Resources

Domestic violence interventions that engage religious leaders and clergy have increased significantly in recent years, spanning social work, psychology, public health, and international development. The international evidence indicates the need for culturally appropriate and theologically informed interventions that may combine…

The current study explores the mediating effect of positive and negative religious coping on the relationship between negative life events and wellbeing, via its link with compassion and resilience among women who are involved in women’s empowerment programs run by…

Violent extremism in Sub-Saharan Africa has escalated in recent years. As these groups have weaponised religion to achieve their aims, so also can it be a source of resilience. Credible religious scholars and institutions can dismantle extremist ideologies and build…

This document aims to encourage the participation of religious actors to support immunization programs in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of the Faith and Positive Change for Children, Families and Communities initiative. It is divided into 6 chapters…

Este documento tiene como objetivo impulsar la participación de actores religiosos para que apoyen programas de inmunización en América Latina y el Caribe como parte de la iniciativa Fe y Cambio Positivo para Niños, Familias y Comunidades. Está dividido en…

In 2024, to mark the 30th anniversary of the ICPD Programme of Action, the ACT Alliance Global Gender Justice Programme initiated a research process to evidence how faith actors are advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). In collaboration…

في حزيران/يونيو 2020، قام الفريق الأساسي لمبادرة التعلّم المشترك حول الإيمان والمجتمعات المحلية بصياغة وثيقة بعنوان التزامنا في التحرّك الناشط لتحقيق العدالة العرقية والتضامن. تمّت صياغة هذه الوثيقة استجابةً للمحادثات العالمية المستمرة حول العدالة العرقية والإرث الاستعماري، بالإضافة إلى التوجهات…

In 2021, JLI launched the Fair & Equitable Approach, as part of efforts to support more fair and equitable practices in its research and evidence partnerships. Since then, JLI has taken practical steps to challenge unequal power dynamics and colonial…

En 2021, JLI lanzó el Enfoque Justo y Equitativo como parte de sus esfuerzos para fomentar prácticas más justas y equitativas en sus alianzas de investigación y evidencia. Desde entonces, JLI ha tomado medidas prácticas para desafiar las desigualdades en…

In June 2020, the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities (JLI) core team wrote a Commitment to Action for Racial Justice and Solidarity. The statement was created in response to ongoing global conversations about racial justice and colonial…

En junio de 2020, el equipo de la Iniciativa de Aprendizaje Conjunto sobre Fe y Comunidades Locales (JLI, por sus siglas en inglés) redactó su Compromiso de Acción por la Justicia Racial y la Solidaridad. Esta declaración fue creada en…

أطلقت مبادرة التعلّم المشترك في عام 2021 نهج العدل والإنصاف في إطار جهودها لدعم ممارسات أكثر عدلاً وإنصافًا في شراكاتها البحثية وإنتاج الأدلة. ومنذ ذلك الحين، اتخذت مبادرة التعلّم المشترك خطوات عملية لمواجهة ديناميكيات القوة غير المتكافئة والإرث الاستعماري في…

Report on JLI’s 2024 activities and progress.

This training manual aims to enhance the capacity of religious scholars and FBOs in understanding children’s rights within the framework of Islamic Sharia, Afghan laws, and international laws.

While the general topic of gender and faith has received significant attention in development studies, the nexus of LGBT inclusion, faith, and development remains under-researched. Existing publications generally focus on the negative impact of religion on LGBT communities, question binaries…

This guide was developed to aid the effective use of the co-creation approach in development research. It introduces co-creation methodologies that aim to decolonize research practices, shifting power dynamics and centring community knowledge in development work. Drawing insights from co-creation…

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Religious teachings and grassroots religious teachers and clerics are important in the everyday life of faith communities, yet they largely remain an untapped resource in efforts to address intimate partner violence (IPV) in international development contexts and among migrant and…

This report aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the status of religious minorities in Lebanon, focusing on their legal, social, economic, and political situations. It seeks to uncover the challenges these groups face in accessing their rights and representation…

Al-Mizan: A Covenant for the Earth is a charter demonstrating how Islam can be a driving force for sustainable development and environmental care. Al-Mizan also highlights the importance of culture and religion in driving behavioural change, along with scientific, technical,…

Report on the Training of Facilitators on Mind-Heart Dialogue for Bangladesh as part of the Faith and Positive Change for Children, Families and Communities (FPCC) Initiative.

The toolkit, created by MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership, is designed to equip diverse faith actors with the information and tools needed to raise awareness, deconstruct myths, and address barriers that inhibit positive maternal mental health so that women, families,…

The idea to conduct a regional training on the Mind-Heart-Dialogue (MHD) in the South Asian Region had been in discussion at least since early 2021. In May 2022, at the regional faith engagement forum (Kathmandu, Nepal), the regional faith engagement…

This report presents key regional issues and opportunities in the intersection of FoRB and gender equality in the WANA region. The examples and issues presented are based on insights by experts, activists, and religious/belief representatives from across the region, who…

Africa faces unique demographic developments today. The continent's population is growing rapidly: from currently 1.5 billion people to almost 2.5 billion by 2050. Sixty percent of the population is under 25 years old. This dynamic holds enormous opportunities for the…

With continuing support from the Nike Foundation, CIFA has designed and managed two phases of formative research and program work on faith and traditional leaders (FTLs) and their influence on women and girls’ issues. In the first phase (2010-11), CIFA…

Research Culture at the Heart of N8 Collaboration: Selected Case Studies Brochure with an article about "Creating community around decolonising research methods" (pages 13-17)

Religious leaders are highly influential actors in many societies across the globe. In the singular global crisis brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic, their perspective on the pandemic itself but also the post-pandemic future is of high relevance. Against this…

This booklet shares faith-sensitive good practices that help break down barriers at the intersection of religion and gender equality. It highlights contributions of members of the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD) to gender empowerment. PaRD convenes governments,…

This roundtable discussion focused on critically exploring evidence-building within the context of faith and religion engagement in gender-based violence (GBV) prevention. Within this framework, experts were brought together to delve into what decolonial approaches to evidence mean and examine their…

This report is a result of a long process of collaborative and cooperative engagement with members of the East Africa Learning Hub, a regional learning platform focused on peacebuilding, governance and role of local faith actors co-founded by TAABCO and…

In this episode of the "The Power Shift: Decolonising Development" Podcast, Dr Romina Istratii talks about Project dldl/ድልድል, , which takes an interdisciplinary approach to looking at domestic violence and religious communities. They speak about co-created and community-grounded research which then…

This booklet is an outcome of the training program on Religion and Development conducted for a group of clergy and laity by the (CIEF) in partnership with JLIFLC. The focus of the training was to gain knowledge about the importance…

Bienvenue dans le Plan de suivi, d’évaluation, de redevabilité et d’apprentissage (SERA) de l’Initiative Foi et changement positif pour les enfants, les familles et les communautés (FPCC, d’après son acronyme anglais). Ce plan s’appuie sur une série de documents de…

Welcome to the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Plan for the Faith and Positive Change for Children, Families and Communities (FPCC) initiative. It is based on a number of key reference documents such as: The FPCC Programme Guidance, the…

Tidar is based on stories and testimonies of real people in Ethiopia collected through years' community-based research with women and men, clergy, monks and church teachers on the ground. The film does not seek to represent the teachings of the Ethiopian Orthodox…

The current paper presents findings from qualitative research on domestic violence and abuse (DVA) with Christians and Muslims from Ethiopian, Eritrean and Bangladeshi communities in the United Kingdom (UK). The study explored understandings of and attitudes towards DVA and responses…

Through a mixed-methods approach, this working paper examines current food loss and waste (FLW) efforts led by faith-based organizations (FBOs) in Rwanda. The paper also looks at the barriers and opportunities to make progress and how FBO action might contribute…

Our 2022 State of the Evidence in Religions and Development is now available in Sinhala! Disclaimer: We would like to extend our gratitude to the Cathedral Institute of Education and Formation in Sri Lanka for providing the Sinhala translation of…

Our 2022 State of the Evidence in Religions and Development is now available in Tamil! Disclaimer: We would like to extend our gratitude to the Cathedral Institute of Education and Formation in Sri Lanka for providing the Tamil translation of…

Aims  This scoping study provides an overview of the available literature on cultural and faith-based factors in the provision of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in Syria and Syrian refugee communities. It is based on a collaborative review of…

The Multi-Faith High-Level Forum, convened by Religions for Peace, took place from 26-27 March 2024 at the Church Centre for the United Nations in New York City. Seventy-two participants attended in person, six virtually, and an additional 36 children sent…

En tant que réseau d'apprentissage conjoint axé sur les données probantes dans le secteur des religions et du développement, on nous demande souvent de résumer les « données probantes » en matière de religions et de développement. Si cette demande peut sembler…

This report is a Terminal Evaluation of the UNEP Faith for Earth Initiative project implemented between 2019 and 2023.The project's overall development goal was to Encourage, Empower and Engage with Faith-Based Organizations as partners, at all levels, towards achieving the…

The Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) is an international network of researchers and practitioners interested in the roles of religions in humanitarian and development work. Over the years, the JLI has developed expertise in the research…

Many religious actors implement programmes related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Yet many religious actors would benefit from building their understanding of: how to use research evidence to increase their influence in the international humanitarian and development sectors, how…

In recent decades, gender mainstreaming has become a prevalent practice in international organizations to promote social justice. However, little is known about gender integration efforts in Muslim humanitarian faith-based organizations (FBOs). Drawing on the intersection of gender and faith humanitarianism,…

This brief is based on the outcomes that emerged from the Project dldl/ድልድል Annual Conference 2024 on the theme of ‘Domestic Violence, Religion and Migration’ that took place at SOAS University of London, UK. The purpose of the brief is…

Between October and November 2023, the JLI Refugees & Forced Migration Learning Hub convened a series of three roundtables focusing on the intersections between faith actors and religion with capacity sharing, mental health and psychosocial support, and social cohesion interventions…

Ce guide vise à apporter des conseils non médicaux aux chefs religieux et aux facilitateurs du dialogue Esprit-Cœur afin de les doter des connaissances et des informations nécessaires pour promouvoir la vaccination des enfants contre les maladies et encourager les…

Ce guide est une version mise à jour du guide de 2022 disponible en anglais, espagnol, portugais et français. Ce guide propose une série d’activités qui s’appuient sur les Écritures, sur des faits et sur les expériences pratiques et les…

The purpose of this guide is to provide countries with operational guidance and tools for the implementation and operationalization of the country-level faith engagement coordination mechanism (also called Multi-Faith Action Coordination Committees (MFACCs) in some countries) of the Faith and…

The Northeast Social and Behaviour Change Alliance, in collaboration with Assam Don Bosco University, UNICEF Assam & Northeast, Faith and Positive Change for Children, families and Communities, and Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities convened a pioneering three-day…

This guide aims to provide non-medical/non-clinical guidance to faith leaders and Mind-Heart Dialogue facilitators in order to equip them with the knowledge and information necessary to promote immunisation of children against diseases and encourage responsible decision-making among parents and guardians.…

This guide is an updated version of the 2022 guide available in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. In this Guide, you will find a mixture of activities that reflect on scriptures, draw in facts and engage people’s life experiences and…

This study delves into the space available for faith actors to support localisation by using these monitoring criteria and the three levels of localisation. Three research questions were formulated to guide the research: How do humanitarian organisations currently engage with…

Climate change is not just an environmental issue; it is a risk multiplier for conflict and a threat to Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB). While the connection between climate change and FoRB is not fully recognized, it is crucial…

This Guide updates the learning on Outcome Harvesting + Attitude Change (OH+AC), an adapted version of Outcome Harvesting (OH) that adds the consideration of attitudes while upholding OH’s primary concepts and core principles. Whereas OH centers behavior change among social…

The climate emergency represents the most dangerous threat to children’s lives and the survival of future generations. Fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – are by far the most significant contributor to the global climate emergency, accounting for over…

Executive Summary The number of conflict- and climate-induced displaced people has reached unprecedented levels, with the majority generated by and hosted in Muslim-majority countries. The scale of feminised displacement emergencies (where the majority of those displaced are women and children)…

Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is a problem that cuts across borders and communities. There is an urgency for domestic violence service providers in multicultural societies like the United Kingdom (UK) to adapt to the diverse backgrounds of victims, survivors…

The author argues that: Raising awareness of one’s self and the “different” other increases understanding of diversity, pluralism and FoRB while equipping individuals with sufficient knowledge to deconstruct fear that is sometimes utilized by populist leaders and parties to create“in”and“out”groups.…

This article provides an analysis of social and behavioral drivers of child marriage to advance the protection and empowerment of girls from child marriage. Child marriage directly negatively affects girls and boys and, more broadly, negatively impacts their families and…

Report on JLI’s 2023 progress on our Fair and Equitable Initiative, our Research, Learning and Knowledge Partnerships, our Communications and Finances.

This Policy Brief represents the reflections of more than 120 practitioners, policy-makers, academics and faith representatives engaged in work with displaced and migrating children from Syria, Ukraine and Latin America. In a series of consultations, this body identified three barriers…

Religions for Peace (RfP), the global multireligious network, is a founding partner of the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative (IRI), which focuses on mobilizing religious actors to protect the critical tropical forest basins of the Amazon, the Congo, and Southeast Asia. WFDD…

This review outlines the findings of a literature analysis conducted by the World Faiths Development Dialogue  on behalf of Religions for Peace, focused on the intersections between religion, gender, and climate change in three rainforest regions: The Amazon, Congo Basin,…

Religions for Peace and the World Faiths Development Dialogue explore the manner and extent that both latent and manifest gender roles are reflected in the approach to the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative and its management. By probing this often-neglected dimension of…

This book explores the links between religion, states, social welfare and social change in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Building on the author’s previous analysis of how religious beliefs, practices and values influence social behaviour and relationships, especially within families,…

This Guidebook supports FBOs to identify, measure, monitor, and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of their operations including energy consumption, mobility, heating, and cooling. It explains how to identify relevant physical assets (i.e., buildings, vehicles), compile a greenhouse gas inventory,…

The research project that informed this brief deployed intersectional and socioecological analysis of violence against women (VAW) in forced migration and identified two aspects of religious influences on survivors’ experiences as: 1) a vulnerability intersecting with other factors, and 2)…

Violence against children is shaped by social norms which are frequently underpinned by faith-related beliefs and values. There is renewed global recognition of the role of religions in legitimating or challenging harmful attitudes and practices, and this highlights the relevance…

Protection practitioners (VAWG, GBV, MHPSS) can strengthen their work by demonstrating cultural competency which includes religious literacy. Religious literacy involves being open to the role that religious beliefs, practices, organisation and experiences may play in survivors’ and perpetrators’ understanding of…

This report offers a high-level comparative review and analysis of Muslim family laws (MFLs) in seven countries in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHoA) region that was conducted to build the case for legal reform towards justice and equality in…

Ce guide résume la vision et les éléments de base de l'initiative FPCC. Un guide des ressources, disponible en fin de document, rassemble les principales ressources produites pour cette initiative. Original version of the guide in English  Guía traducida al…

Este guia resume a visão e os elementos básicos da iniciativa FMPC. Um guia de recursos, disponível ao final, reúne todos os principais recursos produzidos para a iniciativa FMPC. Original version of the guide in English  Guide traduit en français…

Esta guía resume el concepto y los aspectos básicos de la iniciativa Fe y cambios positivos para niños, niñas, familias y comunidades (FPCC por sus siglas en inglés). Al final de este documento, se ofrece una guía en la que…

This guide was updated in 2024. The updated version is available here in English and here in French. Ce guide est destiné aux « champions » du Dialogue Esprit-Cœur: les chefs religieux et leurs institutions, ainsi que le personnel des organisations…

This guide was updated in 2024. The updated version is available here in English and here in French. Esta guía es para quienes creen en y defienden el diálogo entre el corazón y la razón: los liderazgos religiosos y sus instituciones,…

This guide was updated in 2024. The updated version is available here in English and here in French. Este guia é para apoiadores do diálogo Mente- Coração: líderes religiosos e suas instituições, bem como funcionários de organizações e agências com o…

Ce guide s'adresse principalement au personnel de l'UNICEF qui souhaite s'engager de manière plus stratégique avec les acteurs de la foi, notamment pour le changement social et comportemental et le plaidoyer de haut niveau, mais aussi pour des efforts programmatiques…

Esta guía está dirigida principalmente al personal de UNICEF cuyo objetivo es implicar a más agentes religiosos estratégicos, especialmente para lograr un cambio social y de comportamiento, así como conseguir una abogacía de alto nivel, pero también para las labores…

Este guia destina-se principalmente a funcionários do UNICEF que pretendem se envolver mais estrategicamente com agentes religiosos, particularmente para mudança social e comportamental, bem como defesa de agendas de alto nível, mas também para esforços programáticos mais amplos. Este guia…

In the complex world of peacebuilding , the frequent invisibility of women has become a focus of attention. The challenge is perhaps best exemplified in the important United Nations Resolution 1325, which centers on women’s roles. This report shines a…

Starting in 2017, there was a notable increase in the frequency and intensity of information manipulation attacks on Muslim-led humanitarian and development aid international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs). These attacks originated with a select group of US-based anti-Muslim think tanks and…

The current policy brief highlights the significant potential that religious teachings and religious teachers and clerics can have in combating intimate partner violence (IPV) and how this could be leveraged by means of a case study and select published literature.…

Churches and partners unite against modern slavery through new global Lent resource. The World Council of Churches (WCC), in partnership with the Church of England’s The Clewer Initiative (TCI), is launching a groundbreaking Lent resource addressing modern slavery. This resource…

In May 2022, the regional faith engagement strategy and roadmap for South Asia was developed at the regional faith engagement forum in Kathmandu, Nepal, followed by the convening of the Regional Advisory Group for South Asia through a virtual gathering…

Over the past two decades, in response to a growing awareness of the impacts of humanitarian crises on mental health and psychosocial well-being, leading UN agencies and international aid organisations have developed a comprehensive framework for Mental Health and Psychosocial…

This timely volume addresses the rising interest in the role of religion in global issues worldwide. The ambitious Agenda 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as the framework for this exploration, discussing questions such as: What role…

Building on the extensive research into virtues in civic life undertaken by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues in collaboration with the Good Faith Partnership, this report pioneered research on the role of virtues in the life of the…

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…

Faith communities and faith-based organizations have a long history of caring for children and adolescents living with and affected by HIV. However, these efforts have not been well documented and hence their contributions have not been well understood nor resourced.…

This working paper outlines the development process of an emissions survey tool for faith actors as well as the results of its pilot study and recommended actions for other faith actors to take up the survey tool model. The Episcopal…

This paper aims to: Highlight the work of local churches as key actors in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilience building.It does this by: using existing evidence to identify opportunities, gaps and challenges collecting further evidence generating discussion and engagement…

This article explores the perceptions of COVID-19 among faith communities in north-eastern DR Congo and their intersection with public health responses to disease outbreaks. In a situation of a political and economic insecurity and significant unaddressed health needs, faith communities…

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…

Around 12 million girls aged 15–19 years and at least 777,000 girls under 15 years give birth each year in low and middle-income countries. Prioritizing adolescent sexual and reproductive health services and information can address these and other urgent 1…

Evidence suggests that gender-transformative approaches that promote critical examination of prevailing norms of femininity and masculinity can contribute to improving gender and health outcomes by addressing MOMENTUM —Lessons From Partnering with Faith-Based Organizations in Very Young Adolescent Programming 2 the…

The SBF/JLI project on cultural adaptation for MHPSS programmes in the Syrian context began in March 2022. At the beginning of the project, the SBF and JLI teams co-developed the project design. Following that, Senior Research Fellow Dr Jennifer Philippa…