WCC executive committee concludes meeting with clear path to peace, justice and reconciliation

Each day of their gathering, the WCC executive committee met for daily prayers and various meetings with the students of the Ecumenical Institute.

Public statements

The Executive Committee has issued public statements that respond to crises around the world.

COP27. A statement on COP27 notes that there are communities and nations already dealing with the catastrophic impacts of climate change but whose urgent calls from other members of the international community have failed to heed.

“COP 27 is a crucial opportunity for governments to jointly rethink, develop, commit and implement a roadmap towards a fossil-free, post-growth, equitable and sustainable future, and to address the greatest existential challenge to life on the planet,” the statement read.

Digital Justice. The statement insists that “technologies are put at the service of people rather than governments or companies”, and it discusses how new technologies are transforming our world and the multiple spaces in which we live, work and bear witness.

Christian testimony. The statement urges “Christian witness and action for human dignity and human rights”, and confesses “our unfulfilled responsibilities to protect and uplift those whose God-given dignity and worth are not respected.

Health. The executive committee urges a commitment to global health-promoting churches. The “The statement on global health and well-being notes that the terrible experience of COVID-19 has awakened us all to the real and ongoing threat of pandemics in our hyper-connected and overstretched world.

“Other long-standing health and wellness challenges have been masked – or in some cases exacerbated – by the pandemic,” the statement said.

Projects for 2023

The executive committee will meet online in December to approve the 2023 budget by the end of the year, as well as to prepare for the 2023 central committee meeting on June 21-27, 2023 in Geneva. The Executive Committee will meet online May 22-26, 2023 and in person June 19-20, 2023 and November 8-14, 2023.

The 2023 central committee agenda will include developing the strategic direction and programmatic response to the assembly as a pilgrimage of justice, reconciliation and unity (strategies, goals and policy directions). This includes adopting a strategic plan to guide the work of the board until the next meeting and deciding on a program structure.