Resources

This timely volume addresses the rising interest in the role of religion in global issues worldwide. The ambitious Agenda 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as the framework for this exploration, discussing questions such as: What role…

Around 12 million girls aged 15–19 years and at least 777,000 girls under 15 years give birth each year in low and middle-income countries. Prioritizing adolescent sexual and reproductive health services and information can address these and other urgent 1…

As a joint learning network focused on evidence in religions and development, we (i.e., JLI) are often asked to summarize the “evidence” on religions and development. While that may seem like a simple request, it is, in fact, a complicated…

Reports on JLI’s 2020 progress on goals in Evidence, Research and Knowledge Partnerships, and Communications, while highlighting projects and learning hub work.  

This report has been prepared by ADRA International on behalf of the Adventist Church as part of Every child. Everywhere. In School. Focused on ensuring every child, everywhere, attends school and completes their education so they can fulfill their God-given…

13th - 17th October 2020 Programme Overview (Available in Arabic) Biographies Recommendations from the Regional Consultations Recommendations of Africa Recommendations of Asia Recommendations of Europe Recommendations of Arab Region Recommendations of Latin America Recommendations of North America Thematic Recommendations from…

Task Force 7 - G20 SUPPORT FOR SDGS AND DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION There is an urgent need to better recognize and integrate the significant involvement of faith-based actors in development initiatives through effective policy-driven responses. These responses require novel and inventive…

A G20 Interfaith Forum Policy Brief Draft, September 25, 2020 Challenges and Call to Action The Saudi G20 Presidency has identified refugees, migrants, and trafficking in its goal to “empower  people by unleashing opportunities for all, including in particular empowering…

Working paper 591 The world is facing multiple challenges with huge impacts on humanity, requiring action from citizens, policy-makers and activists. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets demonstrate the scale and ambition of the current global agenda.…

This is about how Islamic Relief is working with the people most affected to respond to the climate crisis. We show how in empowering communities, families and individuals to emerge out of poverty and suffering, they are better able to…

Hundreds of faith-based organizations (FBOs) that are registered at the UN and thousands more that are not all doing their part to enhance fundamental freedoms and make those out-of-reach dreams - those privileges and rights many of us enjoy -…

OUR RESEARCH STRATEGY: A FEMINIST APPROACH Marginalized people and others who have struggled with grave challenges to their human rights possess a unique understanding of the problems in their communities—and their insights have the potential to fuel effective, lasting solutions.…

An evaluation was conducted of a three-year intervention focused on violence against women and girls (VAWG) and implemented in the conflict-affected north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country with high rates of VAWG. The intervention addressed VAWG,…

Five years have passed since the global community through the United Nations adopted 2030 Agenda 2030 for sustainable Development with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development presents the closest the global community has come to…

"The Bible and the SDGs" is a resource jointly developed by the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA Creation Care Task Force (CCTF), WEA Sustainability Center (WEASC) and WEA Mission Commission), the Lausanne/WEA Creation Care Network (LWCCN), Renew Our World, the Church…

We face major sustainability challenges in the 21st Century. Fortunately, we have a unique opportunity to implement solutions at a global scale. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) grew out of a pioneering idea to mobilize the world around a…

The report highlights findings from our research and recommendations from the pilot of the Bridge Builder Model for humanitarian organisations and donors seeking ways to increase localisation in humanitarian response. This is a two-way, capacity-sharing model aimed at bringing together…

Reports on JLI’s 2019 progress on goals in Evidence, Knowledge Partnerships, Communications and Advocacy while highlighting projects and learning hub work.

“We will walk every step with our Children” Southern African Faith Leaders Commit to Respond to Teenage Pregnancy We, the faith community in Southern Africa (African Traditional Religion, Baha’i faith, Christian and Muslim) view children as whole human beings who…

Religion & Development is the Discussion Paper Series of the Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development. The series aims to contribute to the discourse about religion and development by putting up research on specific topics for scholarly debate.…

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations, announces 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Such goals promote an action plan based on three main principles of the Agenda: respect for human dignity, sustainability and…

The JLI convenes policymakers, academics and professionals to build and communicate evidence of religions’ and faith-based organizations’ roles in development work. Because of growing interest in environment related topics, JLI created a webinar series to discuss faith and climate work,…

The global Anglican Communion has played a significant role in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals and the successor goals, the Sustainable Development Goals. In many parts of the world, provinces, dioceses, parishes, agencies and individuals connected to Anglican communities…

Written Statement from the Anglican Consultative Council, July 2019 The global Anglican Communion is playing a significant role in pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals and “leaving no one behind”. Globally, Anglicans and Anglican agencies are delivering health and education…

This guide provides information on how World Vision offices can integrate child marriage prevention and response into programming, including guidance on working with married children. In addition, the guide intends to support the development of country-specific technical approaches and new…

This report presents findings of the Survey on Traditional Practices in Malawi that was carried out by the National Statistics Office (NSO), the Centre for Social Research (CSR) at the University of Malawi, and the Center for Child Well-being and…

G20 Interfaith Forum Japan 2019 7-9 June 2019 Faith actors, reflecting their deep moral convictions, vast global networks, daily lived experience with communities across the world, and their witness for the most vulnerable and those left behind, call the leaders…

This note on the 2019 G20 Interfaith Forum highlights what happened, with some analysis of key points. This ambitious effort aimed to bring together a “network of networks”, linking religious actors working on global issues within the broad framework of…

A decade ago, talk about religion in public spaces was largely limited to discussions about either theology, or terrorism - or both. Today, the role of religious organizations - whether churches, mosques, temples, or faith-inspired NGOs delivering critical development and…

Analysis 86 The world is at crossroads. Awareness is growing rapidly that overshooting the aspirational goal of the Paris Agreement (PA) to limit global warming to 1.5°C would severely jeopardise the achievement of the SDGs, making the poor poorer, and…

Islamic Relief is calling for an end to early and forced marriages by raising awareness of gender justice from an Islamic human rights perspective.

UN Environment held its fourth Environment Assembly during 11-15 March 2019, with the themes of sustainable consumption and production, and innovative approaches to solving environmental issues. The Faith for Earth Initiative held its thematic dialogue in the Faith and SDG…

Everyone has a role to play in the movement to end child marriage. In this brief, we explore the role of religious leaders and highlight key approaches to support civil society organisations who are considering engaging with them in their…

For the past 50 years, we have been on a journey to shape and outwork a distinctively Christian, faith-based approach, with the communities, individuals and supporters we partner with, at home and overseas. It is not enough for us simply…

Rethinking relationships: from violence to equality in the DRC, evidence brief. Key findings of endline survey undertaken across 15 communities in Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo about faith, gender norms and SGBV in conflict affected communities.' UK government…

Reports on JLI's 2018 progress on goals in Evidence, Communications and Advocacy while highlighting projects and learning hub work.

For millions of refugee girls, education is out of reach. Despite substantial increases in access to girls’ education around the world over the last two decades, refugee girls remain left behind. In countries affected by conflict, girls are 2.5 times…

Engaging Religion and Faith-Based Actors on Agenda 2030/ the Sustainable Development Goals This report provides an overview of the engagement with faith-based actors and faith-related activities by the members of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Engaging Faith-Based Actors…

Religion is a major cultural, social, political, and economic factor in many official development assistance (ODA) recipient countries.Understanding religious dynamics and the role of faith communities and actors is crucial for sustainable development. While faith communities have endured and thrived…

The aim of this annotated bibliography on ‘Religion and Development’ is to lend a hand to practitioners in humanitarian and development work: ‘Where can I read and learn about how to take religion, religious communities and religious actors seriously in…

The OSCE, which already engages with religion in a number of contexts, should promote greater ‘religious literacy’ and regard religion as a potential resource for security-building. This means engaging with religion, and with religious leaders, institutions, congregations, and communities, to…

The December 2016 international conference held in Nanjing to discuss the theme “Religion, Values, Ethics and Development” was one of the few in China to bring together both scholars of religion and faith-based development practitioners. Co-organized and hosted by the…

Child marriage results from the interplay of a variety of factors and happens across countries, cultures, ethnicities and religions. There is no single religion that is solely associated with child marriage. But as religious leaders often hold considerable power and…

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a global issue that affects women and girls from different backgrounds, faiths, and races. In recent, years, there has been an increased focus on Muslims and the Muslim faith. Reyhana Patel's research has…

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a form of gender injustice which affects millions of girls and women in the world and is deep rooted in social gender norms and practices. GBV is a leading cause of death, illnesses and disabilities of…

The Role of Faith and Faith-Based Organisations in Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Affairs Co-convened by World Vision Japan and Soka Gakkai International August 31, 2018 See minutes below and at the download button [embed]https://youtu.be/wAsA3UkzGeA[/embed] See full session here

Nigeria’s vibrant and dynamic religious landscape plays many roles in the nation’s life and development. It is also a factor, albeit a complex one, in conflicts and violence that many see as linked to religious divides. Religious institutions have deep…

Mobilisation of Local Faith Communities Learning Hub Webinar: Sustainable Development Goals and role of religion and local faith communities  

Chapter exceprt from Jörg Haustein & Emma Tomalin, 'Religion and Development in Africa and Asia' in Routledge Handbook of Africa–Asia Relations ed. by Pedro Carvalho et al. London: Routledge, 2017, pp. 76-93 See also - Religions and Sustainable Development Network

Overview of Ethiopian Faith-Based Organizations’ response for the abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Child Early Forced Marriage (CEFM) from 2010-2016. This report provides a baseline to engaging FBOs for future programming and provides evidence on how FBOs have…

A toolkit for faith leaders This toolkit was designed as a guide for religious leaders of both Christian and Islamic faiths in Nigeria as they address the challenges faced by adolescent girls on the issues of early marriage, education, reproductive…

On the 20th of October 2008 over 160 religious leaders, faith-based organizations and United Nations representatives spanning the globe gathered in Istanbul, Turkey, to establish an Interfaith Network for Population and Development. The Forum featured 60 representatives of UNFPA and…

This report provides an overview of the engagement with faith-based actors and faith-related activities by the members of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Engaging Faith-Based Actors for Sustainable Development (short: UN Task Force on Religion and Development or…

The role of local churches in humanitarian and development responses Tearfund’s approach to humanitarian and development response is to work wherever possible with and through the local church. This is because, as a Christian NGO, Tearfund considers itself to have…

Protestant Pastors Survey on Sexual and Domestic Violence June 2014 Sexual and domestic violence inflicts deep emotional, physical, and spiritual harm on the individuals who endure it. It also inflicts long-term damage to communities by reinforcing discriminatory social, economic, and…

Recommendations from the University of New South Wales Forced Migration Network, (Australia) and the Australian National Committee on Refugee Women, for amendments to Annex I: Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), from the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, UNGA…

The HLPF was an opportunity to highlight on the progress made towards the 2030 development agenda from governmental and non-governmental perspectives. 147 side events were held during this Forum - compared to 106 in 2016 and attended by 2,558 participants.…

University of Potsdam Germany 15-17 June 2017 website: g20interfaith.org see brief here More than a hundred experts and leaders from fields ranging from economy, law, politics, religion, development to humanitarian aid, coming from 30 different countries, gathered for the fourth…

The Capacity for Interreligious Community Action program (CIRCA) was a three-year capacity-building program financed by GHR Foundation and supplemented by Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The overarching goal of the program was to contribute to human development and more peaceful coexistence…

Since 2015, ADRA has placed a priority on meeting the essential needs of refugee families and individuals in the European refugee crisis. Over the past two years, more than 1.3 million people who are fleeing conflict and persecution have passed…

In its seventh annual iteration, the United Nations Strategic Learning Exchange (SLE) to Develop Literacy Around Religion and Development expanded the collective literacy and understanding of UN system entities and some of their governmental counterparts, in their work with faith-based…

Policy brief produced by Islamic Relief provides the vision and rationale to campaign for an end to FGM/C and guides intervention efforts to eradicate it.  

Religious beliefs and leadership can play important if complex roles in family planning decisions at many levels, but there are significant gaps in understanding how these influences affect family planning policies and programs. The World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), in…

Joint Media Report This Report of the Joint Media Project of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) and the International Press Syndicate (INPS) Group is a compilation of independent and in-depth news and analyses by IDN from April 2016 to March…

2017 Update Christian Aid strategy to reaffirm and renew our commitment to prioritising gender justice, especially for women and girls, throughout the organisation and in our work.

The Access - Infant and Maternal Health (AIM Health) program is a five-year initiative of World Vision Ireland. AIM Health focused on the nourishment of mothers and children, protection from infection and disease and overall essential health services. Based off…

Food for the Hungry partnered with USAID to implement a Development Food Assistance Program (DFAP) in support of the Government of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) working closely with local partner Organization for the Relief and Development in Amhara…

Food for the Hungry has partnered with USAID to implement a Title II DFAP to improve livelihood and health and nutrition of individuals within vulnerable households in Eastern DRC. FH’s creative social and behavior change communication techniques, and innovative market-oriented…

This Faithful Affirmations Overview gives a comparative, 'at a glance', perspective, on how different faith traditions view Family Planning, in a manner which affirms the relevant human rights involved. This is the result of a collaborative process, between different faith-based…

Development in Practice has recently published a special edition issue on Faith and Health in Development Contexts- July 2017. See Full Journal Here Preview of Articles in the special edition: Guest introduction: faith and health in development contexts Christopher Benn Faith…

For generations, indigenous people survived by farming with water from wells they dug, until the government took away their water in order to assist larger industries. Therefore, crops began to fail and indigenous people were left hungry. Flor y Canto…

About Collective Action for Adolescent Girls (CAAGI) is a two-year pilot project structured to work with faith actors and faith based organizations to improve the choices and opportunities for adolescent girls to live a productive and meaningful live. The project…

The  Review of Faith and International Affairs has just published a special series on Reconsidering Religious Radicalism See Full Journal Here   Includes the following articles: Reconsidering Religious Radicalism: An Introduction to the Summer 2017 Issue Judd Birdsall & Drew Collins Radicalism,…

In 2015 Africa experienced its worst drought in 60 years. The unusually strong El Niño weather pattern in 2015-2016, coupled with record-high temperatures, had a catastrophic effect on crops, vegetation, livestock, and water resources. Unfortunately, the drought has continued into…

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has offices in 17 countries across Asia, the most disaster- prone region of the world. ADRA recognizes the importance and urgency of increasing resilience to disasters through an inclusive, integrated community-managed disaster risk…

The dialogue on 13 June represents a next step in a continuous effort by the World Food Programme to mobilize support for Zero Hunger. In support of this discussion a number of religious leaders representing various faiths and geographic regions…

  Reporting and Interpreting Data on Sexual Violence From Conflict-Affected Countries Violence Against Women Research, Ethics, Safety & Interventions Helpful websites: www.vawgresourceguide.org www.gbvguidelines.org Below is a Lancet article: "Prevention of violence against women and girls: what does the evidence say?"

This Powerpoint presenation titled "Sarvodaya’s contribution to the SDGs 2015/16 and beyond" was presented at Sarvodaya's Annual General Meeting on 17th December 2016. The presentation highlights and discusses some of the main goals of the SDGs that Sarvodaya works in. Founded 59…

The Government, Global Poverty and God’s Mission in the World declaration  emerged as one result of a two-day consultation sponsored by Bread for the World Institute, Micah Challenge, and the Center for Applied Christian Ethics, and held at Wheaton College,…

This report provides a comprehensive yet accessible overview of Kenya’s religious landscape in relation to major issues for development. The report is part of a broad effort to address these questions in the context of four countries, including Kenya, Bangladesh,…

This report summarizes and reflects on work that explored religious issues relevant for contemporary development challenges in several very different countries (Bangladesh, Kenya, Senegal, and Guatemala). All four countries face significant challenges of fragility, and development actors of many kinds,…

This is a conference report from Yale University 20 & 21 September 2016 on measuring, evaluating and reporting the role of faith-based interventions on reducing poverty and promoting well-being globally. The conference was sponsored by Yale University, Innovations for Poverty Action,…

Building a Just World examines The Salvation Army's contribution to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - the UN's sustainable development programme between 2000 and 2015. Using data collected by The Salvation Army during that period, this report aims to give…

The focus of this volume is on religious actors as important social actors or drivers of change, particularly as promoters of social change, democracy and development. It is an acknowledgement of the vital role that religious communities and similar organised…

School meals have multiple benefits and there is hard evidence that supports this claim. However, due to the multi-faceted nature of school meals, it is difficult to obtain a complete overview of the evidence. This paper attempts to give such…

Collaborating for Sustainable HIV Community Care The Faith, Health Collaboration and Leadership Development Program (FHCLDP) is a multi-sector team-based model that builds partnerships among FBOs, HIV treatment programs, and civil society organizations. The collaboration supports sustainable, community-based HIV prevention and treatment services…

Loving one another A biblical discussion toolkit on gender-based violence. This booklet is based on the invaluable work carried out by the Anglican Service of Diakonia and Development (SADD) of the Anglican Church of Brazil. Gender-based violence (GBV), especially violence…

The Ambivalent Role of Religion for Sustainable Development: A Review of the Empirical Evidence GIGA Research Programmes Working Paper Series German Institute of Global and Area Studies Until recently, academia has largely neglected the impact of religion on sustainable development.…

There has been a massive advocacy movement over the last 15 years that has sought to advance the case of religion into view of decision-makers in the international development sector. This advocacy effort has been dispersed and not centrally organised,…

Soka Gakkai International (SGI) and Earth Charter International (ECI) "Mapting" App to promote youth involvement in implementation of SDGs. The Mapting app is available on both Android and iOS devices and can be viewed and downloaded here: www.mapting.org The app engages youth take photos or…

The major institutional faiths are amongst the largest investors in the world. In recent years this investing power has been used in a number of ways, including disinvestment, pro-active ethical investment and impact investing. This quest for a clear coordination…

A multidisciplinary work that touches on law, religion, politics, and gender studies to explore the issue of domestic violence in Islam. To download "Domestic Violence and the Islamic Tradition: Ethics, Law and the Muslim Discourse on Gender", click here: http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199640164.do#.UfFTUxYkOMM

This publication aims to amplify the voices of Syrian women and add new texture to the portrait of their lives inside Syria and in neighbouring countries. To download this publication, and other UNFPA resources, click here: http://www.unfpa.org/publications  

Islam provides a holistic understanding of human development anchored on the maqasid or agreed upon objectives of Shari’a. According to this understanding, human development is the process of maintaining human dignity to achieve well-being. The Islamic model presented here recognises poverty as deprivation in…

This report provides an overview of the engagement with faith-based actors and faith-related activities by the members of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Engaging Faith-Based Actors for Sustainable Development from 2013-2015 View the most recent annual report from…

This policy brief on "The role of faith communities and organisations in prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence" was completed by Elisabet Le Roux, Stellenbosch University, on behalf of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities Gender-based…

Over the past decade, the issue of honour-related violence (including honour killing and forced marriage) has entered media and policy debates in immigrant-receiving countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Britain and Canada. In some of these countries, media debate has instigated policy debate.

This paper analyses how media, parliaments and other state institutions, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) conceptualize honour killing and honour-related violence in order to uncover how such conceptualizations inform policy responses.