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A Global Peace Prayer on 22 March will draw Christians together into prayer and advocacy for peace, and in hope for a better future. 

Part of the international conference held on 9-12 April in Wuppertal, Germany, the online panel discussion on 11 April will reflect on the challenges for a common vision of churches on human rights today, bringing together biblical, theological and practical perspectives on human dignity.

The thematic focus of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace (PJP) in 2019 is Racism. The WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA), organises a series of eight WCC CCIA regional expert Webinars on the issue of racism and racial justice from August to December 2019. The aim of the webinars is to explore how racism manifests itself in the respective regions, learn about the work that churches and ecumenical partners are doing in this respect, identify synergies and avenues for possible collaboration.

This year, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), in partnership with the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF), will observe together the International Youth Day (IYD) with the theme: “Transforming Education.” Youth are the future of the church, and they are great advocates for Christian unity. The WCC wants to empower young Christians to liven up the ecumenical movement.

On the occasion of 2018 World Children’s Day, and in recognition of the WCC’s 70th anniversary, UNICEF and WCC are convening a number of WCC member churches and common partners to celebrate the UNICEF-WCC global partnership and to take stock of the many achievements of the Churches’ Commitments to Children.

During a 23 August service in the Netherlands in the Nieuwe Kerk, a 15th-century church in Amsterdam, World Council of Churches leaders will celebrate the WCC’s 70th anniversary at the very spot in which the organization was founded.  A “Walk of Peace” through Amsterdam, and a symposium under the theme “Hospitality on a pilgrim's way to peace and justice”, at the Vrije Universiteit, will also be held on the same day.

The Global Day of Prayer to End Famine hopes to unite ecumenical partners and faith communities all over the world as a prayerful and spiritual movement to: encourage prayer, reflection and action with information and suggestions; bring awareness regarding famine’s impact on the most vulnerable children and families and to help address its root causes; connect with church-related and other humanitarian organizations that are currently working to bring immediate relief and positive long-term change so children and families can live out God’s aspiration for a dignified, peaceful and violence-free future; help communities and congregations to uphold each other in prayer and support, by sharing experiences, challenge and solutions.

On 9 december, the World Council of Churches invites everyone to a prayer service for peace at the Trinity Church in Oslo, Norway, together with churches in Norway and representatives of ICAN, following the Nobel Peace Prize award 2017.

The impact of the global refugee crisis in Europe and European churches’ responses: From 14 to 16 June church representatives from across Europe will gather in the Netherlands to address the challenges relating to refugee arrivals in Europe. Through prayer, discussion, and solidarity visits, participants in the three-day consultation will examine the churches’ response and collaborate on future action.

The year 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. A chain of commemorative events, starting in Geneva, will connect cities in the Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Switzerland, Slovenia, Ireland and Germany. Each stop-over will last 36 hours: regional and ecumenical partners will invite people to a festive occasion with numerous activities, in order to discover local traces of Reformation history.

"What can we, as people of faith, do to respond and to overcome the pressing challenges of our time, such as violence and conflict, and build together mutually accountable societies based on respect and cooperation?" This is the question up to 30 young adults from around the world are to explore during a study course at the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Institute in Bossey.