Leaders from the World Council of Churches (WCC) and its member churches have been at the United Nations headquarters this week as part of their concerted ongoing advocacy efforts.

On Thursday some 80 church leaders, policy and advocacy officers of churches and ecumenical organisations from all over the world will visit a number of member state permanent missions to the United Nations at the UN headquarters in New York to advocate around the situation in the Greater Horn of Africa.

The visits are the culmination of the WCC's United Nations Advocacy Week taking place in New York from 29 October to 2 November 2007. The weeklong meeting is intended to explore ways in which the voice of the churches may have more impact at the United Nations in their ongoing advocacy work.

On the week's opening day, the WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia met the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon at the UN headquarters. Both reaffirmed their commitment to collaborate on pursuing a number of shared objectives.

Also on its first day, the gathering was addressed by the UN deputy secretary general Asha-Rose Migiro, who spoke about the critical challenges and opportunities facing the UN.

"Civil society organisations like the World Council of Churches are essential partners and natural allies of the United Nations," said Migiro, who added: "Today, we need your support more than ever."

This is the third such annual gathering which aims to enable ecumenical players to advance co-operation and advocacy on strategic issues in the current international political environment at the UN.

The meeting is organised by the UN Liaison Office of the WCC in New York.