Our Regional Coordinator for South Asia, Noor Ur Rehman, represented the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) at the Regional Humanitarian Partnership Week 2024 (RHPW2024) in Bangkok (10-12 Dec, 2024) co-hosted by ICVA, ADRRN, CWSA and UN-OCHA. This gathering brought together over 400 participants from 300 organizations across 61 countries to showcase the power of collaboration in humanitarian action. The theme of this year’s event, Sparking Global Change through Local Solutions in Humanitarian Action, emphasized the critical role of community-led initiatives in addressing global crises.
JLI’s Contributions at RHPW2024
For RHPW2024, JLI partnered in two pivotal sessions:
- Innovation x Faith: Strengthening Resilience – Faith-Based Community-Led Innovations in Disaster Management (in collaboration with Humanitarian Forum Indonesia and Tzu Chi Foundation).
- Faith Actors Value Addition: Advancing Localisation, Climate Change Resilience, and Beyond (in partnership with Islamic Relief Worldwide, PIANGO, Norwegian Church Aid, Pak Mission Society, and Samuel Hall).
These sessions highlighted how faith-based actors and organizations can provide transformative solutions in disaster management, localization, and resilience-building efforts, especially in the face of climate change and humanitarian crises.
Faith x Resilience Session: Key Highlights
The Faith x Resilience session brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to explore and showcase the unique value that faith actors bring to humanitarian localization efforts. Faith actors are pivotal and influential in their communities, often playing an indispensable role during crises by providing mental health and psychosocial support, fostering solidarity, and mobilizing resources. Here are some key takeaways:
- Faith as a Catalyst for Resilience: Faith instills inner resilience and fosters community solidarity, especially during crises such as displacement, conflict, and climate change. With 80% of the world’s population following a faith, these actors are deeply rooted in their communities and serve as trusted advocates for change.
- Inclusive and Community-Driven Approaches: Discussions underscored the importance of leveraging inclusive and community-driven approaches to tackle global challenges. Faith actors often step in where other humanitarian actors cannot, bridging gaps and reaching marginalized populations.
- Overcoming Barriers: Despite their impactful contributions, faith actors face structural and funding barriers. Addressing these challenges is essential to unlocking their full potential and enabling them to make sustained contributions to humanitarian and developmental efforts.
Panel Discussion: Faith Actors’ Value Addition
The session on Faith Actors’ Value Addition included a panel discussion, focusing on several key themes:
- Debunking Myths: Most faith actors are non-missionary and align closely with humanitarian principles, challenging stereotypes and misconceptions.
- Building Bridges: Collaboration between secular and faith-based actors was emphasized, highlighting shared values and opportunities for enhanced partnerships.
- Stories of Impact: Inspiring case studies demonstrated the role of faith actors in fostering community resilience and solidarity during crises.
- Overcoming Challenges: Panelists discussed practical solutions to address funding gaps, structural barriers, and cultural misunderstandings that hinder collaboration.
FPCC: Bridging Faith and Humanitarian Action
The Faith and Positive Change for Children, Families, and Communities (FPCC) initiative emerged as a strategy for bridging the gap between faith leaders and humanitarian and development organizations. FPCC addresses pressing issues such as child marriage, child protection, climate change, immunization, adolescent and girls’ rights, education, out-of-school children, and nutrition. Faith, as a driving force, promotes and facilitates the adoption of positive changes within communities, ensuring sustainable and long-term impact.
Advancing Localisation and Faith Engagement
The sessions at RHPW2024 reaffirmed the indispensable role of faith actors in advancing localization and addressing global challenges. Their contributions are particularly significant in fostering resilience, promoting inclusive approaches, and delivering sustainable solutions in humanitarian action. Moving forward, it is crucial to:
- Strengthen partnerships between faith-based and secular organizations.
- Support the capacity of faith actors to address developmental and humanitarian crises.
- Advocate for structural and financial support to amplify their impact.
We are proud to have contributed to these vital discussions at RHPW2024. Through collaboration and innovation, we aim to continue amplifying the role of faith actors in tackling global challenges and advancing localization efforts for a more resilient and equitable world.
