WCC NEWS: WCC delegation will offer input into 25th International AIDS Conference in Munich

A 50-person delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) and UNAIDS will offer input into the 25th International AIDS Conference in Munich.  The Rev. Jape Mokgethi-Heath, an advisor on HIV and theology to the Church of Sweden, participates in a July 23 march through the streets of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, marking the opening of the 2018 International AIDS Conference. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/WCC 18 July 2024 Twenty WCC-supported delegates will come from countries in which the WCC implemented activities during the last few years, including Uganda, Nigeria, Malawi, and others. WCC delegation will share its knowledge working together with and creating safe spaces for young people and vulnerable communities encountering religious leaders. The delegation will also include commissioners from the WCC Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing.  PutPeopleFirst – the official social campaign of AIDS 2024 will call on the global response to unite behind a simple principle: Put people first! In support of this campaign, the group will include several young people and people living with HIV.  WCC delegates will open the Interfaith Pre-Conference and also offer reflections during an Interfaith Prayer Service.  The Pre-Conference, held under the theme "Sustaining Hope for All Through 2030 and beyond,” is taking place 20-21 July. Workshops and lectures—some led by members of the WCC delegation—will include topics such as working with young people, collaboration with other sectors, coordinated advocacy with faith-based organizations, pledges by religious leaders, and more. The 25th International AIDS Conference is expected to draw 15,000 delegates, among them many WCC partners and experts on HIV. During the conference UNAIDS will share its global AIDS update which will include one story of WCC experience at country level. 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