Solidarity Visit to Bangladesh

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.

15 April 2013
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

Ecumenical Solidarity Team Visit to Bangladesh

5-7 April 2013

The ecumenical family received with great concern and anguish, news about waves of violent attacks against religious minorities in Bangladesh that erupted after war crime tribunals sentenced several public figures for atrocities committed during the country's freedom struggle in 1971. In these clashes, more than a hundred people lost their lives and personal property belonging to the minority religious groups was destroyed, causing public unrest and placing at risk the life and security of the minorities.

In these troubled times, a solidarity visit to Bangladesh, was organized by the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) of the World Council of Churches (WCC) with the Christian Conference of Asia, and in cooperation with the National Council of Churches in Bangladesh (NCCB) from 5 to 8 April. The ecumenical delegation met many leaders from various religious backgrounds and Inter-faith groups and was updated about the on-going persecution and attacks against religious minorities occurring in the country since early March.

The delegation was deeply apprehensive about the reports on

  • The new moves by fundamentalist groups who called for the enactment of Islamic principles including points of Shariah law and a ban on Christian mission in the country.
  • The threats faced by minority religious communities in Bangladesh. Religious minorities in Bangladesh which, they said, had constituted more than thirty percent of the population before its independence in 1971, were a mere 9.7 percent of the total population of 153 million.
  • The major problems such as ‘Impunity’ for lawbreakers and perpetrators of human rights abuses; corruption and lack of professionalism within the law enforcers.

Eminent ecumenical leaders in Bangladesh affirmed the Solidarity visit as a timely encouragement to the five hundred thousand Christians there. The visit, they said, reflected the solidarity and prayers of the global ecumenical community.  Dr. Mathews George Chunakara, Director WCC-CCIA, coordinated the visit with Rev Grace Moon Exec. Secretary CCA-FMU.