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World Health Day Prayer Sunday 7 April 2024

With the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, we pray for the people and churches of Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria.

World Health Day is April 7 when the World Health Organization commemorates its 76th anniversary. This year the theme is 'My Health, My Right, which reminds us to advocate for equitable access to health services and work towards a healthier, more inclusive world.  

04 April 2024
WCC Programmes
Interview
Rudelmar Bueno de Faria

ACT Alliance general secretary: “equity is not negotiable”

As the 78th session of the UN General Assembly and the first-ever Climate Action Summit were held in New York City in September, ACT Alliance general secretary Rudelmar Bueno de Faria reflected on the importance of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the ecumenical movement in creating a more sustainable and equitable world.

26 September 2023
Feature story
Woman fetches water in river under bridge.

Interfaith statement at Stockholm+50 urges commitment “to become protectors of this earth”

An interfaith statement developed at Stockholm+50, “Faith Values and Reach - Contribution to Environmental Policy,” was signed by representatives of various faith-based organizations and Indigenous cultures across the world, including the World Council of Churches, and directed to the governments, UN entities, civil society, and all stakeholders of the “Stockholm+50” processes.

03 June 2022
Feature story
Woman reading Bible in Korean

Unity is key when health crisis poses new challenges in Asia

As the COVID-19 pandemic slowly fades, its severe impact on people’s lives lingers on throughout Asia and the rest of the world. In addition to the sufferings and tragic losses of lives caused by the virus, hopes for a brighter future have been dimmed by social isolation, economic recession, increased unemployment and poverty.

28 February 2022
Bible studies
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Seven Weeks for Water 2021, week 5: "Water on Wall Street: the ultimate abuse of God’s gift", by Susan Smith and Dinesh Suna

The 5th reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2021 of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) is written by Susan Smith and Dinesh Suna.*  In the following reflection, they condemn the recent listing of water on Wall Street as a tradable commodity.  Referring to the biblical assurance that God will quench the thirst of the poor and needy and that water should be made available to all even if they have no money, they proclaim the true value of water as a gift from God, a human right, a spiritual wonder and the source of all life. 

15 March 2021
Blog post
hands on the wall

The rights and dignity of the other

In the words of Prof. Rev. Dr John Langan SJ, a human right "is a right that a human person has simply by virtue of being (human), irrespective of his or her social status, cultural accomplishments, moral merits, religious beliefs, class memberships or cultural relationships.” 

10 December 2020
Document
Liturgical text
O Lord, open to us the gates of righteousness, That we may enter through them and give thanks to you. This is the day that the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever.

Morning Prayer for Monday, 30 November 2020

O Lord, open to us the gates of righteousness…

This week, on the first week of Advent, in the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, we are praying with the people and churches of Myanmar and Thailand.

In the context of the 16 Days against Gender-Based Violence, this week marks World AIDS Day (December 1), the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery (2 December) and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December).

30 November 2020
WCC Programmes
News
Dr Cecile De Sweemer (first on the right) continued serving people in most need to her last day. Photo: Réal Lavergne

Dr Cecile De Sweemer, the doer of God

Dr Cecile De Sweemer, who served as staff of the Christian Medical Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC) from 1982 to 1986, died on the 27 November in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). De Sweemer, a Belgian medical doctor with a doctorate in International Health from Johns Hopkins University, with extensive experience in Asia and Africa, was a dedicated and compassionate physician.

30 November 2018
Document
Bible study
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Seven Weeks for Water 2018, week 2: "Is there fullness of life without water?", by Gloria Ulloa

The second reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water is by Rev. Gloria Ulloa, an ordained priest of the  Presbyterian Church of Colombia and the president of the World Council of Churches, Latin American region.  In the following reflection she relates her own experiences of growing up in her village by the riverside.  She laments the current situation of water in the Latin American region and challenges the churches to address this water crisis to usher fullness of life among us.

02 March 2018
WCC Programmes
News
“Stop Human Rights Abuse!” event at the Ecumenical Centre. Photo: WCC

Ecumenical groups join in UN forum on business and human rights in Geneva

The huge impacts of businesses on the communities in which they operate often bring benefits, but companies can disregard and even harm people’s rights in pursuit of economic gain. The WCC, ACT Alliance and the Lutheran World Federation hosted a side event at the 6th United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva on 28 November, in this context.

30 November 2017