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World AIDS Day, observed on 1 December each year, is an important opportunity when governments, national AIDS programs, faith organizations, community organizations, and individuals around the world bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic and emphasize the critical need for a committed, meaningful and sustained response.

UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNWomen (as part of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Religion and Development), the World Council of Churches - Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, & the Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research will co-host a symposium to launch three reports examining the intersections and areas of contention between health, human rights & lived theology during the United Nations General Assembly.

An interfaith prayer breakfast will be held during the United Nations General Assembly will renew commitment to a shared vision of ending AIDS by 2030. Organized by the World Council of Churches – Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (WCC – EAA), in collaboration with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the UN Interagency Task Force on Religion and Development (IATF), this will be a unique opportunity to strengthen current collaboration and to forge new partnerships between faiths and other sectors.

The interfaith service, held on the eve of the United Nations High Level Meeting on AIDS, is an opportunity to gather in prayer to remember those we know who have died of AIDS; to celebrate the progress made so far in the global response to AIDS; to reflect on our role as Faith Based Organizations and faith leaders in calling for and then implementing a strong Political Declaration on AIDS; and to commit ourselves to the Political Declaration.

In Southern Africa, around 28 million people are facing food insecurity due to drought conditions brought on by the strength of El Niño in 2015/2016. The World Council of Churches – Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance is holding a regional consultation, hosted by World Vision International, to plan coordinated faith-based action in support of sustainable agriculture, agro-ecology and other climate-resilient methods, particularly targeting the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) discussion on the response to El Niño.

The International AIDS Conference (18-22 July) provides extensive opportunities for sharing and networking across all levels of care and response to the epidemic. It draws tens of thousands of people every two years. The WCC-Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance is coordinating an Interfaith Pre-Conference to bring faith-based participants together to share good practices, networking, and discussion of the faith-based response to current challenges in responding to HIV.