Young Christians Commit to Enhancing HIV Advocacy in Asia

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.

03 August 2024

Chiang Mai, Thailand: Asian Christian youth who attended the capacity-building training of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) committed themselves to raising awareness among their peers and promoting HIV advocacy in their local communities.

The regional capacity-building training, organised through CCA’s Action Together in Combating HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA) programme, was held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and focused on the theme ‘Strengthening the Voices of Youth for HIV Advocacy in Asia’.

Seventy young representatives from churches across Asia attended the training held from 29 to 31 July 2024.

During the session on addressing HIV vulnerabilities and other issues, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, the participants observed that comprehensive knowledge regarding HIV prevention is low among young people in Asia. They emphasised the urgent need to address sexual health in an age-appropriate manner from a Christian perspective.

Action plans prepared by the participants outlined strategies for their churches after assessing their current status on HIV advocacy and learning about best practices from other churches.

The proposed plans included formulating a policy addressing HIV and AIDS, gender, and sexuality. Participants identified the importance of networking and sharing best practices with other churches, as well as conducting workshops for church leaders on HIV advocacy, as priority areas of action.

The action plans also recognised the importance of forming support groups for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and fostering youth communities to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. Additionally, participants highlighted the need to utilise social media and digital platforms to disseminate information and tackle the stigma still associated with HIV and AIDS.

The participants emphasised that breaking barriers—scientific, legal, policy and procedural, religious and cultural, social, and governmental—is crucial for building bridges in the HIV response.

Participants were divided into five groups and visited five HIV projects in Chiang Mai: Baan Sabai, Thai Drug Users Network, M Plus Foundation, MAP Foundation, and CareMat. After visiting the projects, the groups shared their learning experiences about the operations. The exposure visits also provided an opportunity for the participants to interact in person with People Living with HIV (PLHIV).

The participants also attended a closed-door session titled ‘Perspectives from the Margins’ to interact with PLHIV. This session provided a platform for PLHIV to share their stories and lived experiences, expressing their hope for a world of acceptance, free from stigma and discrimination.

For more photos, please click here: (Photo Gallery): Regional Capacity Building Programme ‘Strengthening the Voices of Youth for HIV Advocacy in Asia’