Third annual Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia training begins

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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16 October 2018
IMG_1281participants of YAPA-2018

The third annual training of peace activists, the Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA), was opened during an interfaith service at the headquarters of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) on Monday, 15 October 2018.

The week long YAPA-2018 with focus on the theme ‘Peace with Justice and Human Security' is being attended by 27 young people sponsored by CCA member churches and councils as well as representatives of Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim organisations in Asia.

During a thematic address at the beginning of the programme on ‘Peace with Justice and Human Security: Interfaith Perspectives’, Dr. Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary of the CCA stated, “The concept of security envisioned needs to be understood properly as the notion of security has been interpreted often in political contexts, and linked only to national security or war and military defence. Such an approach will not be taking into consideration the importance of  human security and the right of the poor to live in dignity, safety and with access to justice.”

CCA General Secretary further added that “peace and security can only be attained and sustained in a society where people in a community truly care for one another with mutual recognition and tolerance on the basis of love and care for others; there will not be peace without justice, and there will also not be peace without security”.

Various thematic presentations at the YAPA  explore the ways to empower civil society in its quest for social development, economic security, human rights, food security, environmental security, community security and political security.

Resource persons facilitating different  sessions of this year’s YAPA training include Dr. Sudarat Jun Tunivivat, Srinakharinwirot University,  Thailand; Fiona Barnaby, Khun Kraisorn Thewprasert and Kanyarad Pinseethong from International Committee of the Red Cross in Bangkok, Brigadier P. M. Mathew, Defence Analyst and Retired Brigadier of the Indian Army; Dr. Suchart Setthamalinee, Payap University; Dr. Mundackal Paulose Mathai, Professor of Gandhian Thought and activist of the Non-Violence Movement; Venerable Dr. Pramaha Boonchuay, Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya, Chiang Mai ; Dr. Le Ngoc Bich Ly, Lecturer at the Institute of Religion Culture and Peace, Chiang Mai; Dr. Mathews George Chunakara and Dr. Reynaldo Ty Caza of CCA.

YAPA - 2018 aims to train prospective young peace activists and bring them to a common platform to help build communities where peace and harmony would prevail and be upheld.

The curriculum and training methodologies are based on inter-cultural, inter-religious and non-formal learning approaches. The participants also share experiences on the best practices of inter-connectedness to act more effectively as a network.

The training will conclude on 20 October, 2018.