wfn.org | WCC General Secretary to meet Kofi Annan

["WCC Media Office (Sheila MESA)" <smm@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches
Press Release
For Immediate Use
10 December 1999

WCC GENERAL SECRETARY KONRAD RAISER TO MEET KOFI ANNAN

The general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Dr Konrad Raiser, will have a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York, on Monday 13 December.

Among the topics Raiser would like to discuss during their conversation are a number of political and ethical questions concerning the settlement of conflicts and the possibilities for non-violent forms of  conflict resolution.  The three specific problem areas on which  the general secretary would like to have a more detailed discussion are the planning of humanitarian interventions, the defence of human rights through the use of military force and the use of sanctions to bring pressure to bear on governments.

In this connection, Raiser also wishes to inform the UN Secretary-General about the WCC's planned Decade to Overcome Violence and to assure him of the WCC's  support for the UN in the search for a viable response to these issues.

A further possible point of discussion is the new role of  religious organizations on the international scene.  Raiser believes there are many signs to indicate that religion is re-emerging from the private sphere and once again becoming a factor in public life.  Public institutions and business enterprises are also showing a marked interest in a dialogue with religious organizations, he says. Another notable trend is the growing interest in inter-religious dialogue prompted by the need to develop an ethic that holds for the world community a whole.

Contact: Kristine Greenaway, Director of Communication, tel:  (+41.22) 791.61.68

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The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of 337 churches, in more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian traditions.  The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works cooperatively with the WCC.  The highest governing body is the Assembly, which meets approximately every seven years.  The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Its staff is headed by general secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.

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