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World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay condemned the killing of aid workers in Gaza, and extended condolences to the families and friends who are in shock and mourning upon hearing the news that an Israeli airstrike killed seven people working for World Central Kitchen.

How do we end exclusion, racism, economic injustice? Voices from across the world brought stories—and solutions—via online events hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in conjunction with the Commission on the Status of Women, the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women's empowerment.

With an intervention delivered by Max Weber, a student at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, the World Council of Churches expressed deep concern for human rights in Haiti. 

As they opened the new book “Waterfall of Solidarity and Resistance—sharing the stories,” a group of women in Colombia gathered to recall their journey of creative expression about gender-based violence that began in May 2022, and goes on to this day. 

A workshop at the World Council of Churches (WCC) has highlighted the right to health and dignified access to it, as well as the faith sector's engagement with migrants and refugees for health and HIV services in fighting stigma and discrimination.

As three World Council of Churches commissions—the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, Commission on Health and Healing, and Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development—completed their meeting on 8 March in Geneva, they came away with a sense of collaborative determination to address the world’s challenges with hope and with practical actions. 

As a photo exhibition from the Marshall Islands opened at the World Council of Churches (WCC) on 8 March, speakers offered a stark overview of the damage done by nuclear testing—as well as the resilience and determination of the Marshallese people to pursue 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.

During a panel discussion at the meeting of three World Council of Churches (WCC) commissions on 5 March, speakers explored the theme “Climate emergency—churches responding in faith and hope.” The panel was moderated by Archbishop Rev. Julio Murray Thompson, who also moderates the Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development, which organized the panel.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed solidarity with the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, who, in a 1 March statement, condemned an attack against civilians that occurred while residents of Gaza gathered for food aid.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) contributed insights at side events of the World Social Forum titled “Debt Crisis, Food Sovereignty, and Climate Change,” and “Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, Agro-Ecology Energy, and Natural Resources.”

Israeli president Isaac Herzog formally received World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay on 20 February, to discuss the current situation in Israel and Palestine, and the war in Gaza. 

The World Council of Churches (WCC), on 12 February, submitted comments to the zero draft of the “Pact for the Future,” the envisaged outcome of the UN Summit for the Future.

At the World Social Forum 2024, taking place 15-19 February in Nepal, the World Council of Churches (WCC) will have an active role in this platform for the convergence of a diverse range of participants, including social movements, laborers, farmers, civil society groups, marginalized communities, and those affected by the impacts of neoliberal capitalism and privatization. 

Applications are open for the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey’s 2024 interfaith summer course, during which students earn a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Interreligious Studies.

As a year of exceptional and increasing conflict draws to a close, and as we pray for peace for all in 2024, “that prospect seems nowhere more remote than for the suffering and traumatized people of Gaza,” said World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay. 

In a message after COP28, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay reflected more deeply on the disappointments, successes, and future agenda related to climate justice.