Lao Church women commit to combat violence against women and gender inequality

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).

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28 November 2017

24201031_10214437770914297_1701353043_o(1)Dr. Chuleepran with the church women from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic on the 28th of November 2017.

Impact of immediate and long-term consequences of increasing violence against women and gender inequality was the thematic focus of a two-day training workshop held in Vientiane, capital of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR) on 27-28 November 2017.

Organised and facilitated by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) together with the Women’s  division of the Lao Evangelical Church was attended by 60 women representatives from different parts of the LPDR.

Various sessions of the workshop covered on the ways of empowering communities for overcoming increasing violence against women Lao society.

The experiences shared by the participants analysed on how women’s general well-being affects negatively and prevents women from fully participating in society. Violence not only has negative consequences for women but also their families, the community and the country at large.

Although legal systems and social reforms to end domestic violence, sexual assault and other forms of violence against women in several Asian countries, but challenges continue to remain in implementing such laws effectively, limiting women’s access to security and justice.

The participants shared experiences of local situations of violence against women in Laos and highlighted the importance of mobilising church women in Laos to be engaged in advocacy on violence against women using national international and regional mechanisms/instruments at various levels.

“The Lao Church women will participate in efforts for strengthening ecumenical women's networks in partnership with local communities and organisations to combat violence against women and build peace in communities”, affirmed the participants of the workshop at the closing session.