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WASHINGTON, DC: At 12:30 pm ET Wednesday, September 14, 2016, General Secretaries Jim Winkler (National Council of Churches, USA) and Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit (World Council of Churches) will issue a statement summarizing the work of this week's groundbreaking consultation between Christian leaders, humanitarian organizations, and human rights organizations on disturbing new developments in the Holy Land.

As wars and conflict continue to force thousands of families to flee their homes every day, the WCC appeals to all people of good will to support the UNHCR’s #WithRefugees campaign. By signing a petition to be handed over to the UN headquarters before the General Assembly meeting on 19 September, people around the globe are asked to raise their voices, to ensure that every refugee child gets an education, that every refugee family has somewhere safe to live, and that every refugee can work or learn new skills to make a positive contribution to their community.

Mientras las guerras y los conflictos siguen obligando a miles de familias a huir de sus hogares cada día, el CMI pide a todas las personas de buena voluntad que apoyen la campaña del ACNUR #ConLosRefugiados. Al firmar la petición que se entregará en la sede de la ONU antes de la reunión de la Asamblea General del 19 de septiembre, se pide a los habitantes del mundo entero que alcen la voz para garantizar que todos los niños refugiados reciban educación, que todas las familias refugiadas tengan un lugar seguro donde vivir, y que todos los refugiados puedan trabajar o formarse para adquirir nuevas competencias y, así, contribuir positivamente a sus comunidades.

“Negotiate a legally-binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons”. Do it “in 2017”. Make sure the negotiations are “open to all states” and include civil society. These are key points in a much-disputed report adopted last week by a United Nations working group of more than 100 countries meeting in Geneva.

“Negociar un instrumento jurídicamente vinculante para prohibir las armas nucleares”; hacerlo en “en 2017”; garantizar que las negociaciones estén “abiertas a todos los Estados” e incluyan a la sociedad civil. Estos son los puntos clave de un controvertido informe que fue aprobado la semana pasada por un grupo de trabajo de las Naciones Unidas formado por más de 100 países. A pesar del boicot de las potencias nucleares y de la fuerte resistencia de sus aliados, el informe que contiene esta histórica recomendación fue aprobado por un margen de tres a uno con un amplio apoyo interregional.

“Peace is not just a ceasefire. Peace is not just the silencing of arms. Peace is education. Peace is figuring out how to coexist and how to build together.”

To raise awareness on the work of churches and church-related organizations engaged in peace-building efforts in Colombia, the WCC and Caritas Internationalis are promoting an event in New York on 18 August.

Para aumentar la conciencia sobre la labor que realizan las Iglesias y las organizaciones relacionadas con las iglesias en materia de esfuerzos para la consolidación de la paz en Colombia, el CMI y Caritas International están promoviendo un evento en Nueva York el 18 de agosto.

Canadian Lutheran World Relief and the WCC are planning joint action on refugee rights now that the Canadian church agency has been approved for WCC membership. Plans are for CLWR to collaborate with WCC on advocacy initiatives through the Ecumenical United Nations Office in New York.

El Socorro Mundial Luterano Canadiense y el CMI están planificando actividades conjuntas sobre los derechos de los refugiados ahora que el CMI ha aprobado que este organismo de la iglesia canadiense sea uno de sus miembros. Se prevé que el CLWR colabore con el CMI en iniciativas de promoción a través de la Oficina Ecuménica ante las Naciones Unidas en Nueva York.

This year a “Sunday of Prayer for the Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula” will be observed on 14 August by the WCC with the peoples and churches of Korea and of the world. The WCC invites all member churches and people of good will to join in prayer, to achieve reconciliation and healing of the divided Korean peninsula, and to foster an environment that will see peaceful reunification in the peninsula by the conclusion of a peace treaty.

This year's “Sunday of Prayer for the Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula” will be observed on 14 August. The special day of prayer follows a visit from a delegation of the National Council of Churches in Korea and the National Council of Churches USA with USA policymakers. The delegation is advocating for a permanent peace treaty between North and South Korea.

The WCC offered prayers for peace in the USA while condemning acts of violence in recent days that have shocked the nation and people around the world.

The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), at its meeting in Trondheim, Norway, 27 June 2016, has elected a new executive committee with 11 new members.

El Comité Central del CMI, en su reunión en Trondheim, Noruega, 27 de junio de 2016, ha elegido un nuevo comité ejecutivo, el que incluye 11 nuevos miembros.

The general secretary of the World Council of Churches expressed “shock, outrage and sadness” over the tragic events in Orlando, Florida on Sunday 12 June 2016. In what is said to be the worst mass shooting in US history, 50 people are reported to have lost their lives and 53 more were wounded in an attack by a single gunman.

As a United Nations high-level meeting on ending AIDS led to the adoption of a new political declaration to fast-track progress toward combating HIV and AIDS, the faith community responded, both with words of commendation and a call for changes.

At an interfaith prayer service on 7 June, people from diverse faith communities issued a call to action to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. The call focuses on reducing stigma and discrimination; increasing access to HIV services; defending human rights; and ensuring testing and treatment for all, including children.

On the occasion of US President Barack Obama’s visit to the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 27 May, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit sent greetings, noting that this is a time when signs of peace and justice are sorely needed.

Women and children figure prominently as refugees in mass movements of people in recent months and their rights will be at the forefront of a summer school organized in Greece by the Conference of European Churches.