Resources

This Sermon Guide is for pastors and other faith leaders to help the talk about sexual and gender-based violence with their communities, and, when appropriate, encourage them to take action. It begins with a discussion of GBV and why this relates to the Church, and then is followed by three chapters, each dealing with a specific GBV issue. This guide was developed for a US-based Christian group in mind; however, versions for other groups are coming soon.

102 UNICEF offices provided information about their extensive work with faith communities over recent years. Partnerships included sensitization activities, capacity development, and support for advocacy and social mobilization. The mapping report concludes: “With evidence of UNICEF’s extensive engagement with religious communities in plain view, UNICEF must now turn its attention to maximizing the benefits of its partnerships with these critical actors”

As religious actors and networks of faith-based organizations, we are called to work together for gender equality and justice, amid global changes, rising nationalism, and conflict. We are living in changing global, regional, and national environments. As COVID-19 spreads around…

All children should be cared for in a family environment by their parents, relatives or other loving adults. But there are growing numbers of children who do not enjoy this most basic right and suffer from neglect and extreme vulnerability.…

En Francais: ARGUMENTAIRE RELIGIEUX HARMNISE RELATIVE A LA PROMOTION DES DROITS L’ENFANT (FILLE ET GARCON) AU BIEN-ETRE This religious document relating to the Rights of the child (Girl and Boy) and their well-being, is the result of a commitment by…

Tearfund commissioned some research in January 2011 on ‘The current situation regarding sexual violence in Burundi, the role of the church and possible avenues for intervention.’

The Accord Research Alliance Podcast - Recap of Accord Research Alliance Intensive   https://soundcloud.com/user-666881060/2019-recap   The Accord Research Alliance Podcast - Jean Duff at 2018 ARA Research Intensive Jean Duff, President of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities…

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…

This paper considers the complex ontological and epistemological positionalities that underpin how individuals and organizations in the aid industry define development and legitimate their role in its actualization. This will include a description of the dominant industry power dynamics that influence the formation and…

The articles that compose this publication come from presentations at the Women’s Human Rights Advocacy Training for Faith-Based Organizations and articulate both the religious aspect, grounded in theology, and the human rights dimension, with its standards and working methods. The…

June 24-28, 2019 Les Pensières Centre for Global Health, Annecy, France 2019’s gathering began with a welcome to the Forum from the President and Founder of the AHIMSA Fund, Jean-François de Lavison. He thanked sponsors and participants from 46 countries,…

In this study, we examine the experience of international Christian humanitarian aid workers and who work in South Sudan. From interviews with thirty people in east Africa and north America, we derive a relationship between Christianity as our participants understand…

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…

With antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on the rise and becoming a growing global health concern, the WHO released a Global Action Plan in 2015 to address the issue. Although faith-inspired organizations (FIOs) play a critical role in health care globally, the…

The purpose of this report is to document and discuss the asset-based work of Mukuru on the Move (MOTM), a program developed in collaboration between the Interfaith Health Program (IHP) at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA and St. Paul’s University,…

The aim of this cross-sectional study is two-fold. First, it investigates the barriers experienced by sexually exploited Cambodian women when integrating into Christian churches. Second, it explores pastors’ perspectives towards sexually exploited women integrating into churches. A mixed-method approach to…

There are many lessons that can be drawn from the movements of people with HIV, where they became key advocates in shaping the global response. The aim of this report therefore is to assess the depth and breadth of survivors needs in order to determine the legitimacy and potential
benefits of a survivor movement.

Developing Effective Partnerships Between Faith and Secular Actors to Challenge Discriminatory Gender Norms and Secure Rural Women’s Rights Co-hosted by: Permanent Mission of Denmark to the UN in New York, the ACT Alliance, DanChuchAid and UNFPA in partnership with Christian Aid,…

EARLY ADOPTERS’ WORKROCK CAMEROON 2-6

DECEMBER 2019

Cameroon’s WorkRock was attended by 50 UNICEF staff, government officials and different actors from the faith community. The Minister for the Promotion of Women and the Family opened the WorkRock, which continued with a variety of speakers representing faith communities and the government. The remaining four days focused on a new way of working with UNICEF and local faith actors and religious leaders. The meeting resulted in the development of a Journey of Change from their experiences and learning, corroborating with the global framework.

For over five decades, USAID has partnered and collaborated with civil society actors, of which faith-based, faith-inspired and local community organizations play a vital role towards achieving developmental goals. The United States writ large is an extraordinarily generous country. Faith-based…

For more than 15 years “Fundacion Una Brisa de Esperanza” (Breeze of Hope Foundation) has been using an innovative approach for comprehensive management for children victims of sexual violence. This document of the case study does not use religious language…

Local, national, and international faith-based organizations and health care COVID-19 response Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH) and the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) wanted to learn how faith-based organizations and health care providers in international…

Channels of Hope (CoH) is an interactive, facilitated process to create a safe space for faith leaders and faith communities to learn, share and debate. It reaches to the root causes and deepest convictions that impact attitudes, norms, values and…

“Churches’ Commitments to Children” is an open invitation to the WCC member churches and partners to address the needs of children as an integral part of the ecumenical commitment to the pilgrimage of justice and peace. The present document has…

An Exploration of InterAction's NGO Members' Interfaith Collaboration Religion has long been a conduit for charitable acts and work within the NGO sector. Because of similar values and principles, members of the faith community have a strong and inherent bond…

In the recent years, the widespread use of  faith-based non-governmental organizations (FBNGOs) in development is considered as a significant swing in development approaches. The previous disappointing result of the secular-based development strategy persuaded the international donor agencies to put a…

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…

The changing nature of armed conflict over the past century has seen an increasing impact on civilians. It is estimated in most current conflicts that up to 80% of those affected by displacement, injury and death are women and children.…

The importance of the spiritual dimension in the lives of people living in conditions of poverty and social exclusion and the often-critical role of faith-based organisations has gained increasing relevance in development research and practice. A growing line of research…

Series 4: Resource Guide for Religious Leaders and Faith Communities Violence against children and women increases during emergencies, conflicts, and health crises. The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Infection prevention measures that require staying at home have brought on a…

Series 1: Resource Guide for Religious Leaders and Faith Communities During a global crisis people tend to turn to their religious leaders and faith communities for social, emotional, spiritual, and material support. National and global institutions, including religious, political, and…

Series 2: Resource Guide for Religious Leaders and Faith Communities Ensuring trust, mental health, spiritual guidance, and social support are essential during a pandemic, when people are coping with intensified levels of fear, uncertainty, loss, and anxiety. Based on their…

Series 3: Resource Guide for Religious Leaders and Faith Communities Certain groups of people are at greater risk of complications and death. These include the elderly and those with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. People…

There is a growing awareness of the importance that faith and belief systems play in the lives of refugees, displaced persons and those affected by humanitarian crises in general. This was clearly articulated in the UNHCR High Commissioner’s Dialogue on…

Development Across Faith Boundaries investigates the dynamics of cross-faith partnerships in a range of development contexts, from India, Cambodia and Myanmar, to Melanesia, Bosnia, Ethiopia and Afghanistan. The book demonstrates how far FBOs extend their activities beyond their own faith communities…

This article examines the intersection of religious faith and the ‘fight against modern slavery’ in the UK, as yet unexplored in sociological literature. Analysis of faith based organisations’ (FBOs) activities in this area challenges understandings of a postsecular rapprochement between…

2019 Kofi Annan Faith Briefings at the United Nations July 15, 2019, New York City The 2019 Kofi Annan Faith Briefing was held during the High Level Political Forum and guided by the theme, “empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and…

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…

A Discussion Note prepared for the Second International Seminar on Environment, Culture and Religion – Promoting Intercultural Dialogue for Sustainable Development (23 – 24 April 2016, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran)

Faith-based programmes were successful to improve general health maintenance, cholesterol and blood pressure levels, weight, and cardiovascular health previously, but have been unheeded to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) status. We designed a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) to evaluate the effectiveness…

The Seminar on Role of Faith Actors in Implementing the Global Compact on Refugees, that took place in Beirut on June 18, 2019, sought not only to bring together leaders and faith-based organisations from the three main sects together, but…

This scoping study explores the programmes and initiatives of local faith actors (which can include formal and informal religious leaders, worship communities, faith networks, and local and national faith-based organisations) in their response to modern slavery and human trafficking in…

This guide is intended to provide practical guidance for climate communicators, both inside and outside faith communities, about what language works well and – crucially – what language might pose an obstacle for communicating with any specific faith group. In…

The initial draft of this text was developed based on discussions at workshops in Geneva (May 2018), New York (July 2018), and Rome (July 2018). It included comments and feedback received from partner organizations, the international advisory committee members, and…

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…

On November 20, 2019, the international community will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) by the United Nations General Assembly. The CRC has been ratified by 196 States, making…

Religious organizations have an important role in development aid. For a long time, this role was not acknowledged by the main players in the development arena, but this has changed over the last few decades. Yet, this role is not…

This scoping study explores the programmes and initiatives of local faith actors (which can include formal and informal religious leaders, worship communities, faith networks, and local and national faith-based organisations) in their response to modern slavery and human trafficking in…

One of the most powerful influencers of individual behaviours, social norms and collective action at community and societal level is religion.
To maximize opportunities for more positive and impactful influence towards improving child and family wellbeing, UNICEF (Communication for Development Section and Civil Society Partnerships Unit in NYHQ), the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities and Religions for Peace in 2018 embarked on a new global Initiative on Faith and Positive Change for Children.

This draft theory of change sets out a framework to show how faith-based organisations and groups can contribute effectively to social and behaviour change. It forms part of the ‘Faith and Positive Change for Children’ partnership between UNICEF’s Communications for…