Image
Refugees arriving on the Greek island of Lesbos. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/WCC

Refugees arriving on the Greek island of Lesbos. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/WCC

On 19 January at 13.10-13.40 CET, a press conference will be held at the Ecumenical Centre Geneva, addressing the Refugee Crisis in Europe.

The press conference features:

Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary, World Council of Churches

Ms Marie Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director

Dr Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of Uppsala, Church of Sweden

Mgr Marco Gnavi, Vice-President, Community of Sant’Egidio

Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, Chair of the EKD Council, Evangelical Church in Germany

H.E. Metropolitan Gabriel of Nea Ionia and Filadelfia, Church of Greece

Moderator: Marianne Ejdersten, World Council of Churches

The press conference is part of the WCC/UN High Level Conference: Refugee Crisis in Europé taking place on 18-19 January, during which some 80 leaders of governments, UN agencies, faith-related as well as non-religious civil society organizations from countries affected by the current refugee crisis in Europe, Middle East, and Africa meet to discern how they can proactively influence and shape coordinated collective practical responses.

Please, contact the press team for media requests. There is also the opportunity to interview other participants in the consultation.

Media following the press conference online are invited to forward questions to the panel by e-mail: [email protected]

At the end of the consultation a message will be published in English (after 18.00 CET). The material will be available in German, French, Spanish and in Arabic on 20 January.

To follow the live stream of the press conference online, please visit: https://gmsreplay.vaas.comm-tec.de/replay/webcastShow.html?key=5CfAcAmRgwhBTAd

For more information about the conference, please visit: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/press-info/wcc-un-high-level-conference-refugee-crisis-in-europe

Geneva 19 January 2016
Marianne Ejdersten, WCC director of communication

[email protected], +41.79.507.6363