Resources

Multi-level, Multi-theme and Multi-platform Inter-faith engagement Overview The partnership between Al-Azhar University and UNICEF Egypt initially started through advocacy in the 1980s. With an enabling government environment, the involvement of the Ministry has shown success in joint advocacy and policy…

Humanitarian-Development Nexus in South Sudan: Overcoming fragile weakened governance through faith-based institutions to promote sustained community engagement for child wellbeing   Overview UNICEF South Sudan C4D is focused on sustaining community engagement during an L2 emergency with widespread food insecurity,…

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…

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…

The Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) is working with UNICEF’s Communication for Development Section in Programme Division and the Civil Society Partnerships Unit in the Division of Communication on an initiative, titled the “Faith and Positive…

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 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…

Contributions of Faith Communities to Ending Violence Against Children Presented by Jean Duff, JLI President

This literature review is one part of three of the JLI Ending Violence Against Children (EVAC) Hub scoping study. It presents an overview of published and grey literature in regard to the unique contributions of faith actors to eliminating violence…

This report presents findings from the consultation component - one part of three of the JLI Ending Violence Against Children (EVAC) Hub scoping study. The study examines existing evidence, analyses trends, identifies key gaps and highlights examples of faith actors…

This report presents findings from the case study submission process - one part of three of the JLI Ending Violence Against Children (EVAC) Hub scoping study. They offer evidence to support the claim that religions offer an important contribution to…

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…

Effective prevention and response to gender-based violence (GBV) require a well-planned and coordinated effort among an array of organizations, disciplines, and sectors. In populations affected by conflict, there are additional and specific threats and risks that require action in order…

On October 16 -18, over 185 participants and 85 organisations gathered at the General Curia for the Society of Jesus in Rome, Italy for the Faith Action for Children on the Move – Global Partners Forum. The Forum was co-organised…

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…

Compassion International, World Vision, Buckner International, CBN and IJM have joined forces to form the "Christian Movement Against Violence Against Children" (MOCVIN). Together they are committed to promoting the protection of the most vulnerable children, seeking the fulfillment of their…

Guião de Promoção e Protecção dos Direitos da Criança para os Líderes Religiosos Para a promoção da Saúde, Educação e Protecção da Criança Guide to religious leaders for the promotion of health, education and child protection in Portuguese The involvement…

Faith Action for Children on the Move: October 16-19 in Rome, Italy

Published by JLI and WVI in preparation for the Faith Action for Children on the Move – Global Partners Forum.

Role of religion and faith actors in local communities: holistic and multi-sectoral approaches

Partnering through Faith South Sudan Context and overview

This essay examines local and international Christian efforts on Mount Kilimanjaro to educate children. A prevailing idea among people who live on the mountain is that children engender trust and trade. This idea is illuminated through the adage 'Take the…

Children in Syria live under the constant threat of violence. The blatant flouting of international humanitarian and human rights law has earned this crisis the dubious honour of being recognised as the most significant humanitarian protection crisis in living memory.1…

No parent, no adult relative or guardian was with them on the way: in 2014, not a few, not a thousand, but more than 50,0003 boys and girls like Karla and Freddy journeyed unaccompanied through deserts and forests, through mountains…

This is a comprehensive report of the GNRC 5th Forum. It is a summary of all aspects of the Forum, including the speeches, papers presented, contributions and transcripts of messages delivered at the Forum. Includes remarks from distinguished guests during…

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”…

Since the beginning of the current humanitarian crisis in Iraq, more than three million school-aged children and adolescents have experienced disruption to their education. Providing continuity of learning and protection for affected children demands that agencies such as World Vision…

Action for implementing the seven strategies for ending violence against children Link to WHO Site Other WHO INSPIRE Technical Documents

The declaration, known as an Affirmation of Welcome, is the first to involve UNHCR and a spectrum of faith-based groups. It sets out principles to guide faith leaders in providing welcoming environments for refugees and displaced people, and those without citizenship, including through promoting community understanding and tolerance, and combatting xenophobia.

The idea for a joint declaration emerged from a meeting hosted by UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in Geneva in December 2012 with religious leaders and faith-based NGOs.

Taking place between February and April of this year, drafting of the Affirmation involved a coalition of leading faith-based organizations and academic institutions. The text draws upon principles and values of welcome shared by religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.

The Partnership Note sets out broad guidance for UNHCR staff to engage with, reach out to, and partner with faith actors in the context of forced displacement. It describes UNHCR’s understanding of the range of faith actors and the role they play in humanitarian responses. The Note also flags the challenges of partnership and highlights instances where we would not normally engage owing to humanitarian and human rights considerations. More importantly, it contains examples of good practice and lessons learned from existing partnerships in the field and highlights principles that are a point of departure for dialogue and cooperation with faith actors and communities, while setting out actions and activities to put these principles into practice. The Partnership Note may be used as point of departure for conversations on many issues between UNHCR and faith actors. It can also help guide you, as partners, to establish dialogue across faiths and with a range of humanitarian actors.

UNICEF and other child rights organizations* have a long history of partnering with religious communities of all faiths on a wide range of issues that affect children. Religious communities are uniquely positioned to promote equitable outcomes for the most vulnerable…

Channel of Hope for child protection was implemented in Morang district since 2014. The district is located in the south-east part of Nepal that shares the border with India. The district headquarter, Biratnagar, is the second largest city in Nepal.…

After decades of assessing and describing the street children population, more attention is needed to evaluate the impact of street children programs on successful reinsertion into the community. The purpose of the current study was to assess the impact of…

The phenomenon of street children has become a focal point of the media and in academic research in recent years. It is a continuing issue and has been accepted by the international community as a serious global problem. A large…

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) identifies a major protracted refugee situation as one where more than 25,000 refugees have been in exile for more than five years. Protracted refugee situations refer to those that…

Worldwide, there is an increasing trend toward urbanization, a phenomenon that is highly conspicuous in developing countries and in war- and disaster-affected areas.2 The majority of the world’s population now lives in urban areas, which have become home to most…

A Syrian Teacher, November 2015 On November 3, 2015 I received a message from one of my contacts, a human smuggler. A group of 25 Syrians was stuck on a beach in Dikili, north of Izmir. They had failed to…

People destabilized by armed conflict, including refugees, internally displaced persons, in particular, women and children are at increased risk of exposure to HIV infection (United Nation General Assembly 2001). The above quotation suggests that internally displaced persons in general and…

This article examines education policy for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, drawing on 44 stakeholder interviews conducted in March 2016. Findings indicate that the idea of children’s rights, enshrined in international conventions, combined with foreign aid, encouraged the creation of a…

At the core of social protection is a concern for addressing vulnerability and risk. It is increasingly understood that social protection policy frameworks and programmes must be informed by a recognition of the diversity of vulnerability and risks, and the…

Contemporary discussions on strengthening national child protection systems agree that community-based child protection mechanisms (CBCPMs) are fundamental elements of child protection systems.1 Because they are relatively easy to access, or perhaps are the only alternative that is available in responding…

Worldwide, the field of child protection in humanitarian settings is undergoing an historic shift toward strengthening child protection systems on a national scale (African Child Policy Forum et al., 2013; Davis, McCaffrey, & Conticini, 2012; UNICEF, UNHCR, & World Vision,…

Many of our readers already know that Lebanon, a country of fewer than 6 million people, has reached a breaking point in its capacity to host the almost 1.2 million Syrian refugees that have streamed into Lebanon as a result…

Street children are a marginalized group with limited access to education, health care and other services (Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, 2004). They are also frequently subjected to different forms of abuse, neglect, deprivation, hazards of living on…

In diverse contexts, community-based child protection mechanisms (CBCPMs) are front line efforts to protect children from exploitation, abuse, violence, and neglect and to promote children’s well-being.2 Defined broadly, CBCPMs include all groups or networks at grassroots level that respond to…

A review of two pilot projects for children and young people Since 2014, World Vision has operated a humanitarian response programme supporting internally displaced Iraqi families in the Kurdish Region of Iraq (KRI). Within this, WV KRI has been implementing…

2.5 million girls in eastern Africa in urgent need of protection More than 2.5 million girls have been forced to flee their homes across eastern Africa and are in urgent need of protection, a new report from World Vision has…

This Guide for Action and Advocacy was written by Arigatou International to support religious communities that wish to work with other sectors of society in promoting Universal Birth Registration. It outlines and explains the need for universal birth registration and…

Aiming to actively engage the faith based organizations as key actors to end up the violence against the children, the Mozambican Religious Council established the Religious Platform for Child Wellbeing in Mozambique with World Vision support. The Platform will focus…

Since 2011, World Vision El Salvador has significantly increased its efforts to reduce violence against children and strengthen child protection systems. This report documents findings from a qualitative assessment conducted in El Salvador. The assessment examines children and adolescents’ experiences…

In 2017 CRS worked with a South Africa-based non-profit organization to update several guides within its "Journey of Life" curriculum of workshops. The series is designed for communities wishing to support children in need and their caregivers. CRS collaborated with REPSSI on the facilitator training…

DECLARATION “Conference on the Role of Religions and Religious Leaders in Confronting Corporal Punishment of Children in the Family and Educational Settings” Qom – October 20, 2011 During 19th - 20th October 2011, religious leaders from different faiths in Iran…