Migration and Multicultural Ministry

The Mission from the Margins solidarity programme facilitates and encourages theological reflection and action on issues brought about by the increasing migration and movements of people. While migration has always been a fact of life, it raises new economic, political, cultural and ecclesial concerns in today's globalized world. New forms of migration (including trafficking), development-induced displacement, and climate-induced displacement threaten the human dignity of millions of people.

Migration in a globalized world raises questions about interfaith relations, identity, justice, racism, advocacy and diakonia. The World Council of Churches seeks to engage and challenge the churches in their work with migrants, including refugees, internally displaced people and victims of trafficking. As the connections between xenophobia and racism are particularly strong, it emphasizes understanding new migration phenomena in a framework of transformative justice, which grew out of the WCC's work on overcoming racism.

The WCC seeks to promote compassionate and constructive responses to refugees, migrants, and all marginalized groups that are informed by Christian traditions of respect for human dignity and rights and that enhance the human and moral values of society.

Our activities on migration include:

• Integration and capacity-building programmes,
• High-level conferences in collaboration with the United Nations, the Vatican and other ecumenical partners, in response to hate and violence directed at marginalized people,
• Reconciliation and empowerment programmes.

Mobilizing marginalized groups, like migrants and refugees, as networks is a recognition of their common concerns and the nature of intersectionality in their relationships to each other. The margins solidarity networks include:

• Ecumenical Disability Networks
• Ecumenical Indigenous Peoples Networks
• Migration and Racial Justice Networks.

Rev.Dr Peter Cruchley
Director, WCC Commission on World Mission and Evangelism
email: [email protected]

Other resources:

UNHCR #withrefugees

Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME)

Vatican (Migrants and Refugees section)