WCC news: WCC convenes major gatherings on economic justice and artificial intelligence in South Korea

The World Council of Churches, together with the World Communion of Reformed Churches, Lutheran World Federation, World Methodist Council, Council for World Mission, and United Society Partners in the Gospel, will convene two interconnected events in South Korea in August to equip faith leaders with tools for economic justice advocacy. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 14 August 2025 The Ecumenical School on Governance, Economics, and Management for an Economy of Life – GEM School (18-29 August) offers an intensive 10-day curriculum bridging theology and economics. Running concurrently, the New International Financial and Economic Architecture (NIFEA) Consultation on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and AI (27-29 August) focuses specifically on artificial intelligence's impact on global inequality and developing faith-rooted responses. "As AI spreads across the globe and wealthy nations race to position themselves as leaders in this technology, the divide between those who benefit from AI and those who are exploited by it is expected to grow," said Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace. "If AI and other advanced technologies are to contribute to a more just, inclusive and sustainable future for all, the current inequitable trajectory must be disrupted." Both events will take place at Kwanglim Seminar House in Pocheon-si, South Korea. The GEM School will provide participants with practical economic understanding rooted in theological perspectives, while the NIFEA consultation will produce a theological communique on "4IR and the Economy of Life" alongside a faith-rooted advocacy plan for an economy where technology serves the common good. "Churches' ethical, moral, and theological perspectives on the workings of the global economy could shape financial and economic policies so that they serve both people and planet," noted Athena Peralta, director of the WCC Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development. "These gatherings will equip participants with the tools and languages to effectively advocate for urgent transformations in the global financial and economic realm." The events represent a crucial step in the WCC's New International Financial and Economic Architecture initiative, which advocates for a global financial system founded on principles of economic, social and climate justice, setting clear limits to greed. For more information go to each event page below. GEM School 2025: Equipping faith leaders for economic and ecological justice  NIFEA Consultation: The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Artificial Intelligence - Impacts on Global Inequality and Faith-rooted Responses 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 356 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 Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland