Esteemed ecumenical colleagues, Greetings from the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We are pleased to inform you that the CCA has initiated a new programme, Institute on Human Rights (IHR). The IHR will be conducted virtually this year from Monday, 17 May to Friday, 28 May 2021. The IHR will span over a period of two weeks and is designed with the aim to provide in-depth knowledge about human rights, especially for young pastors, church workers, and theological students. It is also aimed at equipping and enabling them to understand the biblical-theological bases of human rights as well as the salient features of international human rights instruments and international human rights protection mechanisms, which will enable the participants to be engaged in human rights advocacy in their respective local contexts as part of their prophetic witness. Due to the spread of COVID-19, the training programme will be held entirely online via lectures and workshops in virtual classrooms. The theme of the IHR–2021 is ‘Being Defenders of Human Rights and Human Dignity’. This in keeping with the larger thrust of the year, which is ‘Affirming God’s Healing for Peace and Security’. A team of prominent and internationally recognised human rights experts, advocates, activists, and academicians will facilitate the IHR. Although the classes and sessions will be conducted virtually, the classes and course structure are designed in such a way to facilitate the sessions with effectiveness in cross-cultural learning and exposure. Learning and listening to the country-specific human rights issues and situations will enable the participants to develop wider perspectives on human rights and human dignity in the Asian context. The training programme will be limited to twenty-five selected participants. Selections will be based on competence, gender, and confessional balances, sub-regional representations, and the applicant’s ability to effectively communicate in English. A recommendation/endorsement letter from the leadership of the CCA’s member churches, councils, and related constituencies is also required. The Background Information and Application Form are attached herewith. The deadline for receiving the completed application forms with the supporting documents is 10 April 2021. We look forward to hearing from you. Yours along the journey, Dr Mathews George Chunakara
General Secretary, Cristian Conference of Asia (CCA) Christian Conference of Asia General Secretariat Payap University
P.O.Box 183 | Muang, Chiang Mai 50000 Thailand Tel: 66 53 243 906 Fax:66 53 247 303 www.cca.org.hk source►CCA |