainable food production in the short, medium, and long term, as well as questions on how to ensure a new agrarian culture for increased food production and sustainability in Asia to enhance food security in the future will be discussed during the webinar.

Kun Li (UN-WFP); Ed Sabio (ECHO Asia); Joyanta Adhikari (Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh); Usha Soolapani (Thanal, India); Tomoko Arakawa (Asian Rural Institute, Japan); Ardniel Baladjay (Philippines); and Jae Hak Ahn (Asian Christian Life Giving Agricultural Forum, South Korea) will be the panellists of the webinar.

The CCA General Secretary, Dr Mathews George Chunakara, will be the moderator of the session.

Those who are interested in participating in the webinar may register by clicking on this link:
https://forms.gle/7jFsgC1sGCitqvPN8

For additional details, please go through the webinar’s concept note below:
Will COVID-19 Worsen Food Insecurity in Asia? (Concept Note)

Since the webinar can accommodate only 90 participants, registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Reports of the CCA’s previous webinars:

  • Upholding the Dignity and Rights of Children amidst the COVID-19 Crisis (19 May 2020)
    Report     | Highlights Video
  • The Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Women in Asia: Vital Needs and Post-Crisis Recovery (21 May 2020)
    Report     | Highlights Video