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Twenty church leaders from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania met in Arusha, Tanzania from 7-11 November to discuss deepening inclusion, participation and active involvement of persons with disabilities in the spiritual, social, economic and structural life of the church and society. The forum was organized by the WCC Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network and hosted by the Council of Churches in Tanzania.

Joining efforts to explore how to move from dependency on fossil fuel to a sustainable future, faith representatives gathered at the Indonesian Pavilion at COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco on 8 November, for an event hosted by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

“In our community, HIV is not spoken about openly. And the challenge is, it’s like people are both informed and not informed. They know what HIV is, that it’s an illness that can be treated, but still they don’t want to really talk about it, like they don’t really want to know about it…”

«Dans notre communauté, on ne parle pas ouvertement du VIH. Or, le problème, c’est que les gens sont à la fois informés et ignorants. Ils savent ce qu’est le VIH, que c’est une maladie qu’on ne peut pas soigner mais, pour autant, ils ne veulent pas trop en parler, comme s’ils ne voulaient pas vraiment en savoir plus.»

“Is there a way we can address stigma and discrimination among faith communities, to set an example, so that those who are there to provide services, to give care, do not themselves stigmatize? Because when it comes to HIV and AIDS, it doesn’t matter if we are Christians or Muslims, women or men. With HIV and AIDS, we need to deal with it as human beings.”

¿Hay alguna forma de eliminar el estigma y la discriminación en las propias comunidades religiosas, para dar ejemplo y evitar que quienes están ahí, prestando servicios y atención sanitaria, estigmaticen a los afectados? Porque cuando hablamos de VIH y SIDA no importa si uno es cristiano, musulmán, mujer u hombre; con el VIH y el SIDA hay que tratar como seres humanos”.

«Existe-t-il un moyen d’agir contre la stigmatisation et la discrimination au sein des communautés religieuses, pour montrer l’exemple, afin que celles et ceux qui sont là pour rendre service et prodiguer des soins ne stigmatisent pas les personnes malades? Car lorsqu’il s’agit de lutter contre le VIH et le sida, peu importe que l’on soit chrétien ou musulman, femme ou homme, nous devons agir en tant qu’êtres humains.»

Religious leaders must break their silence with regard to young people and sexual reproductive health, agreed young people and theologians gathered in Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) from 6-7 September.

As Zambia prepares for its general election on 11 August, church leaders and human rights advocates within the country and across the world strengthened their calls for nonviolent campaigning and a stable constitution.

Interview with Fr James Oyet-Latansio (JOL), general secretary of the Christian Council in South Sudan and Mr Ferdinand von Habsburg-Lothringen (FHL), advisor on reconciliation, South Sudan Council of Churches

Entrevista con el Padre James Oyet-Latansio (JOL), secretario general del Consejo Cristiano de Sudán del Sur y el señor Ferdinand von Habsburg-Lothringen (FHL), asesor en materia de reconciliación, Consejo de Iglesias de Sudán del Sur.

Entretien avec le père James Oyet-Latansio, secrétaire général du Conseil chrétien du Soudan du Sud et M. Ferdinand von Habsburg-Lothringen, conseiller en matière de réconciliation, Conseil des Églises du Soudan du Sud.

Representatives of faith-based organizations and communities will gather 16-17 July in Durban, South Africa for an interfaith pre-conference, “Faith on the Fast Track: Reducing Stigma and Discrimination, Increasing Access, and Defending Human Rights – NOW!”

As they talk during a workshop in Ghana, women are collectively asking a question: “Is it not time for women and girls to raise their voices to say what they want as mothers, as widows, as single parents, and as God’s children?”

The African continent bears witness to the tragic consequences of the manipulation of religion to incite violence. Yet it is also the home of untold instances of the power of religious leaders and actors to exert a positive influence, said panellists at an international meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, today.

“Science and religion can provide solutions to poverty and injustice.” This was the theme of the 3rd International Conference on Sustainable Alternatives for Poverty Reduction and Ecological Justice (SAPREJ) in Kampala, Uganda, on 4-7 April. The conference was organized by the Kyambogo University and the WCC economic and ecological justice programme.

The World Council of Churches Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network (WCC-EDAN) will flourish and become a source of increasing education and dialogue, said the programme’s leaders at a meeting in Kenya on 10-15 April.

La Red Ecuménica de Defensa de las Personas Discapacitadas del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (EDAN-CMI) florecerá y se convertirá en una fuente cada vez más abundante de educación y diálogo, según afirmaron los responsables de ese programa en una reunión que tuvo lugar en Kenia del 10 al 15 de abril.

Le Réseau œcuménique de défense des personnes handicapées du Conseil œcuménique des Églises va se développer et participera à l'amélioration de l'éducation et du dialogue, ont déclaré les responsables du programme lors d'une rencontre au Kenya du 10 au 15 avril derniers.

A workshop in Tanzania created a “safe space” in which adolescents, church leaders, theologians, development practitioners and others could share their feelings and ideas about HIV response.