Human Rights Workshop in Kolkatta, India

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).

First Preference:
Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)
Second Preference:
Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)
13 February 2014
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

Human Rights and Human Dignity: Ecumenical Advocacy and Prophetic Witness.

Kolkatta,  2-5 February 2014

2014 is Centenary Year in the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) and festivities in connection with the Centenary Celebrations were launched in Kolkatta, India from 2-5  February 2014. During this time CCA and NCCI, jointly organized a workshop on “Human Rights Issues and Challenges: South Asian Perspectives.” South Asian Church leaders and other ecumenical leaders were invited from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India to attend the centenary and to come together to discuss the topic “Human Rights and Human Dignity: Ecumenical Advocacy and Prophetic Witness.” During the program participants discussed the emerging geo-political issues occurring in South Asia, the ecumenical responses, and challenges that the churches and national councils face. In a round table, participants shared their own challenges from their respective countries and the many ways that they were addressing them. The issues that were discussed included “Violence against Women,” “Rights of Children,” “Human Trafficking”, and “Food Security.” “Rights of Religious Minorities” and “Ecumenical advocacy for the Rights of Minorities” formed a major part of the workshop. The workshop ended with a lively discussion on strategies to address the issues that were identified. An action plan based on these strategies will be prepared and shared shortly.

The participants were also invited to a human rights exposure trip. One group visited “Sanlap” a shelter for the rehabilitation of women who have been trafficked in South Asia. Meeting with the director and some of the founding members, participants were able to hear and witness first hand, the many dangers and issues associated with human trafficking. The director also explained the initiatives they took in providing creches and schools for the children of Commercial Sex Workers and how they mobilized the younger people living in those streets to form a kind of ‘safety net’ for preventing girls from being forced into the trade. All those who visited agreed that they left the shelter with a new outlook on this issue, which is a common concern for South Asian countries.

The second group visited DAS-Development Action Society, a residential school for the girl children. This Government-funded society, housed about 100 girls who were, orphans, victims of domestic violence, street children and other vulnerable groups. Twenty percent of these children have been sexually abused. It brought into focus social evils like child abuse and neglect of children. Most of the children looked happy, smiling, friendly and creative. They performed a role play on their rights and situations where their rights, like right to play, right to speak, and right to express their opinion, were not respected. The role play by the children and the work done by the Society was much appreciated by the participants.

A major outcome of the Centenary Celebrations and the Human Rights workshop was the consensus of all participants, that the CCA and the National Councils of Churches in South Asia should work together for Peace and Security for all in South Asia. A formal Ecumenical campaign for “Peace and Security for All in South Asia” was launched on 3 February 2014. This campaign, which will be coordinated and facilitated by NCCI’s Commission on Justice, Peace and Creation, hopes to bring together the National Council of Churches of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Christian Conference of Asia to deal with the emerging issues of South Asia. The hope is that through this ecumenical campaign, dialogue among the different campaign partners will continue on human rights and security. Knowing that through the exchange of dialogue, together the South Asian churches can become instruments of peace. Details of the Campaign will be presented at the General Committee meeting that is to take place in Bangkok this month.

CCA acknowledges with gratitude the kind support and co-operation of Rt. Rev. Taranath Sagar, President, NCCI; Vice-Presidents of the NCCI; and Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad, General Secretary, NCCI. Special thanks and deep appreciation to the Commission on Justice, Peace and Creation (CJPC)  and Rev. Christopher Rajkumar, Executive Secretary for facilitating and coordinating the Human Rights workshop; to Rev. Asir Ebenezer, Finance Secretary; and other NCCI staff. Special thanks to Dr. K B. Rokaya, member of the CCA Presidium and Mr. Joyanta Adhikari, CCA General Committee member; Dr. Mathews George, Director, WCC-CCIA; distinguished Ecumenical leaders,  Resource persons; to Mr. Suman Biswas, Vice President, for his timely help with Visa problems, and volunteers Mr. Jebasingh Samuel of the Tamilnadu Theological Seminary and Rev. Godson Samuel of the Methodist church. We are grateful to all the representatives from the South Asian countries and the NCCI Executive Committee, whose participation and contributions made the workshop a meaningful experience, on this memorable occasion of the centenary celebrations of the NCCI.

Susan Jacob and Adam Royston