Resources

This publication aims to support humanitarian actors’ engagement with religious leaders with the goal of generating greater respect for humanitarian norms in armed conflict. It relies on socio-legal research conducted over a period of three years as part of the…

What is the role of local faith actors (LFAs) in the pursuit of SDG 16, the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all…

Mindanao State University-Sulu (MSU-Sulu) partnered together with the ICRC to produce the book’s translation into Tausug, a major language spoken in the Sulu archipelago and Zamboanga, among other places. Pana’ta offers guidance on important topics, such as ways to attend…

This Working Paper discusses inequalities caused or exacerbated by religious diversity in displacement and how humanitarian action can be aware of and responsive to this. It is based on interviews with Shi’a Hazara refugees from Afghanistan and local, national and…

The Evidence for Development podcast shares methods and approaches to locally-led development and research developed by Christian Aid, its partners and communities living in the Global South to improve their lives. Episodes are available here on Christian Aid's website.

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…

Localisation, as it aims to shift power in the humanitarian system, will involve the increased inclusion of local faith actors, those national and local faith-affiliated groups and organisations that are often first, and last, responders in crises and have been…

CREID WORKING PAPER Volume 2021 - Number 10 - November 2021 This paper focuses on inclusivity of religious minorities and religious diversity in humanitarian response. Questions on inclusion of religious diversity will usually arise during assessment, monitoring, and evaluation of…

Large-scale health emergencies like COVID-19 oftentimes result in widespread humanitarian impacts. Due to their long-standing relationships and involvement within local communities, along with extensive networks and support from faith-affiliated institutions, faith-based NGOs carry a unique advantage in reaching the most…

Network Paper Number 84 May 2021 Discussions in the run-up to, during and subsequent to the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) recognised that the humanitarian system as we know it is not suited to meet the tasks and challenges at…

Building Bridges of Faith Against Domestic Violence Working Paper 2 This working paper series is published as part of project dldl/ድልድል, which is dedicated to the development and strengthening of religio-culturally sensitive domestic violence alleviation systems in Ethiopia, Eritrea and…

Islam aur Takreem-e-Insaniyat ke Usool (Islam and Humanitarian Principles) is a new Urdu publication jointly produced by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Islamabad and the ICRC. Based on discussions held during a two-day National Round Table arranged by IPS…

A new Kiswahili language publication called “Utangulizi wa Sheria ya Kimataifa ya Kibinadamu ya Kiislamu” (“Introduction to International Humanitarian Law in Islam” / “muqaddimah fi ‘l-qanun ad-duwali al-insani fi ‘l-islam”), a reference work that was authored in Arabic by Professor…

On March 11, 2021, JLI held a webinar where Dr. Riham Ahmed Khafagy (Assistant Professor, Department of International Affairs, Zayed University) presented her paper ‘Faith-based Organizations: Humanitarian Mission or Religious Missionary’. In her presentation, Dr. Ahmed Khafagy compared the British…

Church Agencies Network - Disaster Operations Date published: 27 MAY 2016 This Roadmap was developed to: Provide a strategic framework for Church agency collaboration in the humanitarian and disaster risk management realm Create an internal understanding of our intention in…

Expression of Interest *To translate this text to another language use the world map at the bottom right* Click on the links below to access the Fair and Equitable Working Groups Call for Applications in Arabic, Spanish and French اضغط…

This Call to Action lays out a series of goals and actions to achieve greater inclusion of local faith actors (LFAs) in humanitarian action. The Call to Action is informed by the rich conversations that took place before, during, and…

The ‘Compendium of Good Practices on Conducting MEAL in Partnerships with International Actors and Local Faith Actors’ bridges the knowledge gap on how international and local faith actors practice MEAL in a diverse range of development and humanitarian contexts. It…

You are invited to participate in a new E-Course on Faith Sensitive Humanitarian Response: Mental Health & Psychosocial support. The purpose of this new 1.5 hour training is to give the learner an introduction to faith-sensitive response to humanitarian emergencies,…

Joint webinar on the two-year pilot scheme of a ‘Bridge Builder’ model, developed by a consortium of partners: Tearfund UK, Tearfund Belgium, Tearfund in South Sudan, RedR UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Islamic Relief in South Sudan, the Joint Learning Initiative…

Dr. Olivia Wilkinson, JLI Director of Research, presented at the USAID summit on October 6, 2020 in applying secular-religious understanding to a humanitarian response.  

A joint JLI - WFDD - Berkley Center Initiative on COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic intersects with long-standing food security and nutrition issues, especially in East Africa. Has the agenda on food security shifted with the coronavirus crisis, and if so,…

A joint JLI - WFDD - Berkley Center Initiative on COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic intersects with the long-standing humanitarian crisis around the borderlands between the United States, Mexico, and the northern triangle countries of Central America. How is the pandemic…

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…

This new report –published during Christian Aid Week –warns that without immediate and decisive action, Covid-19 could trigger a grave disaster for people in the poorest countries and communities, who are ill-equipped to cope with the ruinous effects of the…

This article examines the engagement of Indonesian Islamic civil society organisations in the international arena by paying particular attention to the role of the Islamic modernist movement, Muhammadiyah. Beyond its vibrant religious and social activism in the domestic context of…

Number 77 March 2020 This edition of Humanitarian Exchange, co-edited with Anne Harmer, focuses on the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Although at the time of publication the outbreak appeared to have ended,…

This book explores the interplay and dialogue between faith communities and the humanitarian-development community. Faith and religion are key influencers of thought and practice in many communities around the world and development practitioners would not be able to change behaviors…

JLI Director of Research, Olivia Wilkinson This book investigates the ways in which the humanitarian system is secular and understands religious beliefs and practices when responding to disasters. The book teases out the reasons why humanitarians are reluctant to engage…

A Review of the Literature This report provides an overview of the key themes and existing knowledge on the topics of the Triple Nexus, localization, and local faith actors. The intersection of these topics is particularly important to contemporary aid…

This report presents findings from field research conducted in South Sudan on the intersection of operationalizing the triple nexus (humanitarian-development-peace nexus), localization and, the particular role of local faith actors (LFAs). The report is based on twenty-one interviews with NGO…

This book gives an in-depth analysis of the role of faith in the work of Tearfund, a leading evangelical relief and development NGO that works in over 50 countries worldwide. The study traces the changing ways that faith has shaped…

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…

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…

Over the past seventy years, World Vision has grown from a small missionary agency to the largest Christian humanitarian organization in the world, with 40,000 employees, offices in nearly one hundred countries, and an annual budget of over $2 billion.…

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…

Nation Unies Conference Sur les Changements Climatiques 2015 COP21/CMP11 The Paris Agreement on Climate Change is an important milestone in climate change policy and diplomacy. It demonstrates the success of a multilateral process that lasted several years and that was…

In 2017, Trócaire and Groupe URD undertook research on what ‘localisation’ of humanitarian aid means in practice. Working with Trócaire partners and the wider humanitarian community in Myanmar and in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the research examined localisation…

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…

In recent years, issues related to localisation of aid, partnership, and capacity strengthening have become increasingly prominent within the humanitarian sector. This is evident both in discourse and initiatives such as the World Humanitarian Summit and Charter for Change, as…

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…

Since the dawn of history, faith has provided a foundation from which social norms develop - an estimated 83.6 percent of the world’s population considers itself affiliated with a faith. This underscores the critical role that religious leaders can play…

Journal: Migration and Society Local faith actors are deeply involved in assisting refugees around the world. Their place in refugee response, however, can be in parallel with and, at times, in disagreement with the efforts of international humanitarian organizations. Focusing…

The Routledge Research in Religion and Development series focuses on the diverse ways in which religious values, teachings and practices interact with international development. While religious traditions and faith-based movements have long served as forces for social innovation, it has only been…

International standards, currently being developed, define a CFS program as one that “supports the resilience and well-being of children and young people who have experienced disasters through community organized, structured activities conducted in a safe, child friendly, and stimulating environment”…

21st-23rd March 2018 United Nations Strategic Learning Exchange on Religion, Development and Humanitarian Work under the patronage of HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal, in Amman, Jordan The Strategic Learning Exchange (SLE) is a partnership effort stewarded by the UN…

A Thematic Paper for the Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security Prepared by the Soka Gakkai International September 2017 As a global movement of Buddhists dedicated to peace, the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) has worked on the activities for…

Guidance on mental health and psychosocial programming This guidance has been developed in phases. A desk review looking at the literature relevant to faith-sensitive psychosocial programming, followed by fieldwork in LWF and IRW country offices (Kenya, Jordan and Nepal), led…

2013-2017 Brief  

Local Faith Communities in Urban Displacement: Evidence on Urbanization and Localization Brief Author: Olivia Wilkinson Design: Stacy Nam Key points: Local faith actors should be recognized as legitimate “local,” “civil society” actors A greater familiarity with the structures of local…

Lutheran World Federation- UNHCR Thematic Discussion on the Global Compact, Nov 2017 Insights from the inter-agency project to provide 'faith-sensitive' guidance to the humanitarian sector through the tool ‘A Faith-sensitive Approach in Humanitarian Response: Guidance on Mental Health and Psychosocial…

JLI Mobilisation of Local Faith Communities- March 2018 webinar slides Webinar Agenda: Hub Introduction and 2018 Work (Andrea Kaufmann) Role of Local Faith Actors in the context of the localisation agenda (Catriona Dejean) Lauren Kejeh, Tearfund and Lydia Tanner, The…

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…

The Forum on Localizing Response to Humanitarian Need was held on Oct 16-19 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Forum was organized as a follow on from the World Humanitarian Summit, responding to and reinforcing the localization of aid/Grand Bargain discussions, and…

Abid Gulzar from World Vision on behalf of the Advocacy Working Group for the Localization of Humanitarian Response Forum to the ICVA meeting in Bangkok in December  

The Webinar was presented by Arne Naess-Holm, Humanitarian Advocacy Advisor at Norwegian Church Aid. The purpose of the webinar is an introduction to humanitarian advocacy and why its important, an introduction to the localisation agenda, and to understand the role…

SECULARIZATION VS THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN HUMANITARIAN AID Until the late seventies secularization was understood, almost universally, to be irreversible, equated with modernization and progress. Religious institutions seemed to have lost much of their influence. Religion had little or…

The aim of the presentation is to highlight the role of faith-based actors in conflict related humanitarian response by drawing on specific experiences from Norwegian Church Aid's work and partnership with two of our many local FBO partners namely The…

Bulambuli District was curved out of Sironko District in 2010. Part of the district falls within the Mount Elgon volcanics which are known for its environmental sensitivity. In 2010 landslides devastated the parts of Sisiyi and Buluganya killing 26 people.…

This report presents the conclusion of a preliminary study aimed at shedding light on the role of Sunni Muslim religious discourse in the Syrian crisis and understanding how to assess this discourse and turn it into a tool to end…

Summary: Global One conducted an analysis on the WASH needs of Syrian women in Lebanon and Syria. Utilizing three local partners; SAWA, URDA and Syria Relief Network, Global One gained data from 836 women in refugee and internally displaced persons…

This case study will briefly examine MERATH’s localized approach, including a spotlight on child-focused programming in education in emergencies in Lebanon and child protection in Syria, providing quantitative and qualitative evidence of its community-level impact based on focus group discussions,…

In December 2012, the High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Protection Challenges focused on the theme of Faith and Protection. The Dialogue brought together faith leaders, faith-based organisations (FBOs), academics and government representatives to explore how asylum and the protection of refugees,…

Members of ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples are among the most marginalised communities in many societies: they are often excluded from participation in socio-economic life, rarely have access to political power and frequently encounter obstacles to manifesting…

The fifth High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Protection Challenges took place on December 12-13, 2012 in the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The theme – “Faith and Protection” - highlighted the important role that faith-based organizations and local religious communities play…

In December 2012, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres organized a Dialogue with faith leaders, faith-based humanitarian organizations, academics and government representatives from countries around the world on the theme of “Faith and Protection.” As the High Commissioner noted…

In April 2013, in follow up to the High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Faith and Protection, UNHCR and FBOs solicited good practice examples of faith-based organisations (FBOs) and local faith communities (LCFs) in yielding protection outcomes, including in partnership with UNHCR.…

A special session on Faith and Protection at the June 2011 Annual UNHCR-NGO Consultations explored the challenges faced by national faith-based organizations (FBOs), their unique strengths and protection potential, and how INGOs, UNHCR and national FBOs can maximize their collective…

On September 19, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a set of commitments to enhance the protection of refugees and migrants. These commitments are known as the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants. The New York Declaration reaffirms…

Around the world, in multiple humanitarian crises and development situations, the issue of aid localization is crucial. Somalia is one such area where a growing number of Somali-led NGOs are looking to play a greater, more equal role in tackling…

Improving aid delivery through localization in Somalia

An Anglican Priest from the Diocese of Colombo speaks to the strength of the faith community in conflict and disaster responses

Forum on localizing response to humanitarian need

The aim of this report is to highlight evidence regarding the roles and impact that Local Faith Communities (LFCs) play in relation to urban refugees, with the aim of informing interconnected conversations around localisation and urbanisation. The international community is…

LOCALIZING RESPONSE TO HUMANITARIAN NEED The Role of Religious and Faith-based organizations Colombo, Sri Lanka October 16-19, 2017 Women of Faith for Peace • The Inter-Religious Council for Peace Thailand is established with objectives to promote peace and harmony in…

The Humanitarian Leadership Academy's (the Academy) mission is to enable people to prepare for and respond to crises in their own communities. Our contribution to the improvement of the effectiveness and relevance of response is focused on increasing the quality…

U.S. officials have long engaged religious leaders and institutions, as well as other community leaders and organizations. The Center for Faith-based and Community Initiatives is a part of a network of Centers throughout the U.S. federal government that serves to…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1-vR6_aucg&feature=youtu.be

The aim is to provide MHPSS practitioners, policy and decision-makers easily-accessible information on resources and tools related to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) that are useful in the case of an emergency.  

This guide represents an important contribution to the REPSSI mainstreaming series. Readers will find that they can utilise the practical information shared in this guide by TPO Uganda about its lessons learned along with descriptions of actual community-oriented interventions to…

The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) hit Sierra Leone in May 2014. By September 2014 the country was experiencing a surge in cases as the disease spread across the whole country. A reported 37 per cent of patients could associate their…

This report synthesizes the financial and narrative data shared by 23 of the 29 Charter for Change signatory organisations in their One Year Progress reporting1. The Charter for Change (C4C) was initially presented at the World Humanitarian Summit’s (WHS) Global…

World Vision Central African Republic (World Vision CAR) has been implementing a variety of social cohesion and peacebuilding programmes as a part of its larger response to an ongoing humanitarian crisis. World Vision began operations in the CAR in 2014.…

The current crisis in Central African Republic (CAR) is often framed in religious terms, with a ‘Muslim’ Seleka group seizing power in the majority-Christian country in early 2013, then with ‘Christian’ militias called the ‘anti-Balaka’ rising up to counter this.…

Zamboanga Amores Interfaith Final video

On 9 September 2013, crisis broke out in Zamboanga, with rebel group Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) advancing on the city. The ensuing fighting between the MNLF and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, resulted in the occupation and subsequent…

In 2000, World Vision in the Philippines started its Mindanao Peacebuilding programme, which in turn led to the creation of Mindanao interfaith dialogue. As part of this programme, a forum of faith leaders in Zamboanga City was established as a…

OUR COLLECTIVE VISION Our aim is to support churches seeking to collaborate and coordinate in disaster management to enhance community resilience to disasters and conflict. WHAT WE DO CAN DO invests in supporting church collaboration in disaster management by: -Investment…

This manual is designed for facilitators of the ‘Do No Harm for Faith Groups: Christian-Muslim Edition’ workshop for partners. The participants in these workshops are religious leaders and faith-based organisation (FBO) staff who work closely with the host organisation. The…

Kaya is our one-stop shop to humanitarian learning. Where you can get free learning including the core humanitarian standards, how to manage a humanitarian response and project management. All these course will keep you up to date and support your…

Mandate of the Diocesan Committee for Social Action: Study and Reflection on the Social Issues and needs in the light of Christian Principals and Gospel Values. The Board of Social Responsibility is the Social outreach arm of the Church of…

The Church of Ceylon has been focusing and building capacity on DRR. Presently networked with the other main line Churches though National Christian Council and organized regional trainings on Disaster preparedness and response. We have trained close to 200 clergy…

The Humanitarian Leadership Academy is a global learning initiative set up to facilitate partnerships and collaborative opportunities to enable people to prepare for and respond to crises in their own countries. This document tells you more about what we do…

Our core strategy summary gives you insight into the way we work within the humanitarian sector and we are also working with the private sector, academia and governments to reach more people and ensure that local communities are prepared before…

This manual is designed for facilitators of the ‘Do No Harm for Faith Groups: Christian-Muslim Edition’ workshop for partners. The participants in these workshops are religious leaders and faith-based organisation (FBO) staff who work closely with the host organisation. The…

A short video about the 2016 earthquake in Ecuador, along with the response efforts from the organization Peace and Hope. https://jliflc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Peace-and-Hope-Disaster-Relief.mp4

Peace and Hope International drafted a study book designed for those affected by disasters.

A series of videos from Peace and Hope International outlining the vision of the Church in disaster contexts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3Imp_J1n-U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWEGp83qcbo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu3E3nk7pSI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHmfy8nYBKk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWrfSueIsj4