Free Space Process Strategy Caucus in Amsterdam

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.

17 August 2011
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

Dr. Erlinda Senturias, CCA Consultant for HIV and AIDS, participated in the Free Space Process Strategy Caucus, organized and supported by the International Civil Society Support at Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam on 21-22 July 2011. She was requested by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA) to represent the regional network. CCA is a member of the EAA.

The participants discussed the Strategic Investment Framework and the Theory of Change, and agreed on the following:

  1. The participants support the principles that underpin the strategic Investment Framework. These include:
    • the need for more strategic investments in the HIV/AIDS response that move away from a commodity approach;
    • the need for a fully integrated and comprehensive approach that recognizes the (scaled up) role of civil society and community mobilization in all response areas: basic programme activities, critical enablers and synergies with development sectors;
    • the need for strategic investments that focus on “funding the right thing”, which means country specific and evidence-based interventions and activities;
    • the need for increased investments (front loading) in order to fundamentally change the course of the epidemic, both in terms of infections prevented as well as AIDS deaths averted.
  2. Participants however expressed concern regarding the potential flaws and/or gaps in the community and civil society components of the framework, including the assumptions in costing models that have been used.
  3. Participants therefore call on Bernhard Schwartländer as head of the Investment Framework Study Group, for a meeting that would look into the concerns expressed in relation to the assumptions and costing models used. The aim of this meeting would be to establish full understanding of the assumptions, costing and other modelling that underpins the framework and to agree on an improved next iteration of the framework if deemed appropriate. Alvaro Bermejo, David Barr and Mat Southwell will prepare a request to this end with support of ICSS.
  4. Participants will express their support for the principles as well as the need for additional work on the framework to UNAIDS (Michel Sidibe) and will call for his leadership in moving this forward. This message will include a request to UNAIDS to financially facilitate the follow up meeting between Study Group and representatives from civil society.
  5. The outcomes of this meeting will determine to which extend participants can fully endorse a next (improved) iteration of the strategic Investment Framework.

(with news from Erlinda Senturias)