South East Asia Gender Justice and Social Transformation Workshop, 26-30 June, Manila, Philippines

Last Updated (Wednesday, 11 April 2018 11:04)

After the conduct of South Asia and East Asia Gender Justice and Social Transformation Workshop last year, APAY will hold its South East Asia sub-regional workshop on 26-30 June 2018 in Philippines. The said event will be hosted by the YMCA of Manila. The sub-regional workshops invite national movements to send lay leaders and staff, both women and men, who are engaged in gender related programs in their local and/or national movements. Moreover, the following YMCA Staff/Youth Lay Leader is expected to have:

• awareness of the globalized world and recognizes diversities
• critical thinking of the prevailing social realities and injustices faced by women and other sexual minorities
• strong interest in actively engaging in activities and advocacies that address gender injustices
• openness to explore, suggest and implement alternative approaches that will uplift the lives of women and girls in the society
• willingness to work and/or volunteer in gender action oriented programs in the YMCAs

Each Participant shall pay a Registration Fee of US$65 (including Green Fee) and a Participation Fee of US$200 which will cover meals on 26-30 June 2018, local transportation, exposure and other program expenses. The participant shall also pay for his/her airfare/travel cost. The APAY shall however provide a limited travel and participation fee subsidies (partial or full) for participants coming from YMCAs with financial constraints. Requests for subsidies should reach the office on or before 30 April 2018.

Interested participants are requested to fill up the registration forms that are sent to all national movements and have it endorsed by the National General Secretary. The duly filled up forms must be sent on or before 30th April 2018 at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Likewise for matters related to participation, contact Ms. Maria Cristina Miranda, Executive Secretary for Programs, Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs through the same email address mentioned above.

~ Maria Cristina Miranda, Executive Secretary

International Conference in Celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the “88 Declaration” of the NCCK

Last Updated (Tuesday, 10 April 2018 15:14)

With the theme “Cultivating Peace, Proclaiming Hope”, International Conference in Celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the “88 Declaration” of the NCCK was held in Seoul, South Korea on 5 – 7 March 2018. The objectives of the conference were: 1) to reflect 30 years’ foot-print of the Korean Church’s reunification movement; 2) to articulate theological vision on peaceful reunification of Korea; 3) to develop a middle-to-long term strategy and action plans for peace and reunification in Korea; 4) to strengthen the ties between the Korean Church and ecumenical partner churches/organizations; 5) to renew our commitment to the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace (PJP) initiated by the WCC, and 6) to articulate a theological vision and hope for peace-making on the national, regional and global level.

There were about 130 participants from different church denominations and ecumenical organizations – over 40 overseas participants and over 80 domestic participants. Mr. Nam Boo-Won, GS of APAY, was invited as part of ecumenical partners that are committed to peace-building in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. The conference program was comprised of opening worship; intergenerational talk on people’s stories living in a divided nation including the story of Dr. David Suh who had been the chief editor of the 88 Declaration three decades ago; keynote addresses from NCCK and WCC; panel presentations and group discussions; and closing worship. At the end of the conference, participants unanimously adopted a Communique of the Conference as follows:

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ICF National Forum in Nepal Organizes Human Rights Workshop

The national forum members of Interfaith Cooperation Forum (ICF) in Nepal organized a five-day human rights workshop from Dec. 15 to 19 in Pokhara. The 17 participants consisted of School of Peace (SOP) alumni and others that the national forum invited. Many of the participants work at the grassroots level and thus had numerous experiences and incidents to share with each other about human rights conditions in the country. Among the issues the group identified were bonded labor, human trafficking, child marriages and various types of discrimination based on caste, class, gender and religion. The participants explained that some of the causes behind these problems were political instability, corruption, poverty and patriarchy. This exchange of views had been preceded by an introduction to what are human rights and an outline of its historical development.

Based on this understanding of human rights and the country’s human rights challenges, discussions then focused on human rights from a legal perspective with presentations about the U.N. human rights system and a number of U.N. human rights covenants and conventions related to torture, the rights of women and children and civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights.

Human rights was also examined from a moral perspective based on the teachings and values of Asia’s faiths, and the participants shared their ideas about why there is so much violence in the name of religion in the region if the values of Asia’s faiths—love, kindness and compassion, justice, peace, etc.—form the foundation of human rights norms and standards.

Other meaningful discussions were held about the link between corruption and human rights, the way in which some cultural practices deny people’s rights and various obstacles to respect for human rights.

The workshop concluded with presentations about how to respond to human rights violations, including community organizing, and a sharing of thoughts about how to foster a deeper human rights culture and nurture a stronger human rights movement in Nepal.

Read more: ICF National Forum in Nepal Organizes Human Rights Workshop