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At the mid-point of the 2001-2010 Ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence, this background document raises questions that may allow an interim assessment and points to the course that might be followed during the remaining five years of the Decade.

"Call to recommitment at the midterm of the ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence 2001-2010 - Churches seeking reconciliation and peace" : Five years have passed since the WCC launched the Decade to Overcome Violence 2001-2010. The Assembly will celebrate the achievements to date, make an interim assessment, and refocus the course to be followed during the second half of the Decade. A call to recommitment is part of this process.

"Religious plurality and Christian self-understanding" : The question of the theological approach to religious plurality had been on the agenda of the WCC many times, reaching a certain consensus in 1989 and 1990.1 In recent years, it was felt that this difficult and controversial issue needed to be revisited. The present document is the result of a study process in response to suggestions made in 2002 at the WCC central committee to the three staff teams on Faith and Order, Inter-religious Relations, and Mission and Evangelism, and their respective commissions or advisory bodies.

The WCC's constitution identifies the basis for, and the principles of membership, the purposes and functions, authority, and organization of the Council. Its rules give precise guidance concerning the roles, responsibilities and structure of the Council's various governing bodies, officers, committees, staff and partner organizations, the role of public statements, and the conduct of meetings. The constitution and rules will be submitted to the Assembly for amendment.

This document is an account of responsible stewardship since the last assembly. It presents a summarized financial report for the period from 1999 to 2006 and introduces the work of the assembly finance committee which will have to formulate concrete proposals for the assembly to take policy decisions for the coming years.

Intervention by Juan Somavia, director-general of the Internationa Labour Organization (ILO), during the Assembly Plenary on economic justice

The Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network (EDAN) in its first ever pre-assembly convocation issued this statement.