Through an (English-only) electronic bulletin and a website, Behind the news: Visions for Peace - Voices of Faith, they will offer a selection of church statements and actions; information on the responses and actions of other religions and interreligious organizations; updates on humanitarian concerns, particularly on the situation of refugees; analysis and reflection; and study and worship resources to help churches to respond to the unfolding situation.

"This effort is intended to help to discern and interpret the signs of the times from perspectives different than the dominant discourse, in particular from the perspective of churches, ecumenical and interfaith partners," explains Elizabeth Ferris from the WCC International Relations team. "We want to nurture hope and strengthen commitment for peace and justice. We want to give voice to those who suffer most and help them to cope in these times of crisis," says Ferris, who is also moderating a crisis response group set up by the three organizations. Further objectives , she says, are "to provide solid analysis and selected resources to strengthen ecumenical action as well as study, and to propose common ecumenical actions".

Similar response mechanisms to other crises may be considered in the future. In announcing the collaborative effort to their networks, acting WCC general secretary Georges Lemopoulos, ACT director Thor-Arne Prois, and EAA coordinator Linda Hartke, explained that "Given the urgency - and the uncertainty - of global developments, we seek to provide the best possible resources to our constituencies to enable that visions of peace and voices of faith are heard at such a time as this."