Letter from 10th HR Training

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.

27 November 2006
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

Dear friends in Christ,

We the participants of the Christian Conference of Asia [CCA] 10th Annual Human Rights Training respectfully wish to draw to your attention the serious situation that we have observed in terms of human trafficking in many parts of Asia, particularly in Mekong region. Human trafficking) has been defined in the United Nations Trafficking Protocol as being recruitment, transportation or transfer or harbouring or receipt of persons by means of threat, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or abuse of a position of vulnerability for the purpose of exploitation, including prostitution or slavery, removal of organs or other exploitative practices.

From our visit to the north of Thailand and discussion and briefing from a number of government and non-governmental organizations and the church of Christ in Thailand, it is clear that,

  1. Poverty and vulnerability due to family violence including sexual violence, drug addiction, lack of education, political insecurity and economic marginalization have led to many people, especially children and women, to being forced into child labour, sexual exploitation and harsh conditions of work in foreign countries. People from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, South China, Vietnam, Thailand and other countries are targeted by unscrupulous recruiters. They paint beautiful pictures of life in other countries and trick or force children, youth and women into dangerous working and living conditions.
  2. Problems faced by those who are trafficked include language barriers, fear and trauma.
  3. Governments have not given sufficient priority to an integrated, cross border approach to prevention, protection and prosecution.
  4. A package of measures is needed, involving families, churches, agencies of the governments, community groups, employers, trade unions and international agencies.

Human trafficking destroys lives, communities and human dignity. Many countries are affected, either as countries of origin or countries of destination.

We call on the churches to,

  1. get in touch those who are working with those who are exploited through being trafficked and groups working with them.
  2. take actions to strengthen local communities in terms of sustainable livelihood, building strong family and providing community support especially for the marginalized.
  3. become involved in helping those who escaped these harsh conditions through provision of shelter, food and alternative means of livelihood.
  4. assist in identification and prosecution of traffickers.
  5. advocate whole of government approach to eradicating human trafficking.
  6. monitor effectiveness of the churches and governments in adequately addressing problem of human trafficking.
  7. spread information about the problems of human trafficking, to warn and to educate all members of society.
  8. strengthen international church and NGO networks of information and advocacy.

All are born to live life in abundance, peace, dignity, safety and freedom. Wherever children, women or men are forced into slavery of any kind, God is there and suffers with them. Whatever we do for those in great suffering, we do for Christ.

We are thankful for the CCA 10th Annual Human Rights Training, which has opened our eyes to these realities and trust that our churches will continue to actively support it.

Yours in Christ,

Participants, Resource Persons and Organisers of the Tenth Annual Human Rights Training Program, from Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Australia, Korea, Cambodia, Laos, Taiwan, Thailand.

Cc. Asian Human Rights Commission
ILO
UNHCR
UN Human Rights Council
Human Rights Commissions of Asia.