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The life of Tun Channareth from Cambodia was changed dramatically in his early twenties. A resistance soldier fighting the Khmer Rouge, Channareth’s legs were shattered when he stepped on a landmine near the border between Cambodia and Thailand.

Religion is a double-edged sword for women healing from violence and trauma, yet they find their way out of pain in amazing ways, say two scholars whose work investigates and analyses this.

Exploring realities of multi-religious societies and discovering new ways of working together as faith communities to promote justice and peace, young Christian leaders from Asia have gathered in Cambodia to take part in a two-week training programme called Youth in Asia Training for Religious Amity (YATRA).

Addressing the daunting issue of unemployment among Egyptian youth, the WCC collaborated with the International Labour Organization in holding a dialogue on “Egyptian youth and the right to decent work” in Cairo. The event on 15 May brought together participants from both Christian and Muslim backgrounds.

With a growing awareness of plurality in theological education as a result of the changing faces of Christianity, and the reality of churches co-existing with other religions, members of the executive committee of the World Conference of Associations of Theological Institutions affirmed their commitment to cooperate closely, share information and build collaborative networks to strengthen world-wide initiatives in ecumenical theological education.

Father Ioan Sauca of the Romanian Orthodox Church and Peter Prove, a Lutheran lawyer and international affairs expert from Australia, have been named to key staff positions in the WCC.

Young adults from Asian churches are invited to participate in a two-week-long training programme of the WCC called Youth in Asia Training for Religious Amity (YATRA). The project is aimed at promoting and strengthening religious harmony. The deadline to submit applications has been extended to 10 April.

The March 2014 issue of The Ecumenical Review features reflections on the global context of ecumenical theology from leading theological scholars and students who participated in classes, research and ecumenical events in Busan and Seoul, Republic of Korea, in the fall of 2013.

Dr Dietrich Werner is the recipient of an honorary Doctorate in Divinity, awarded to him by Serampore College in India. The title was conferred in recognition of Werner’s long-term contributions to theological education, mission and ecumenism, and for building ecumenical partnerships among Christian academic institutions in Asia and advising forums on theological education in India.

Nearly one hundred representatives of the German member churches of the WCC met from 16 to 18 January at the Evangelical Academy of Loccum in order to share their experiences from the WCC 10th Assembly and to discuss how they would continue their way together on their pilgrimage of justice and peace.

During 2014 the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey will be holding a number of seminars raising awareness on issues related to women’s concerns, justice and peace, ecology and Christian theology, interfaith relations and migrant churches.

In a final message to the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) held in Busan, Republic of Korea, the 170 participants in the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) affirmed they “believe in the future of the ecumenical movement.”

More than 200 international theology students of varied Christian traditions have commenced participating in the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI). An opening with a vibrant worship service at the Graduate School of Theology of Hanshin University marked the beginning of the GETI on 26 October in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

In a collection of essays, former students of the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey share how their years at the Institute created some of their fondest memories. Their experience inspired a new understanding of Christian unity and ecumenical endeavours they have undertaken in churches around the globe.

The WCC held its first Youth Virtual Conference titled “Live your Faith!” on 12 October, offering young Christians from around the world an opportunity to reflect on issues of concern for their communities, including eco-justice, migration and peace.

As part of the preparations for the upcoming WCC assembly in Korea, young delegates to the event recently got together in Geneva to strategize on making youth contributions to the assembly and to the WCC youth programme more meaningful – envisioning a “youth pilgrimage for justice and peace”.

A long time academic and professor of missiology at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, Dr Paul J. Isaak has been appointed as director of elections by President Hifikepunye Pohamba in Namibia. Isaak commenced his new position at the Electoral Commission of Namibia in September.

A global survey on theological education urges churches to put emphasis on Christian leadership formation, collaboration in theological education, support for scholarship programmes and development of capacity-building for theology students.

“Justice and peace now!” was a call made by the participants of the Asia-Pacific Students and Youth Gathering in the Philippines. They affirmed their role in revitalizing the ecumenical movement, aspiring to be “seeds of hope, catalysts of genuine and lasting peace that is based on justice”.

Young people of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths have created a unique community during a summer course at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey. Together they seek to break religious stereotypes, promote mutual respect and enhance their understanding of religions beyond the conflict paradigm.