D&S: Asia Desk - E programme & activities

The overall objective of WCC regional groups is to facilitate analysis, coordination and sharing in order to promote a comprehensive and collaborative response to the social, economic, political and ecumenical situation of the region. Regional groups assist WCC member churches and partners to strengthen their reflection, coordination and joint action in diakonia and international ecumenical development cooperation. They provide the WCC with regional analysis, identifying priorities for future ecumenical action in the region. They fulfil, when necessary, a mediation role among ecumenical agencies and partners on policy or other important issues.

Churches in Asia have shared a common ecumenical vocation and solidarity for many years. The aim of this programme is to promote dialogue and consultation on issues of concern to the Asian churches, including cross-cultural exchange and exposure visits, inter-faith dialogue, peace and reconciliation, conflict resolution, human rights issues and strengthening of civil society.

The WCC Asia Desk co-ordinates the round table programmes and ecumenical sharing mechanisms of the following ecumenical and church-related bodies:

CCA addresses the following issues and programmes :
- wider ecumenism,
- mission in a pluralistic context, and diverse identities,
- gender and development issues,
- human rights, and migrant workers, refugees and internally displaced people,
- HIV/AIDS,
- violence, terrorism, war, militarisation, conflict transformation,
- spirituality,
- Asian theologies,
- ecumenical formation.

Major CCDB activities include:
- rural development
- people-managed savings and credit programmes;
- work with ethnic/indigenous communities;
- training traditional birth attendants;
- women’s development programmes, and gender awareness programmes;
- enhancing human and organisational potential.

Other matters of concern in this flood-prone country include disaster- preparedness, and the inter-relationship between emergencies, rehabilitation and development.

At a round table meeting in 2002, the construction of a long-awaited training centre, the HOPE Centre, was approved. Its construction began in January 2003. The centre will serve the training needs of CCDB’s own staff and reference groups, including other NGOs, as well as the needs of Bangladesh's churches.

CASA's programme covers 4,844 villages spread over 12 states. Having completed the 1992-2002 programme cycle, CASA has drafted an action plan for the next decade.

Amongst its many activities, CASA runs post-disaster rehabilitation and capacity-building programmes in the cyclone-affected villages of Orissa, the flood-hit regions of West Bengal, and the earthquake-devastated districts of Gujarat.

NCCP programmes were recently restructured, and its staff structure modified accordingly; during a December 2002 meeting in Geneva of NCCP partners, it was reported that the NCCP had regained credibility and prestige as an institution with a clear agenda for transformation.

Current NCCP programmes include: Ecumenical Education and Nurture; Christian Unity and Ecumenical Relations; and Faith, Witness and Service.

The PGI Crisis Centre was created to help member churches scattered around the country to coordinate their positions and actions.

The PGI Crisis Centre aims to provide:
- monitoring, analysis and interpretation of the situation;
- peace education;
- peace and conflict resolution;
- inter-religious dialogue and cooperation in peace-making;
- training of peace activists.

A database on conflict situations in Indonesia was created with information from journals, newspapers, and interviews. Reconciliation and peace workshops and training were organised, and the Centre helped regional crisis centres - in Ambon and Central Sulawesi - to provide local capacity-building in mediation or conflict resolution. A quarterly bulletin describes the Centre's activities and provides news on the Indonesian situation.

Until 1994, the WCC was operationally present in Cambodia; after 1994, a number of church-related agencies continued to promote long-term development there, and - with an inrush of outside churches and missionaries in the wake of the Paris Peace Agreement - tried to build up the capacity of the young Cambodian churches.

In the changed political climate, work in Indochina continued through the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Forum and CCA contacts with churches - which finally culminated in the founding of the Kampuchea Christian Council in 1998. In 2001, it was decided to wind down the Forum and create an alternative resource-sharing mechanism to continue the partnership with churches in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Together with CCA, the WCC Asia Desk has prepared the foundations for the Mekong Ecumenical Partnership Programme (MEPP), to include Thailand, Myanmar and the Yunan Province of China, along with the three Indo-Chinese countries - Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The new programme will be officially launched at an October 2003 meeting of the ecumenical partners and churches from these six countries.

SAEPP promotes coordination and cooperation among churches, NCCs and ecumenical partners in the South Asia region to allow a more effective ecumenical response to the pressing issues and needs.

SAEPP will focus on:
- an ecumenical agenda for combatting HIV/AIDS in South Asia;
- capacity-building/human resource development;
- equipping churches in their mission for peace and reconciliation;
- assisting churches to nurture inter-religious co-operation.

SAEPP objectives are:
- to assist CCA/WCC member churches in the region to establish/develop and implement appropriate programmes in the four areas indicated above;
- to foster capacity-building and human resource development programmes with the churches and NCCs in the region;
- to encourage church ecumenical involvement in initiatives to promote peace and reconciliation;
- to promote positive inter-church and inter-religious relations and a better understanding of the ecumenical movement and organisations in the region.

Ecumenical Enablers' Team in Asia (EETA)
Lack of potential leaders in churches and ecumenical councils has created a vacuum at local, national, regional and sub-regional levels in several Asian countries. Based on an assessment of the need to strengthen the leadership capacities of churches and councils in Asia, the WCC Asia Desk in collaboration with CCA in 2002 set up an Ecumenical Enabler’s Team in Asia (EETA), and identified countries with priority priority needs for capacity-building training.

The EETA team includes selected trainers in fields such as leadership development; ecumenical formation; Bible studies; gender justice; social and human development; planning, monitoring and evaluation; financial management and strategic planning; project management; financial accounting; peace and conflict management.

The trainers:

act as resource persons for training programmes organised by churches and ecumenical councils in various Asian countries;

will assist the WCC Asia Desk to implement capacity-building programmes in Asia over the next three years (2003-2005);

equip Asian churches and ecumenical councils to develop second- and third-line leaders and their ecumenical formation;

assist churches and councils to develop skills in the areas of planning, monitoring and evaluation, financial management, accounting principles, preparation of project proposals, writing of reports, etc.;

assist churches and councils through consultancy in appropriate areas of need.

The capacity-building programmes work in :

leadership development to encourage churches to be prophetic in their efforts to bring about a just and caring society;

organisational development/renewal of churches and ecumenical organisations to increase their efficiency in working within the constraints and requirements of the ecumenical movement;

development of capacity-building materials to inform and equip churches in their training programmes.

The programmes will be jointly coordinated by the WCC Asia Desk and CCA.

Dignity of Children

and List of Child Advocacy ‘Days’ in 2004

Current programme in Asia
Since 2001, the "Dignity of Children" programme has been regionally focused (and implemented through the regional desks of the Diakonia and Solidarity team) and has aimed to bring together and empower churches and church-related organizations in their work with children. Advocacy and networking are the main components of the programme, both of them aided by a consultation process.

Asia regional consultation
The Asia Desk started its "Dignity of Children" programme by organizing, in collaboration with CCA, an Asia regional consultation in Bangkok in November 2001 focusing on : "Affirming the fullness of life and dignity of children". Representatives from various Asian churches were invited to attend. They called for deeper analysis of the issues facing children, and an emphasis on networking and advocacy.
Consultation communiqué

National consultations
To follow up the regional consultation, an Asian Ecumenical Network was formed comprising smaller national networks in countries such as Bangladesh, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. These networks aim to strengthen churches’ and ecumenical bodies’ support for the rights and dignity of children, and have all held their own consultations over the years 2002–04.
Reports - please contact the Asia Desk

Inter-regional consultation
In order to implement the action plan of the inter-regional consultation held in Mumbai in January 2004, the Asian Dignity of Children programme will concentrate in 2004 and 2005 on "Overcoming violence against children". This ties in with the WCC Decade to Overcome Violence focus on Asia in 2005, and with the 12th Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) general assembly, whose theme is "Building communities of peace for all". Elaborating on the two main areas of January 2004 inter-regional consultation's action plan, current plans for 2004 and 2005 include:

A. Advocacy

through resource mobilization (a Bible study guide on "Overcoming Violence" will be available for the use of Asian churches in 2005)
through supporting international advocacy efforts in our local contexts (see the list of national advocacy days for 2004)
through consultations (see below) and the dissemination of their communiqués and action plans.

B. Networking - strengthening Dignity of Children networks through the following consultations

	Inter-regional level	Sub-regional Level
2004	Inter-regional consultation, Mumbai, January - report	South Asia Network Sri Lanka, August - communiqué
	World Social Forum seminar , Mumbai, January - report	South East Asia Network, Malaysia, September - communiqué
2005	Inter-regional consultation Porto Alegre, Brazil, January	East Asia Network, Mongolia, June
	World Social Forum seminar, Porto Alegre, Brazil, January

There will also be national consultations organised through the national networks. For more information on these consultations, please contact the Asia Desk.

E-groups
In order for network members to keep in contact and to be informed and inform other members about resources, information and discussions, there are two sub-regional e-mail groups in Asia. To be included in this email group, please contact the Asia Desk.

World Social Forum seminar
As part of the ecumenical contribution to the 2004 World Social Forum in Mumbai, the WCC facilitated a seminar on children’s issues.

In January 2004, the WCC Diakonia and Solidarity Team facilitated a seminar called "Building an alternative world: affirming the dignity of children". This seminar gave space for inter-faith reflection on the following questions:

In the context of globalization, what are possible alternative methods and approaches (including both current examples and ideas for the future development) for building a world which upholds children’s dignity?
What can faith movements do to build this alternative world where the dignity of children is affirmed?

Seminar report