The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are celebrating 50 years of collaboration. Their work together includes strategizing, publications, seminars, webinars, and responding to crises such as HIV, the Ebola outbreak, and COVID-19 pandemic.
A panel discussion, “Zacchaeus Tax: Transforming the Global Economic System and Advancing Gender Justice,” on 19 March explored the intersections between tax justice and gender justice—and why this is a matter of faith.
The sixth reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2024 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Rev. Dr Jione Havea from the Pacific region. Reflecting on the interesting story of the Bible where Moses turns the bitter water of Marah into drinkable water, with the help of God, Havea argues that drinkable water can bring peace while lack of water is a source of conflict. Then he encourages the readers to advocate for water justice.
The environment doesn't give to us; we provide to the environment, said Rev. Dr Stavros Kofinas, coordinator of the Network of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Pastoral Health Care. Kofinas, the new moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Health and Healing, spoke on 5 March, during a discussion by three WCC commissions.
The fourth reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2024 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Rev. Dr Anupama Hial. In this reflection, she recalls her struggles in the past as a Dalit woman in India to get access to clean water. She challenges churches to be a catalyst for fulfilling the promise of Isaiah to provide free water to all who are thirsty, especially to the Dalit women.
The third reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2024 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Very Rev. Dr Augustinos Bairactaris. In this reflection, he underscores that the water justice issue is a theological task for all, and that the health of the water is vital to human civilization, and for the stability of the world’s climate and biodiversity. He urges all Christians to pray, fast, and act together for a sustainable environment and planet, especially during Lent.
The second reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2024 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Rev. Vinod Victor, Anglican Church of Freiburg in Germany. In this reflection, he compares the water situation of early Palestine to that of today in the wake of the ongoing war in Gaza. He also asks how people can drink from their own cisterns when they are controlled by outsiders.
As the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting commenced in Davos beginning 15 January, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay urged the gathering to renew its commitment to multilateral cooperation for the longer-term good of all people.
Though COP28 failed to produce a credible plan to phase out fossil fuels, there is still reason for hope that the world can move toward climate justice, said World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay as COP28 concluded.
The moment religious leaders from around 40 faith-based organisations worldwide agreed to keep defending the individual right to seek asylum during a gathering in Geneva marked a high point on the eve of the Global Refugee Forum, the world's biggest such international gathering.They met at a one-day event on 12 December at the World Council of Churches (WCC), chaired by an Armenian archbishop and a UN diplomat who was once a Turkish legislator.
His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew addressed an assembly of religious leaders gathered at the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Centre on 12 December—the day before the opening of the Global Refugee Forum.
Address by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the WCC Town-Hall Discussion on Interfaith Dialogue, Climate Change, and Refugee Displacement - at the Religious Leaders Unite for Climate Peace in Solidarity with Refugees, Ecumenical Center, Geneva, Switzerland 12 December 2023.
A COP28 side event on 10 December, entitled “Faith communities have a moral imperative to address Water-food-climate Justice,” reimagined a world in which climate action policies help create a habitable world for all.
On 9 December, during a COP28 side event titled "Faith communities & resilient frontliners responding to the nexus of food-water-climate change,” 12-year-old Faith Sebwa had a clear message to the world.
The World Council of Churches (WCC), in collaboration with the Anglican Consultative Council, South African Faith Communities Environment Institute, and the Episcopal Church in the USA, hosted a COP28 side event on 6 December.
Gloria Pua Ulloa is gender justice and youth programme officer for the Evangelical Service of Diakonia, an ACT Alliance member. She is part of the ecumenical delegation at COP28.
Events with involvement of the World Council of Churches and ecumenical partners at the COP28 conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 30 November - 12 December.
Co-organized by Christian Aid and the All Africa Conference of Churches, an event at the Faith Pavilion of COP28 explored the crucial intersection of financing, ethics, human rights, and climate justice from a faith perspective, delving into the role of faith actors in mobilising communities and advocating for climate justice.
In a session held at COP 28's Faith Pavilion, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Green Hope Foundation collaborated to shed light on the urgent need for interfaith feminist actions addressing climate change's disproportionate impact on women and girls.
In a COP28 side event at the Global Climate Action pavilion, WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay delivered a powerful message on the vital role of faith actors in driving practical and impactful climate action across the globe.
