UN Strategic Learning Exchange- Engaging with Faith Organizations & Communities for Sustainable Development

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About JLI

An international collaboration on evidence for faith actors’ activities, contributions, and challenges to achieving humanitarian and development goals. Founded in 2012, JLI came together with a single shared conviction: there is an urgent need to build our collective understanding, through evidence, of faith actors in humanitarianism and development.

UNFPA Hosted Strategic Learning Exchange

June 5-6, New York

Literacy on Religion & Religious Dynamics for International Practitioners working towards Sustainable Development, Human Rights & Peace and Security

The course was hosted under the auspices of UNFPA by Azza Karam. It was very well attended by faith-based organizations and UN representatives. A few JLI Board Members were among the co-hosts- JLI Board Members Rob Radtke, Episcopal Relief & Development and Anwar Khan, Islamic Relief USA also made remarks. Case studies were presented on partnering with faith organizations in development and humanitarian work.

Course objectives:

DAY 1: To explore the linkages between faith, humanitarian, development, peace and security work, and what religious and faith organizations and communities bring as value-added to this work or as specific challenges.

  1. What are the linkages between faith and the SDGs?
    • Increased understanding of the linkages between religion and SDGs in contemporary contexts with a view to intergovernmental dynamics (including globalization, political change, conflict, peace and security, climate change, economic and financial contexts and impact on aid effectiveness, social inclusion, cultural diversity, etc.);
  2. How do these interlinkages manifest in practical development efforts at the intergovernmental as well as at field-levels?

DAY 2: To appreciate how faith practically interacts with development and humanitarian work. To that end, to discuss respective case studies highlighting opportunities and challenges of working with religious communities and faith-based organizations in development and humanitarian work.

  1. What are the challenges – and opportunities – about working on the religion nexus with development, peace and security and human rights, on the SDG agenda?
  2. How can we work better together across the differences (institutional, ideological/religious to secure delivery on the SDGs?

 

For more information please see agenda and case studies