World Council of Churches - News Release
Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org For immediate release - 05/06/2007 02:51:46 PM
GLOBAL ECUMENICAL NETWORK TO EXAMINE IMPACT OF MIGRATION ON CHURCHES WORLDWIDE
"The impact of migration on the church and the ecclesial context" is the theme of a 6-8 June 2007 conference in Nairobi, Kenya of the Global Ecumenical Network on Migration (GEM). To be opened by Kenya's minister for immigration, and hosted by the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), the conference will be attended by representatives of churches, church-related organizations and ecumenical bodies in Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East, North America and the Pacific.
For the World Council of Churches (WCC), migration in today's globalized world raises questions about inter-faith relations, identity, justice, racism, advocacy and diakonia and, inevitably, affects the contexts in which churches live. The GEM network was formed by the WCC to engage and challenge churches in their work with migrants and, more generally, to understand global migration in order to equip churches and the WCC to bring their perspectives to bear and carry weight in global policy discussions.
Panel presentations on 6 June, the opening day of the conference, will address migrants' rights in Kenya, African Union/European Union agreements on migration, the effect of migration on women and children, and strategic planning and communication work with migrants carried out by AACC member churches.
After reports from regional representatives on the impact of migration on their continents, conference participants - including AACC vice president Rev. Gertrude Kapuma and WCC president Rev. Dr Simon Dossou from Benin - will compare notes, learn from each others' experiences, develop a global analysis and set advocacy priorities together.
Participants will also take time to visit two refugee groups living in Nairobi: a women's group for refugees from Congo, Burundi and Rwanda and a group of Somali Christian refugees, as well as an outpatient medical clinic for refugees.
Other subjects to be discussed include the scope and work of the WCC's Migration and Social Justice Programme, the role of GEM members, and two events planned for later this year: a 9-11 July Global Forum on Migration and Development in Brussels, and a public hearing on the impact of migration in the Middle East.
Media contacts:
Sydia Nduna or Matti Peiponen: +254 20 444 1338/9, and also Vivi Akakpo or Irene Kerubo: +254 20 444 1338/9 irkerubo@yahoo.fror secretariat@aacc-ceta.org
More information on WCC work on migration and social justice is available at: http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3123
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 promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 347 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
WCC ID:
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