WCC News: No peace without justice: Peacebuilding and human rights training equips young ecumenical leaders

With a focus on peacebuilding and human rights protection, The United Evangelical Mission’s International Summer School 2023, organized in cooperation with the World Council of Churches and other partners, took place in August and September in Hofgeismar, Germany. Participants of the United Evangelical Mission’s International Summer School 2023 on Peacebuilding and human rights protection came from 11 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Photo: UEM 08 September 2023 Participants coming from areas affected by conflict in 11 countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America were trained for conflict resolution, mediation, and human rights protection in the context of shrinking spaces for civil society and churches. “I think the most valuable part of the seminar was the opportunity to share regional agendas with participants from Africa (Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, Rwanda etc.), Asia (Indonesia-Papua, East Timor, Korea) and Latin America (El Salvador),” says Rev. Min Ji Kim, program executive for the department of international relations of the National Council of Churches in Korea, one of the participants of the training. “It was also very valuable that activists from civil society and ecumenical communities working on issues as civil wars, genocide, racism, hatred, and ideological conflicts, were able to come together for two weeks and form a peace and human rights network that can build deep companionship and help our future work together,” shares Kim. She appreciated the opportunity to share at the seminar the fact that the Korean Peninsula has been under an armistice for 70 years, and is still in dire need of a peace agreement to end the war and move towards peace. “This seminar was a meaningful way to help more people become involved in the work of achieving a just peace on the Korean Peninsula. Keep hope alive!” said Kim. James Ibrahim, who works on Trauma Healing at the Christian Council of Nigeria, says his understanding was broadened by exploring the relationship between peace and justice. “In the possible tensions between human rights-based and peace-based approaches to conflict resolution, the principle of “do no harm” must be applied, weighing the option of justice before peace.”  Human rights violations or abuses are potential causes of trauma, shares Ibrahim. “If we don’t transform trauma, we will transmit trauma—perpetrators today were once ignored victims of human right violations. It is difficult to have genuine reconciliation until total healing is guaranteed—trauma can be responsible for a circle of violence.” The training also explored the human rights advocacy using the Biblical and the UN human rights context. “The Bible is categorically clear about humans’ equality before God. And that is reflected in the UN human rights principles—being right to freedom of religion, freedom of expression, right to life, and many others,” says James Ibrahim, adding that peacebuilding must be accompanied with justice and advocacy to respect human rights of all forms. WCC shares greetings with United Evangelical Mission International Summer School (WCC news release, 18 August 2023) Learn more about the United Evangelical Mission See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland