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The WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has expressed “sadness, horror and concern” over the death of more than one hundred African migrants, who were on a boat en route to Europe which sank off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa on 3 October.

In an open letter to the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the WCC general secretary expressed “profound distress” over a series of bomb attacks that have occurred within the last week in Pakistan, killing many people including worshippers at the All Saints Church in Peshawar.

The distance between the North Korean and South Korean sides of the demarcation line (DMZ) near Panmunjom can be measured in a few metres.

World leaders at the United Nations last week backed two steps in relation to the Arms Trade Treaty, promoted by churches, to make people safer through new laws to control deadly weapons.

Nine volunteers with the WCC's Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel have met with European Union officials, urging them to honour recently issued guidelines on grants and loans to Israeli settlements.

Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC has expressed “profound sadness” over the killings at the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi, Kenya last week. While condemning these acts of violence in two letters to Kenyan churches and the nation’s president, he offered prayers for all those impacted by this tragedy.

During a recent visit, members of the committee responsible for hosting the upcoming WCC assembly in Busan shared their hope for a “meaningful and successful assembly” which will bring together the worldwide fellowship of WCC member churches in the Republic of Korea for celebration, deliberations and prayer.

A consultation in Geneva termed political dialogue as the only way towards peace and stability in Tanah Papua, a province of Indonesia. The region has remained the focus of tensions between the Indonesian authorities and the Papuan indigenous people for years – resulting in grave human rights violations.

In order to build on its work for the protection of climate refugees, the WCC joins an innovative campaign “Postcards from the Frontlines” aiming to achieve urgently needed recognition and protection for climate refugees around the world.

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.

The WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has expressed “heart-felt sorrow” at the heavy loss of life from the bombings at the All Saints Church in Peshawar calling it the “single worst loss of life among Christians in Pakistan”.

Churches in Togo have taken on a compelling fight against HIV and AIDS. Sexual minorities, highly vulnerable to the pandemic, remain in dire need of pastoral care that encourages access to HIV prevention facilities, if their lives are to be saved.

Church leaders from Syria, Russia, the United States and European nations have called a political solution the only way towards peace in Syria. This stance was shared in a communique they issued following their meeting with Kofi Annan, former United Nations general secretary, and Lakhdar Brahimi, UN-Arab League joint representative for Syria.

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.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has received the Al-Hussein Decoration for Distinguished Service award, presented to him by King Abdullah II of Jordan. Tveit expressed gratitude for this acknowledgement of his contributions to interfaith dialogue and the WCC’s work in promoting peaceful relations between Christians and Muslims.

Following a WCC meeting with church leaders from Russia, Syria, the U.S. and Europe on role of the church moving all parties in Syria towards a peace agreement, following their discussions with Kofi Annan, former UN secretary general and Lakhdar Brahimi, Joint Representative for Syria, a press conference will be held on 19 September in Geneva, Switzerland.

Celebrating water as God’s creation and reflecting on challenges faced by people having inadequate access to this life-giving resource, members of churches in Onex, Switzerland, gathered together in Geneva. Their meeting was held beside a pond called Étang des Mouilles on the rainy Sunday morning of 15 September.

A three-day WCC consultation has featured diverse perspectives from Asia, Africa, Middle East and Europe on the politicization of religion and how this phenomenon contributes to discrimination and persecution of religious minorities around the world.

Work for the rights of religious minorities should be done in the spirit of universalism, said the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, in his opening address at a WCC consultation.