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The World Council of Churches - Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance applauds the first licensing agreement related to tuberculosis, announced on 25 January by the Medicines Patent Pool and Johns Hopkins University. The agreement will facilitate the clinical development of sutezolid, a tuberculosis drug candidate. The antibiotic sutezolid, in combination with other drugs, could be used to more effectively treat drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tuberculosis.

“I have been tested for HIV,” said Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC, who received his test while traveling in Oslo, Norway, as a demonstration of his support for the WCC campaign “Leading by Example: Religious Leaders and HIV Testing,” launched at events observing World AIDS Day - 1 December - at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland.

Religious leaders are getting tested for HIV in hopes of inspiring others across the world to seek testing, too. Increasing the number of people receiving HIV testing is vitally important in the effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

Auf seiner Tagung in Nanjing und Shanghai (China) vom 17. bis 23. November gab der Exekutivausschuss des Ökumenischen Rates der Kirchen eine Erklärung zu Klimagerechtigkeit ab, in der er „die drängende Sorge der Kirchen in Bezug auf den Klimawandel“ wiederholt und alle Staaten aufruft, die Verpflichtungen des Pariser Abkommens zu erfüllen.

While meeting in Nanjing and Shanghai, China, from 17-23 November, the WCC Executive Committee issued a statement on climate justice that reiterates the urgent concerns of churches in relation to climate change, and calls on all states to fulfill the commitments of the Paris Agreement.

”We are here to listen. To learn what others do, so we can contextualize our understanding of HIV issues, and journey together in our work ahead. Because on HIV, we do not compete. We work together.”

Peasant seed systems, which have fed most of the world’s population for centuries, are endangered by the imposition of intellectual property rights and patents, says a church-backed campaign.

„Gibt es eine Möglichkeit, Stigmatisierung und Diskriminierung innerhalb von Glaubensgemeinschaften zu thematisieren und ein Beispiel zu geben, damit die, die Leistungen für Betroffene erbringen und sie pflegen, sie nicht selbst stigmatisieren? Denn beim Thema HIV und Aids ist es egal, ob wir Christen oder Muslime, Männer oder Frauen sind. In Bezug auf HIV und Aids müssen wir als Menschen mit Menschen umgehen.“

“Is there a way we can address stigma and discrimination among faith communities, to set an example, so that those who are there to provide services, to give care, do not themselves stigmatize? Because when it comes to HIV and AIDS, it doesn’t matter if we are Christians or Muslims, women or men. With HIV and AIDS, we need to deal with it as human beings.”

“Rejoice and share the sacred gift of food with all.” That’s just one of the “Ten Commandments of Food” proposed by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit as he called upon people to change their behavior and take action in both small and large ways.

“Dignity, Freedom, and Grace: Christian Perspectives on HIV, AIDS and Human Rights,” a book published earlier this year by the WCC, will be among reports discussed at a 20 September event with the theme “Keeping the Faith in Development: Gender, Religions & Heath.”

Being open about living with HIV can still be daunting and damaging, even some 30 years into the response to the virus. The pernicious stigma that cleaves to testing positive, remains one of the main barriers to a truly effective response. While billions of dollars have been spent over the last few decades to tackle HIV and AIDS scientifically and medically, with huge gains in prevention and treatment, social and cultural barriers still remain in what is the greatest epidemic in modern history.

To help the world’s children become HIV-free, faith groups must help bring UN goals to life through strong advocacy, rapid action and unprecedented collaboration, say experts. Children must be helped onto a “Super Fast Track” to end AIDS or they will die at what Dr Stuart Kean describes as a “shocking” rate.

The 21st International AIDS Conference, which concluded July 22, had its normal dose of science speak, with seminars and workshops ranging from new vaccine trials to the testing of a vaginal ring that appears to dramatically lower the risk of HIV infection in women.

People of faith and representatives of faith-based organizations demonstrated their commitment to meet the “Fast Track” challenges to end the AIDS epidemic at the 21st International AIDS Conference in Durban, 18-22 July. Extensive coverage of faith-based participation is available via www.iacfaith.org. Articles, video and photos will continue to be added.

Prinz Harry, Elton John, Charlize Theron, Erzbischof Thabo Makgoba, Bill Gates – Mitglieder von Königshäusern, Prominente, religiöse Führungspersonen und Philanthropen schlossen sich auf der 21. internationalen Aids-Konferenz in Durban Wissenschaftlern, Politikern, Beschäftigten im Gesundheitswesen und Aktivisten an – unter denen auch viele gläubige Menschen sind.

Prince Harry, Elton John, Charlize Theron, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, Bill Gates – royalty, celebrities, religious leaders and philanthropists joined scientists, politicians, health workers, and activists – all of whom include people of faith – at the 21st International AIDS Conference in Durban. At a time when “AIDS fatigue” deepens, affecting funding, awareness and capacity to respond, the stars help to put a media spotlight on the many challenges and injustices that remain.

Thirty-five years into the response to HIV and AIDS, it remains a disease that not only thrives on, but exploits the lines of exclusion and inequality in society. In the Philippines, where there has been an alarming increase in people testing positive for HIV, the country’s National Council of Churches recognized that more than words were needed. While dialogue and debate were important, they needed to translate into action, given the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor in Filipino society, and a faith-based and societal milieu still dominated by a sex-negative theology.

In der abschließenden Plenarsitzung der religiösen Vorkonferenz zu HIV und AIDS verpflichteten sich Glaubensgemeinschaften erneut, HIV und AIDS zu beenden und angesichts einer gewissen „AIDS-Müdigkeit“ in ihrem Bemühen nicht nachzulassen.

In a final session at the faith-based pre-conference on HIV and AIDS, faith communities re-committed themselves to ending HIV and AIDS, and to keeping up the pressure in the face of “AIDS fatigue.” In a stirring speech, Rev. Phumzile Mabizela, executive director of INERELA+ said, “We must continue in the fast lane. We cannot return to the slow lane or go slow in the fast lane.”