November 2004
<span style="font-weight: bold; "» WCC general secretary to visit Latin America
<span style="font-weight: bold; "» UN reform and economic justice - second advocacy week at the UN
<span style="font-weight: bold; "» Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance assembly
<span style="font-weight: bold; "» WCC addresses violence against women
<span style="font-weight: bold; "» The ecumenical movement in the 21st century
<span style="font-weight: bold; "»» 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.
<span style="font-weight: bold; "»» 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.
<span style="font-weight: bold; "»» 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
<span style="font-weight: bold; "»» 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:
<span style="font-weight: bold; "»» 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
