Good Practice Collection
To mark the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, PaRD has compiled a series of accounts that highlight good practice in the way religious communities respond to humanitarian crises. The publication vividly demonstrates that religion matters in humanitarian work. Religion is a crucial source of motivation for many volunteers and professionals all over the world. It is also a source of resilience for people affected by man-made and natural disasters. The examples in this brochure – from Haiti, the Philippines, Guinea, Syria, Nepal and other regions – illustrate that the work of religious actors is characterised by the ability to rapidly mobilise volunteers who are motivated to engage in virtuous work by their spiritual commitment. Religious actors maintain unique local and global networks. Through their enduring presence, they can access people and regions beyond the scope of state actors and engage with local people through their religious communities.
These examples demonstrate that religious communities have an important role as partners in ensuring the success of humanitarian assistance. PaRD encourages all partners and actors involved in humanitarian services and development to strengthen cooperation between each other and to overcome existing boundaries. By harnessing the potential of religious communities and bringing together secular and non-secular actors in a more systematic way, we can improve future responses to humanitarian crises and through this help to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda