Increased synergy required for upholding the dignity and rights of children in Asia

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.

18 September 2018

thumbnail_Group photo 1

As vast number of children in Asia are increasingly become victims of complex problems, a new way of working together with increased synergy to uphold the dignity and rights of children at all levels is required, stated Archbishop Willem T.P Simarmata, moderator of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA).

In his inaugural address at the opening session of the three day Asia regional consultation on ‘Upholding the Dignity and Rights of Children: Role of Churches in Asia’ organised by the CCA, Bishop Simarmata said, “our churches and congregations must be friendly places for welcoming children at all times. Asian churches must cooperate with governments, national, regional and inter-governmental institutions as well as civil society organisations to protect the rights of children”.

The consultation is being hosted by the Gereja Protestan di Indonesia Bagian Barat (GPIB)/ The Protestant Church in the Western Part of Indonesia and held at its headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia from 16 to 20 September 2018.

In a keynote address delivered at the opening session, CCA General Secretary Dr. Mathews George Chunakara stated that “despite technological advancements in the present digitalised and globalised world, millions of children all over the world are abused and exploited in tragic ways on an unprecedented scale, and Asia is not an exception to this trend.”

“In an era of increased connectivity where digitalisation becomes  the paramount feature of the day, a vast majority of children in Asia  live in utter poverty and unable to enjoy any privilege or access to basic necessities in life. However, other children are privileged to enjoy affluence in life, but get addicted to modern technology and at the same they are trapped to the negative effects of the technological advancements,” said Dr. Mathews George Chunakara.

The CCA General Secretary quoted examples and statistics on how children in many parts of Asia are increasingly become victims of poverty, violence, ethnic conflicts, war, trafficking, forced labour, forced displacement, and statelessness.

In a presentation on ‘Children in conflict situation situations,’ Budi Soehardi of the Roslin Orphanage in Kupang of East Nusa Tenggara said more awareness is needed among Asian communities to promote the concept that every child has the right not to  be subjected to torture or other cruel inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Ali Aulia Ramli of the UNICEF said in a presentation on ‘Impact and Challenges to Child Protection in a Digitalised World’ that “as the influence of digital technology and especially the internet – has increased and offering unlimited opportunity for communication and commerce, a sense of fear also pervades that it undermines the social fabric. In this situation, protecting children from the worst effects digital technology is a collective responsibility.”

In his analysis on ‘Poverty and Child Labour in Asia,’ Dr. Rohan Prabhakar Gideon, Associate Professor of the United Theological College in India commented: “If we very plainly say that poverty is the issue for child labour, then it raises false hope that once children and their families have earned enough money, then one day they could get out of the clutches of labour. Therefore, debate that poverty is solely responsible for child labour supports the inevitability of child labour that has to be critically evaluated”.

In a presentation on ‘Implementation of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Asia,’ Yuyum Fhahni Paryani of the 'ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children' (ACWC) said that “the aim of the Convention on Rights of the Child is to achieve the goal of transforming the lives of children. Civil society and faith-based organisations also have key roles to play in persuading Asian governments to implement the binding obligations on States”.

The consultation is attended by 60 participants representing churches, faith-based organisations, intergovernmental institutions, and civil society organisations across Asia.