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Church World Service and Partners Unveil Africa Peacebuilding Program

November 15, 2005

NEW YORK / NAIROBI - A partnership of three faith-based organizations from the United States and Africa will unveil an ambitious program to settle active conflicts in Africa in a peacebuilding effort that has roots in the African tradition of elders.

The launch of the Eminent Persons Ecumenical Program for Africa (EPEPA) is scheduled for Friday, November 18, at 11 AM at the Agel Hotel in Accra, Ghana. The names of up to 15 persons selected to become a part of what would be a trained, traveling task force of experienced mediators and peacemakers -- or 'elders' -- will be announced. The eminent Africans selected as members of EPEPA will be in attendance.

The initiative is led by an international partnership of religious leaders including the heads of global humanitarian agency Church World Service, the All Africa Conference of Churches, and the World Council of Churches.

The program grew out of the recognition that the faith community -- because it carries such weight and moral authority -- must be more aggressive about intervening as a reconciling presence to stop the widespread violence on the continent.

In cultures throughout Africa, village elders traditionally are respected and trusted for the wisdom and experience they have accumulated over the years. People turn to them for guidance in the resolution of conflicts that threaten to destroy the harmony of their communities. Because the tradition is so deeply rooted in the culture of all African nations, EPEPA has decided to employ it as a model for the peacebuilding initiative.

The Rev. John McCullough, executive director and CEO of Church World Service (CWS), said the program relies on "the incredible resource embodied in the elders and distinguished individuals already in our midst" for the purpose of resolving conflicts and building a peaceful community on the continent.

The names to be announced on Nov. 18 were selected from a list of more than 25 people, including such luminaries as former South African President Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai of Kenya.

"It is the moral authority," said McCullough, of these kinds of wise and renowned eminent Africans from the continent and the diaspora that will "help to bring people to the table to negotiate peace."

According to World Council of Churches General Secretary Dr. Sam Kobia, the timeliness of the program adds to its significance.

"This ecumenical instrument comes at a time when the role of religion in public life is gaining greater currency and acceptance in society. It comes at a time when the need and desire for peacemaking, reconciliation, and healing is embraced by the parties to the conflict. It comes at a time when the concept of regional solutions to regional problems is being translated into practical projects in Africa, with a reasonable degree of success," said Dr. Kobia.

The ten to fifteen persons to be announced at the launch have been chosen on the basis of their experience and expertise and will receive further training in conflict resolution.

They will be available for short notice deployment to trouble spots, where they will use their training, experience, and status as "Eminent Persons" to engage the parties involved in active or potential conflicts in talks aimed at achieving peaceful solutions.

The "Eminent Persons" also will be charged with making recommendations for action by governmental bodies and ecumenical agencies. Peacebuilding efforts will center on national and political conflicts as well as local resource-driven conflicts.

Church World Service, the relief, development, and refugee assistance agency supported by 35 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations in the United States, has a decades-long history of working in partnership with indigenous organizations on the continent around development, peacebuilding, and advocacy issues.

The agency has intensified its work in Africa with the Church World Service Africa Initiative. CWS partners with civic, business, and governmental groups throughout the continent to identify problems and develop solutions in critical areas of concern, such as displaced people, hunger and poverty, water, HIV/AIDS, and peacebuilding.

In September, as part of the Africa Initiative, CWS officially dedicated several wells to be managed by Maasai villagers in Kenya. The new wells provide a reliable local source of clean water and also served to end a local conflict over allocation of limited water resources.

Contributions to support the Church World Service "Africa Initiative" can be made online and by phone at (800)-297-1516. Checks can be written to Church World Service and mailed to Church World Service, 28606 Phillips Street, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;

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