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WCC expresses grave concern over COVID-19 outbreak in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed grave concern about a major humanitarian crisis following the emergence of COVID-19 in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK). Authorities have acknowledged the deaths of at least 50 people and that 1.2 million suspected cases – or almost 5% of the entire population – are being monitored.

Groundwater is “a political question”

In many regions, groundwater is being extracted faster than it can be replenished. Groundwater pollution from raw material extraction, industry, private households, and agriculture is also increasing. This year’s UN’s World Water Day focused on groundwater, urging to make “the invisible visible.” A new publication by Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World, Germany), a member of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network, takes up this call and demands the better protection and fairer use of this vital resource.  WCC news talked to co-author Dr Ingrid Jacobsen about the social and political dimension of groundwater.

As severe drought hurts food security in eastern Africa, church and aid agencies call for urgent action

When droughts strike in eastern Africa, clerics, church experts and faith based agencies move to the front to save the people’s food security and deliver humanitarian aid. The action is often inspired by a clear understanding that it’s - the ordinary people – members of their congregations - suffering the worst impacts. Often, the droughts trigger food shortages, cause water scarcity and extinguish pasture for livestock.

WCC Eco-School 2022 postponed to November 2022

Applications are still open for the fifth edition of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Eco-School on Water, Food and Climate Justice. The new dates are 20-26 November 2022.  Convening in-person at the Stony Point Center in New York, the event is open to young people under 30 years of age from the North America region only. 

Seven Weeks for Water 2022, week 5: “Water – a blessing and a threat?”, by Peter Pavlovic

The fifth reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2022 of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network is written by Peter Pavlovic.* He reflects that  Europe is a water rich continent, still, a lot of concerns related to water availability persist in the region.  Climate change makes this problem worse, our vulnerability is, as the last IPCC report warns, increasingly exposed.  Faith describes the world as a gift of God given to humanity. Fragility of our existence is closely related to disrespecting the limits of the world in which we live and is rooted in the failure of our relationship with God.