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“Sixteen years after the signing of the peace accord in 1996, Guatemala is still struggling to overcome wide ranging issues that put the economic, political and social wellbeing of the country at risk,” noted a World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation visiting Guatemala from 27 to 29 November.

A World Council of Churches (WCC) consultation on peace and human security in Latin America has adopted a communiqué demanding protection mechanisms that insure peace and human security in Latin America.

“Long years of civil war and import of weapons since the 1980s have created a difficult situation in Latin America, where it is challenging to prevent proliferation of arms”, stated Prof. Benjamin Cortes Marchena at a World Council of Churches (WCC) consultation in Antigua, Guatemala. Â

In a recent World Council of Churches (WCC) consultation, participants analyzed the impact of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in Africa’s sub-regions. They pointed out that more than sixty percent of deaths in battle-related conflicts are caused by small arms, and billions of dollars are spent every year on small arms.

“The fight against proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) is critical for peace and security in Africa,” said Peter Omurangi Otim, head of the Peace and Security department of the African Union (AU) at a World Council of Churches (WCC) consultation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, held from 22 to 25 November.

More than thirty participants from different Latin American countries will be meeting in Antigua, Guatemala for a regional consultation reflecting on peace and human security in Latin America.

To challenge the increasing proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in Africa, and to find effective ways to deter this trend, the World Council of Churches (WCC) will hold a consultation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to strategize common priorities and actions to combat proliferation of arms in the region.

Concerns about Asian countries doing less to protect the rights of migrant workers and the reality that most countries have not ratified United Nations and International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions on the rights of migrant workers were high on the agenda of a recent ecumenical workshop on migrant workers held in Bangkok, Thailand.

The participants in a World Council of Churches (WCC) human rights training in Bangkok, Thailand affirmed that defending “rights and dignity of the voiceless, persecuted, socially marginalized and alienated is the responsibility of all God’s people.”

As violations of human rights and human dignity are on the increase in Asian countries, selected representatives of Asian churches will take part in a regional human rights training seminar in Thailand.

The participants of a World Council of Churches (WCC) sponsored hearing on the misuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws have urged the Pakistani government to “take realistic and solid steps to stop abuse of the blasphemy law that are causing massive human rights violations.”

“No state should take away the right of its citizens to debate a law that affects them gravely. Therefore, there is a growing need of dialogue on the blasphemy law and its negative impacts on religious minorities in Pakistan,” said I.A. Rehman, veteran human rights activist and director of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in a side event at the United Nation’s Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

While accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan have once again captured the news headlines, Bishop Samuel Azariah, moderator of the Church of Pakistan, hopes for the Pakistani government to consider repealing the controversial clause in the Pakistan Penal Code which, he says, invokes misuse of the blasphemy law.

“The misuse of blasphemy law is contrary to the vision of Pakistan as a moderate and democratic country,” said Mohammad Tahseen, in a public hearing on the “Misuse of blasphemy law and religious minorities in Pakistan” organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has expressed its support for the active participation of Christians in Myanmar who promote peace at the grass-roots level.

An international public hearing highlighting the plight of religious minorities and misuse of blasphemy law in Pakistan will be held from 17 to 19 September in conjunction with the 21st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

“Profound acceptance of the others, and a willingness to be open to unity in diversity will uphold values of reconciliation, peace and security in any society and community,” said Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to the participants of international consultation on “Peace, Security and Reconciliation in Myanmar”, organized by the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

As post war Sri Lanka experiences a high level of militarization, the northern provinces of the country continue to face serious humanitarian and human rights problems. Three years after the end of a protracted conflict and war that ravaged the country for quarter of a century, the people and communities are struggling to attain a sustained peace and reconciliation.

Emerging geo-political trends in Asia and their impact on international relations and the shaping of a new world order were analyzed and discussed at the 51st meeting of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

“The growing church in the People’s Republic of China today presents four characteristics: independent and autonomous, post-denominational, fast growing and faced with lots of challenges and emerging difficulties,” said the Rev. Gao Feng, president of the China Christian Council (CCC), in a speech in China on 14 June.