On July 7-9, 2015, 140 international development policy makers, academics, and leaders of religious and faith-based organizations assembled in Washington, DC for the conference Religion & Sustainable Development: Building Partnerships to End Extreme Poverty. Conference participants came together to discuss the latest evidence and to develop actionable recommendations for effective partnership between public sector and religious organizations.
Thematic sessions were held on Religion & Politics, Health Systems Strengthening, Ebola & HIV, Sexual & Gender-based Violence, Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief, and Large Scale Engagement of FBOs for Development.
Key findings emerging from the conference included:
- The question no longer is why religion matters—the question is now how to systematically include the potentials of religious organizations for development, and according to what principles and criteria.
- Religious literacy for development actors and development literacy for faith-based actors should be increased
- Evidence for effective cross sector collaboration is available, and mechanisms and methodologies can be adapted to scale up partnership between public sector and religious and faith-based organizations
Post-conference resources, including the full Conference Proceedings, recommendations, and session and speaker videos, are now available online at www.jliflc.com/RSDconference.
- Full Conference Proceedings
- Key Findings & Recommendations
- Conference Sessions YouTube Video Playlist
- Flickr Photo Gallery
- Conference attendee biographies
- Conference Feedback Form
Sharing the Proceedings
Please share the Proceedings, Recommendations, and videos through your networks and on social media using the hashtag #RSD2015. Please also join JLIF&LC on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to see R&SD Conference updates, resources, and opportunities.
Questions, Comments, or Collaboration Interests?
Please contact Jean Duff, Coordinator of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities, at [email protected].