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Rooted in the WCC’s longstanding conviction that “racism is a sin against God and a sin against fellow human beings” (WCC 5th Assembly, 1975), and reaffirmed by the WCC central committee’s 2009 declaration that caste-based discrimination is a crime and casteism a sin, this webinar calls the global church and wider society into courageous truth-telling and transformative action.
Across South Asia and beyond, casteism and racism have functioned as interlocking systems of dehumanization—ranking human worth, legitimizing exclusion, and normalizing violence against entire communities. From the historic exclusion and oppression of Dalit communities, to the rise of white supremacist ideologies under colonialism, these systems have not only shaped societies but continue to fracture relationships today. The COVID-19 pandemic’s-led surge in anti-Asian racism, and the persistence of anti-Black racism amid global migration, reveal that these injustices are neither distant nor dormant. They affect churches, institutions, and everyday life across the world.
This webinar is part of a growing WCC series dedicated to building solidarities across regions, ethnicities, and struggles, affirming that liberation from racism, casteism, and gender injustice is both a spiritual mandate and a collective responsibility.
The webinar discussion will critically examine the relationship between casteism and racism, and how these systems reinforce one another. It will also explore faith-rooted and justice-oriented approaches for dismantling caste-based discrimination, racism, and gender injustice together.
The conversation will feature interventions from four distinguished Asian voices based in Asia and the global diaspora, followed by an open and participatory Q&A session.
Speakers
- Dr Ashwini KP, United Nations special rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance
- Rt. Rev. Dr Anderson Jeremiah, bishop of Edmonton, Diocese of London, Church of England
- Rev. Dr Seoyoung Kim, WCC central committee member, Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea; University of Manchester
- Dr Amjad Mohamed Saleem, moderator
As the world marks International Zero Discrimination Day, the World Council of Churches invites faith leaders, activists, scholars, and all people of conscience to join this vital conversation—renewing the vision of a world where every person’s dignity is honored, and where justice, solidarity, and hope triumph over systems of exclusion.
Register here to join this webinar live, Monday 2 March, 09:00 CET
Learn more about the WCC work on overcoming Racism, Discrimination and Xenophobia
WCC offers new anti-racist and anti-bias material for churches and communities
"Shared anti-racist vision emerges from Berlin Conference", (WCC feature story, 2 June 2025)
