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As the latest set of World Council of Churches (WCC) ecumenical accompaniers left Palestine and Israel, ushering in a new set who will take the mantle, a handover ceremony brought heartfelt prayers for a just peace in the region. 

The Global Christian Forum, with its fourth global gathering underway in Ghana, is marking its 25^thanniversary at a time when the world is in dire need of justice, reconciliation, and unity.

As cases of femicide rise, religious leaders in Kenya are calling for the protection of women, as they unite to condemn the incidents now sending shockwaves across the East African nation.

Women and children in Gaza are bearing the heavy brunt of the ongoing war, according to reports from the United Nations, with close to a million women and girls displaced and 12,882 women and children already perished in a war that has now raged for more than 100 days.

War has always tragically impacted women and children, but the traumatic effects of weaponizing women in war have long been swept under the carpet.On 8 December, the World Council of Churches (WCC) held a hybrid discussion watched globally as part of the 16 Days Against Gender-based Violence. 

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.

As the world reaches what UN secretary-general António Guterres has termed “an inflection point” in addressing major, converging crises, the World Council of Churches (WCC) is intensifying its close interactions with the United Nations, key UN agencies, and partner non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

A public online celebration and panel discussion on 31 August, “They too were Gathered: Paying homage to Black people’s contributions to 75 years of World Council of Churches (WCC),” uncovered the contributions of Black people from different parts of the world in the formation and growth of the WCC.

As the World Council of Churches celebrates its 75th anniversary, a series of feature stories from different regions of the world will portray ecumenism at the local level—within churches, communities, and individuals who embody the spirit of ecumenism in unique ways. The feature story below offers a glimpse of some facets of ecumenism present in Africa.

Children who gathered prior and during  the New Global Financial Pact, held 22-23 June in Paris, delivered a clear message to President Macron and world leaders: the existing colonial economic model must be replaced with one that prioritizes humanity over profits.

At any big World Council of Churches (WCC) meeting, stewards work like the oil in a machine, helpings gathering such as the central committee to function seamlessly, but it is also a learning experience for the young ecumenical workers.

As churches in the southern hemisphere closed the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on 28 May, they brought final reflections to this year’s theme of “Do good; seek justice (Isaiah 1:17).”

Marking 75 years since Al-Nakba—the Arabic term for the events of 1948, when many Palestinians were displaced from their homeland by the creation of the new state of Israel—religious leaders reflected on what Al-Nakba means today.

“While religions invite believers to have faith in God, ethics give us faith in our shared humanity. Ethics allow us to identify the common good through conflicting interests and needs. They show us the path in dark moments and deep waters,” said Dr Fadi Daou, executive director of Globethics.

Strengthening the link between Christian perspectives and practical action for human rights, a symposium on human dignity and rights took place in the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey on 25-26 April.

This year at Easter, the WCC is highlighting current realities and challenges related to religious holidays in the Holy Land, joining with local communities in action and prayer; to ensure that freedom of worship is protected in a land so worthy of justice, peace, and dignity. The reflections and voices presented here are meant to welcome the reader into the details of everyday lives—lives met with challenges that often turn into obstacles impeding everything from simple family celebrations to livelihoods, to freedom of religion and movement. Together, these voices also raise the hope for a less divided and conflict-ridden Jerusalem, and a Holy Land in which people of all faiths enjoy an equal measure of freedom of movement and religion.

The year 2023 marks a decade of diplomatic debate about autonomous weapons – so-called ‘killer robots’.  This decade has also seen accelerating development of such weapons systems in a number of countries.  But efforts in the context of the Convention on Certain Conventional

For the 380,000 Palestinians that live in East Jerusalem, daily life is often marred by inequalities related to everything from housing, health services, childcare, and even garbage pickup. Even though Palestinians make up 39% of the city, there are many discrepancies in the services they receive.

As search-and-rescue continued in Turkey and Syria following a massive earthquake, churches mobilized to offer humanitarian aid and prayers.