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.

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.

The WCC will have an accredited ecumenical delegation of about 25 people from around the world participating in the UN's next major climate change conference being held in Bali, Indonesia, in December. This critical intergovernmental negotiating session will focus on a future climate policy framework for the time after 2012, when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires.

Some fifty church representatives, scientists, youth, indigenous people, people with disabilities and theologians are expected at a global consultation on genetics and new biotechnologies in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 2-6 December. Ethical and moral issues related to genetics and new biotechnologies facing the church and the ecumenical movement will be approached both from a global perspective and through an inventory of issues from...

Women from the WCC constituency and from Iran's Muslim majority as well as some Muslim women from outside Iran will begin a dialogue on the role of women in “Moving towards peace through religion” at a 25-28 November meeting in Tehran, and through preparatory discussions on the internet.

Does the human family have the responsibility - or even the duty - to intervene when states are no longer capable or willing to protect some segments of their population? How can adequate information about gross human rights violations be secured? These and related concerns are on the agenda for discussion during this consultation, which is part of the European focus of the Decade and of the preparatory process leading to an Ecumenical...

The Kenyan churches (pictured: Saint Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, Nairobi) expect guests from all parts of the world and all Christian traditions to come to their country during the Global Christian Forum at Limuru, near Nairobi.

When does the pursuit of economical wellbeing turn into greed? This is one of the questions to be discussed at a 5-9 November ecumenical consultation in Dar es Salaam. Joint church strategies and actions for addressing the interlinked problems of poverty, excessive wealth, and ecological degradation in Africa are intended results.

The greater Horn of Africa, along with the themes of water, nuclear disarmament and the Middle East, will be the primary focus of the United Nations advocacy week of the WCC. It brings together around 80 key people responsible for international affairs and advocacy in WCC member churches, specialized ministries and ecumenical organizations.