"How can we affirm our identity as Muslims, Jews and Christians not in separation or against each other but in relation to one another?" This is the question 25 young adults from different European, Middle Eastern, Asian, African and American countries are exploring during a July summer seminar at the World Council of Churches' (WCC) Ecumenical Institute in Bossey. Activities include spiritual and academic exercises as well as sports, recreation...

Preserving the world’s water resources and securing access to water for all is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. In 2008, the Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) will therefore bring together about 20 young people from all over the world in the first EWN Summer School on Water.

Representatives of concerns of people living with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, Dalits and those struggling against racism will meet in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 18 - 23 August 2008, as part of a continuing conversation on “churches becoming and effecting just and inclusive communities” that began in La Paz, Bolivia in May 2007.

The consultation is part of a WCC study project on Poverty, wealth and ecological debt. It continues a process which was started at the WCC 8th Assembly in Harare in 1998 and became known as Alternative Globalization Addressing People and Earth (AGAPE) since the 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre. Today, the issue of socio-economic justice is no less pressing.

The central committee is the WCC's highest governing body in the interval between assemblies, and meets every 18 months. It is responsible for executing Assembly resolutions, reviewing WCC programmes, monitoring their implementation, and approving WCC budget plans.

Dates and venue to be confirmed.

The 1910 Edinburgh World Mission Conference is widely regarded as the symbolic starting point of the modern ecumenical movement. Its forthcoming centenary is proving to be a suggestive moment for many people who are seeking direction for Christian mission in the 21st century.

The World Council of Churches' 9th assembly decided that the conclusion of the Decade to Overcome Violence be marked by an International Ecumenical Peace Convocation. This convocation aims at witnessing to the peace of God as a gift and responsibility of the oikumene. It seeks to assess and strengthen the church's position on peace, provide opportunities for networking and deepening our common commitment to processes of reconciliation and peace.

Migration constitutes one of the most urgent issues of contemporary societies. It raises issues like social exclusion through racism and xenophobia, as well as cross-cultural views on Christianity. In order to increase the factual knowledge about the transformations caused by migration, the study "Mapping Migration - Mapping Churches' Responses" will be presented to the press and the wider public on Monday, 16 June in Geneva.

Through a week of advocacy and action for a just peace in Palestine and Israel, WCC member churches and related organizations will contribute to a common international witness for peace in early June 2008.

The World Conference of Associations of Theological Institutions (WOCATI) holds its fourth world congress from 30 May to 7 June in Thessaloniki, Greece. The world forum of associations and accrediting organizations of theological schools from all over the world will discuss key issues of the future of ecumenical theological education in the 21st century under the theme "Theological education - A radical appraisal".

A Workshop of the Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) on faith-based advocacy and water for all.

Testimonies by young Christians from the Middle East on why many of them leave the region in search of a brighter future will inform the Public Hearing on Migration and the Changing Ecclesial Landscape to be held in Beirut, from 15 to 16 April. An ecumenical delegation headed by World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia will attend the hearing at the outset of a seven-day visit to the region focusing on migration as...

International human rights experts and activists from the Philippines will address the continuing problem of extrajudicial killings in a side event to the UN Human Rights Council's 7th session.

The 2008 meeting of the WCC central committee in Geneva is an occasion for celebrating the 60th anniversary of the council. Amongst the events, a festive ecumenical celebration will take place at Geneva's St. Pierre Cathedral on Sunday, 17 February, at 16:00.

Churches throughout the world commit themselves to "Pray without ceasing", as the Week of prayer for Christian unity celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2008. In Geneva, the World Council of Churches together with the local churches and Christian communities marks the occasion with a celebration that highlights what prayer for church unity means both locally and in more troubled spots of the worlds.

This symposium sets out to initiate a collaborative discourse among younger theologians committed to Dalit emancipation in the Indian church and society at large. It provides a platform for emerging voices and a showcase for the resources of Dalit theology as a theology of life for all.

About sixty theologians, church leaders, social scientists and activists, mainly from Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean will gather in Runaway Bay, Jamaica, to explore responses to past and present forms of slavery.