Solidarity Letters to Health Ministry, Thailand

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)
04 May 2007
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity
Dr.Mongkol Na Songkla,
Minister
Ministry of Public Health
Tivanont Rd., T. Talatkwan
A.Muang, Nonthaburi 11000, Thailand

Dear Dr.Mongkol Na Songkla,

Greetings from Christian Conference of Asia, Chiang Mai!

The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) founded in 1957 is a regional ecumenical organization based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. CCA includes 16 national councils of churches and nearly 100 churches from nineteen countries in Asia.

We, the members of the Christian Conference of Asia are writing to express our deep concern over the decision of the United States to put Thailand on its “priority watch list” for intellectual property piracy.

We wish to offer our solidarity and support to the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand in your seeking application of compulsory licensing of patents on anti-retroviral drugs and heart medications for better living of patients and the poor in Thailand. We recognize that your demand is in accord with the World Trade Organization (WTO) decision which allows developing countries to produce or import generic versions of patented drugs for government use.

We denounce the United States’ move to downgrade Thailand to a country deemed to have poor intellectual property protection and for putting Thailand on the priority watch list. Their action serves commercial interest only and disregards the right to basic health care and right to life to the people in Thailand. The government of Thailand has been one of the leading countries in providing access to inexpensive and quality medical treatment to people living with HIV and AIDS. This action by the United States poses a great threat to the people living with HIV, thereby denying their right to health care and to life itself.

Health care and availability of life saving drugs is important in the context of national health infrastructures in the developing countries. In fact, all human beings have a right to a standard of living that affords adequate health and medical care. We believe that public health consideration must be given first priority over profit and commercial interests.

Therefore, we join together with the health advocates in Thailand and around the world, who have voiced their opposition against the United States and reaffirm our support and solidarity to the Ministry of Public Health in your intense efforts to ensure access to life saving drugs for the majority of those living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand.

In solidarity,

Prawate Khid-arn

General Secretary