wfn.org | WCC AGENDA: November 2004

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

World Council of Churches - Agenda
Media contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org 
 

For immediate release: 25 October 2004

NOVEMBER 2004

> WCC general secretary to visit Latin America
> UN reform and economic justice - second advocacy week at the UN
> Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance assembly
> WCC addresses violence against women
> The ecumenical movement in the 21st century

>>> WCC general secretary to visit Latin America
1-20 November, La Paz (Bolivia); Brasilia, Salvador de Bahia, Porto Alegre
(Brazil); Buenos Aires, (Argentina); Montevideo (Uruguay); Santiago (Chile) 

Five countries are listed on the agenda of WCC general secretary Rev. Dr
Samuel Kobia's 1-20 November 2004 trip to Latin America. During his first
visit to the continent since being elected as general secretary, Kobia will
meet with members and representatives of churches and ecumenical
organizations, governments and civil society in Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina,
Uruguay and Chile. 
Kobia will visit the following countries:
- La Paz, Bolivia, 1-4 November
- Brasilia, Brazil, 5-6 November
- Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, 7-8 November
- Porto Alegre, Brazil, 9-13 November
- Buenos Aires, Argentina, 14-16 November
- Montevideo, Uruguay, 17-18 November
- Santiago, Chile, 19-20 November. 
In Porto Alegre, Brazil, where the 9th WCC assembly will be held in February
2006, the general secretary will attend the assembly planning committee
meeting from 10-12 November. 

>>> UN reform and economic justice: core issues for review at churches'
advocacy week at the UN
15-19 November, New York

The WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) will bring
together advocates from churches and ecumenical organizations for the second
annual International Affairs Advocacy Week, taking place during the meeting
of the UN general assembly. 
Public seminars highlighting the churches' concerns regarding UN reform and
economic justice will be open to government delegations and UN staff during
assembly lunch breaks. 
Lunchtime seminars will be organized at the UN, and other workshops will take
place throughout the week at the Church Center across the street. A general
seminar about advocacy work at the UN level will take place 12-13 November
before the event. 

>>> Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance assembly
19-20 November, Rome, Italy

The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA), an ecumenical body composed of more
than 85 churches and church organizations, including the World Council of
Churches and its member churches, will hold its assembly from 19-20 November
in Rome (Italy). Among the objectives of this first assembly of its
participants since the Alliance's founding meeting in December 2000 will be
to receive reports of its work over the last four years, to act on
recommendations presented by the Ecumenical Advocacy Committee, and to elect
ten members for the Committee to serve for the next five years. Some 60
participants from all regions are expected to attend the meeting. Since its
founding, the EAA has pledged itself to tackle issues of global trade and
HIV/Aids.

More information about the EAA is available at
http://www.e-alliance.ch

>>> WCC addresses violence against women and children
25 November-12 December, worldwide

"On the wings of a dove", a worldwide campaign coinciding with the "16 days
of activism against gender violence", is a World Council of Churches
initiative to engage the churches in developing pastoral and practical
responses to violence against women and children. The campaign encourages
churches to work towards justice and healing for survivors of violence by
providing a safe space for women to tell their stories and offering
counseling both to survivors and perpetrators of violence. A selection of
prayers and liturgies is available to accompany the 16-day observance, which
begins on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against
Women on 25 November and lasts until International Human Rights Day on 10
December.

Information and resources for this campaign are available at:
http://www.overcomingviolence.org

>>> Where is the ecumenical movement going in the 21st century?
30 November-3 December, Geneva, Switzerland

The WCC will join international ecumenical organizations, national councils
of churches, specialized ministries and ecumenical communities around the
world to discuss the direction of the ecumenical movement in the twenty-first
century. Some 80 participants, about half of them coming from WCC member
churches, will share visions of ecumenism from their own contexts, seeking
more effective ways for the churches to work together in today's changing
context of global Christianity. The conference will produce a vision
statement outlining conclusions and recommendations for future cooperation
among churches and organizations within the ecumenical movement. 

More information on this process available at:
www.wcc-coe.org > press corner > new configuration of the ecumenical movement

Unless noted otherwise, events are by invitation only and not open to the
press or general public. The information above may change without notice. 

Need more advance warning?
Check the WCC Media Calendar at:
www.wcc-coe.org > Press Corner > Media Calendar

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 342, 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.