wfn.org | WCC NEWS: Justice needed after UN summit, says Kobia

["WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches - News Release
Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release - 20/09/2005

NEW GLOBAL IMPETUS FOR JUSTICE NEEDED AFTER UN SUMMIT

"The outcomes of the UN world summit, the largest gathering of heads of
state in history, fall far short of the vision and the expectations of
churches and people during this critical period in world history," said
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia,
speaking on the eve of the International Day of Prayer for Peace, 21
September.

"The results of the summit reveal that member states have failed to live
up to commitments made in the areas of poverty reduction and disarmament,
both fundamental areas affecting the lives of millions of people worldwide. Poverty now needs to be addressed without the strong commitment of UN
member states to deliver. Peace and security must be built without clear
support for disarmament. The renewal and strengthening of the United
Nations must now continue without a substantial consensus," said the WCC
general secretary.

"The states which have shown their inability to respond to the urgent
issues of the day must bear the burden of responsibility for this
situation, and for the failure to respond to the needs of the world's
poorest and, in a world growing in interdependence, also to their own
security concerns," commented Kobia.

"Our vision as churches is that of a world in which the God-given life of
each human person is protected, in which all peoples can live in peace
with justice, a world in which poverty is no longer tolerated. Since its
creation, the WCC has supported and accompanied the development of the UN
as a unique multilateral instrument of global development and security,"
continued Kobia.

"We therefore welcome the inclusion and endorsement of the principle of
the responsibility to protect civilians from genocide, war crimes, ethnic
cleansing and crimes against humanity. A new global impetus for justice is
now required from governments and civil society, to live up to their
responsibilities, and to work together for a better and safer place for
all."

"The International Day of Prayer for Peace which we mark on 21 September
is a manifestation of the essential commitment of churches to hope,
healing and reconciliation in a world which is profoundly divided and
fearful of its own future," said Kobia. The International Day of Prayer
for Peace was initiated by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in support
of the United Nations' International Day of Peace, following a meeting
with UN secretary general Kofi Annan in 2004.

Additional information about the International Day of Prayer for Peace is
available in the web site of the Decade to Overcome violence:
www.overcomingviolence.org

See also our previous press releases about the UN reform:
- April 21st: http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasesen.nsf/index/pr-05-15.html
- September 7th: http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasesen.nsf/index/pr-05-51.html

For more information about the WCC UN liaison office:
http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/unliaison.html

Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363
media@wcc-coe.org

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The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 347, in
more than 120 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 Samuel Kobia from the Methodist church in Kenya.