An ecumenical delegation visited Ivory Coast from 28 November to 4 December 2011 and met with churches and civil society representatives to express solidarity amidst violence and political turmoil in the country.

A communiqué adopted at a WCC consultation in Turkey advocates international standards of protecting religious minorities’ rights to freedom of religious expression.

In a statement read on 9 December to government members from around the world at the United Nations climate summit in Durban, South Africa, the WCC reaffirmed the need for a fair, ambitious and binding treaty to effectively address climate change effects on vulnerable communities.

How is migration changing the world’s ecclesial landscapes? What are these changes, and how do they impact migrant communities? What can churches do to promote acceptance of diversity and devise new answers to the theological question, “Who is my neighbour?” in an increasingly globalized world.

The shock expressed by members of a rural congregation when offered an opportunity for voluntary HIV testing and counselling, and other similar experiences have taught Pauline Wanjiru Njiru that it is not the Human Immunodeficiency Virus that kills people, but fear, stigma and ignorance.

Churches in Egypt are praying and helping migrants, who flee home due to political turmoil, violence and uncertain future. There is a great need to develop stable democratic societies if the “Arab Spring” is to bear fruits. Or else it might turn into an “Arab winter” with religious minorities at the risk of persecution.

“The World Council of Churches is not just an organization in Geneva. We are the WCC.” Such was the sentiment expressed by Indonesian WCC member churches at a seminar in Bali this past November.

Thirty participants including migration activists, leaders of migrant churches and representatives of ecumenical organizations from Africa, Europe and the Middle East are currently seeking an ecumenical response to migration at a WCC conference in Beirut, Lebanon.

An international study process developed by the WCC is preparing a report on freedom of religion as a fundamental human right for all.

Violence against women is endemic both in conflict zones and so called peaceful situations. According to a study conducted by the University of Lausanne, in Switzerland, more than 26 percent of women there experience physical violence throughout their adult life. In a country of a similar size but with fewer economic opportunities such as the Dominican Republic, every 36 hours a woman is killed by her partner or husband.