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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.

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.

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.