Women from the South Call for Alternative Globalization

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 2004
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

"We are not afraid to say that we live in a time of empire." Thus said a group of church women, feminist economists and women activists from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Caribbean, Middle East and Eastern Europe gathered in Antipolo City, Philippines, on 27-29 August.


A group photo at the venue

Meeting as Womens Voices on Alternative Globalization Addressing People and Earth (WV - AGAPE), the group analyzed the signs of the times and issued a call to transformative reflection and action to counter the negative globalization that is dominating the world today. This empire-building means the "coherence of economic, cultural, political and military powers that constitute a global system of domination directed by powerful nations and organizations".

It follows a neo-liberal economic model which has made the market into an absolute, and is leading the world towards systemic crises, increased vulnerability, globalization of inequality, and continuous ecological destruction. It has also been accompanied by heightened repression, militarization and massive human rights violations  for where there are profits to be made, these are quickly secured by military might. All these, the women said, have impacted the peoples of the South, especially the poor women.

"We believe that the present neo-liberal globalization is completely against Gods vision of Oikoumene, the household of God that is founded on a theology of caring for all life, that promotes justice, compassion and solidarity with the impoverished, the vulnerable and the excluded," they said.

Instead, they affirmed an alternative vision  of a just, sustainable and caring economy that supports and upholds the sacred nature of all life and creation. They called for a move from the so-called free trade (which is only free for the powerful nations and multinational corporations) to a just, sustainable and caring global trade which, among other things, respects and protects biodiversity, local and collective wisdoms, and cultural identities.
"Just, sustainable and caring global trade and finance ensure that the movement and utilization of goods, services and funds best serve the interests of all peoples. Therefore, decision-making structures and processes on trade and financial agreements and policies must be genuinely democratized to involve and represent women and the diversity of society," they stated.

The consultation was sponsored by the World Council of Churches through the Office of Athena Peralta, consultant on women and economy of the Justice, Peace and Creation Team, based in Manila. The Christian Conference of Asia was represented in said consultation by Hope S. Antone.

On August 30, the group of women from the South attended a public forum organized by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. The forum on "Voices from the Global South: Women's Perspective on War and Globalization" featured a panel presentation by Ofelia Ortega (Cuba), Namsoon Kang (Korea) and Lucy Mulenkei (Africa).


Namsoon Kang, Ofelia Ortega, and Lucy Mulenkei with Edna Orteza