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The situation for people in Myanmar—including more than one million ethnic Rohingyas—is increasingly concerning, as expressed in the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee minute. 

Sanctions should not harm the support for the most vulnerable, says a report on the impact of sanctions on humanitarian work presented at a side-event of 52nd session at the Human Rights Council of the United Nations in Geneva on 10 March.

As the keynote speaker during an Ecumenical Peace Conversation in South Korea on 11 October, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca reflected on the theme of the recent WCC 11th Assembly, “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.”

Members of the Ecumenical Forum for Peace, Reunification & Cooperation on the Korean Peninsula (EFK) held an informal meeting on 9 September in Karlsruhe, Germany, following the conclusion of the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly.

The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) held its 70th General Assembly on 22 November with the theme “Walk the Path of the New Commandment.”

The World Council of Churches joined dozens of other faith-based and humanitarian groups in signing a Global Civil Society Statement on Myanmar urging the United Nations Security Council to impose a comprehensive global arms embargo on Myanmar to help prevent further violations of human rights against peaceful protesters and others opposing military rule.

The World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia, in a joint statement, expressed distress and concern over the disturbing trend of continued lethal action against the people by the Myanmar military.

August 2020 will mark 75 years since the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki - attacks which devastated those cities and killed or injured several hundred thousands of people. Many more suffered for years afterwards, from having been exposed to the deadly radiation released into the air and water on those days.

For many decades, the World Council of Churches (WCC) has worked to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. From bringing people from both sides of the divided country together, to building an international ecumenical network to support them, the WCC has a history of formulating and promoting a vision for peace.

Impacts of the climate change and the lingering health and environmental effects of nuclear testing on the countries in the Pacific region are among the issues to be discussed at the meeting of the WCC’s Commission of Churches on International Affairs (CCIA), convened from 19 to 21 February in Brisbane, Australia.

With the announcement on 6 February of a Global Prayer Campaign for peace on the Korean Peninsula, World Council of Churches (WCC) leaders and partners looked back at 30-plus years of history and forward to events planned for 2020.

Churches across the Korean Peninsula will mark the year 2020 as a “jubilee year,” and, as they commemorate 70 years since the Korean War, religious leaders are pledging to redouble their ongoing efforts for stronger peace and reunification.

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit and a WCC delegation will visit member churches in China 7-16 January. The historic visit will begin the celebration of the WCC’s 70th anniversary. The WCC delegation, in addition to Tveit, includes WCC Asia president Dr Sang Chang and Rev. Dr Peniel Rajkumar, WCC programme executive for Interreligious Dialogue.

"The world must listen to the people of Korea. They do not want war. They want peace.” Those are the words of Rev. Frank Chikane, moderator of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, as he reflected what was on the minds of several dozen people from all over the world who attended a videoconference on the Korea crisis on 5 October.

As the recent developments of nuclear weapons and increased tensions between United States and North Korea leaders can bring the world to the brink of war, churches around the world are calling for bilateral dialogue, expressing their commitment to peace and nonviolent resolution.

The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), at its meeting in Trondheim, Norway, 27 June 2016, has elected a new executive committee with 11 new members.