About the Peace & Conflict Learning Hub

This paper is one of a series of research elements produced by the European Union funded AHA! Awareness with Human Action project that seeks to contribute to the response efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing conflict and building social cohesion in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and broader South Asia. The AHA! project is implemented by a consortium of project partners, including the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers/Finn Church Aid, World Faiths Development Dialogue, the Center for Peace and Justice – Brac University, the Center for Communication and Development of Bangladesh, Islamic Relief Worldwide, the Youth Development Foundation, and Sarvodaya.

This brief highlights challenges to mass COVID-19 vaccination, focused particularly on vaccine hesitancy in South Asia. Through review of country-specific survey data and media reports available during the pandemic’s first eighteen months, the brief argues that vaccine hesitancy must be addressed purposefully, both for public health ends and to support peacebuilding work that is linked to social cohesion and public trust. Practical proposals are advanced, addressed to relevant policy communities and to Awareness of Human Actions (AHA!) small grant recipients in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka whose primary missions have been focused on COVID-19 response and particularly information dimensions. The goal of this and other briefs in the series is to promote continuing dialogue, engagement, and action on the topic.

The disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have challenged social cohesion across the world but with particular force across the South Asia Region. Heightened intergroup tensions are linked in historical factors and to inequalities but in the current crisis a major force has been the rapid circulation of misinformation and, still more, rising hate speech. This report explores these regional trends of hate speech and mis/ disinformation as they relate to the COVID-19 emergencies, highlighting efforts to prevent conflict and build or rebuild social cohesion. The focus is on Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, extrapolating trends to the broader South Asia region. The context is the European Union funded project: Awareness with Human Action (AHA!). The report also summarizes briefly major AHA! Project activities and achievements during the short span of its implementation life, from July 2020 to December 2021.

The report focuses on three communities: religious leaders, women, and youth leaders and the ways in which they have, in the focus countries, mobilized to enhance capacities and increase awareness on COVID-19 prevention and response. A project objective has been to enhance collaboration among different faiths and communities notably through purposeful conflict prevention-focused collaborative initiatives at national and regional levels. The longer-term context is the broad objective to strengthen inclusive communities. The report draws information and insight from townhalls organized through the AHA! project, data collected from the small grant recipients in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Nepal, interviews with grantees, and secondary literature.

The publication explores such important topics such as how to deal with victims of armed conflict in accordance with Islamic Shariah, looks at lessons learnt from the early Islamic battles like Badr, and lays out what Islamic law says about the treatment of Prisoners of War, women, children, dead bodies and the protection of property. It also talks about the protection of those who offer services on the battlefield but are not directly involved in fighting, such as medical personnel and reporters.

This important reference work, now available to the many millions of Kiswahili speakers around the world, is divided into four chapters focusing on ways to protect civilians, the wounded, the dead, non-combatants and their property during armed conflict, as well as on how to treat and handle prisoners of war in accordance with Islamic law. It also addresses the protection of those who offer services on the battlefield but are not directly involved in fighting, such as medical personnel and reporters.

A new Kiswahili language publication called “Utangulizi wa Sheria ya Kimataifa ya Kibinadamu ya Kiislamu” (“Introduction to International Humanitarian Law in Islam” / “muqaddimah fi ‘l-qanun ad-duwali al-insani fi ‘l-islam”), a reference work that was authored in Arabic by Professor Zaid Abdel Karim Al-Zaid, Al-Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh. This Kiswahili translation, also available in print, was prepared by the Dar es Salaam and Nairobi Delegations of the ICRC and provides an important reference resource to the many millions of Kiswahili speakers around the world.

The publication explores such important topics such as how to deal with victims of armed conflict in accordance with Islamic Shariah, looks at lessons learnt from the early Islamic battles like Badr, and lays out what Islamic law says about the treatment of Prisoners of War, women, children, dead bodies and the protection of property. It also talks about the protection of those who offer services on the battlefield but are not directly involved in fighting, such as medical personnel and reporters.

Based on collaborative research with faith groups and organisations in Nigeria, the Solomon Islands and Zanzibar (Tanzania), this paper examines faith-based forms of violent conflict prevention. It argues that faith-based approaches exist on a spectrum, from instinctive and ad hoc initiatives run by individuals and local places of worship to large-scale, systematised interventions led by global faith-based development organisations. Yet, while faith-based approaches to violent conflict prevention vary in form and function, they are consistent and distinctive in their emphasis on building resilient relationships at the local level, modelling forms of prevention embedded within local culture and that recognise the emotional and spiritual dimensions of transformative change.

This paper sets out to explore the connections between Mahayana Buddhism and international humanitarian law (IHL). Based on the Shakyamuni’s Lotus Sutra as interpreted by Zhiyi and Nichiren, it examines how specific Buddhist ethics are related to IHL principles. From the viewpoint of the Soka Gakkai, it also looks at how three doctrines (i.e., the dignity of life, the variability of life and the interconnectedness of life) are congruent with some IHL principles. The paper also analyzes how Buddhist organizations can be advocates of these laws and specifically looks at how the Soka Gakkai commits to IHL in terms of the use of nuclear weapons.

Though there are over half a billion Buddhists around the world, there has so far been no systematic and focused study of the interface between Buddhism and International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The core of IHL – also known as “the law of war” or “the law of armed conflict”– is formed by the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. Its purpose is to minimize suffering during armed conflict by protecting those who do not – or no longer – participate directly in hostilities, and by regulating the means and methods of warfare.

Buddhism has grappled with the reality of war throughout its long history. But what guidance does Buddhism provide to those caught up in the midst of hostilities, and how do Buddhism and IHL compare in this respect? It is timely and relevant to explore these two distinct bodies of ethics and legal traditions from inter-disciplinary perspectives.

https://www.icrc.org/en/document/reducing-suffering-during-conflict-interface-between-buddhism-and-international#gs.khn8sz

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations, announces 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Such goals promote an action plan based on three main principles of the Agenda: respect for human dignity, sustainability and the pledge that “no one be left behind”.
Based on these principles, the implementation of actions and the realization of the transformative changes on policies and practices necessary to achieve the SDGs are encased by an intrinsic ethical dimension. This dimension of the Agenda provides a frame of reference to maintain the long-term commitments and actions. The ethical approach refers to values, and values many times are rooted in faith and a religious dimension which has a significant role in most of the global population.
In recent years, different studies and international practices have recognized the role that religious communities and Faith-based Organizations (FBO) play when addressing complex global challenges as corollary of their work in sustainable development, in extreme poverty situations, in natural disasters, in peace-building processes and in areas of violence and conflict. In the last decade, some literature on “religion and development” has flourished and so have the alliances between international development organizations, governments, international cooperation agencies and religious communities, especially to reach the development goals.

July 2019

A joint work of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities and the PaRD work-stream on SDG 16: peace, justice and strong institutions

The International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD) brings together governmental and intergovernmental entities with civil society organizations, such as religious and value-driven organizations, to harness the positive impact of religion and values in sustainable development and humanitarian assistance. One of PaRD’s focus areas is Sustainable Development Goal 16 on peace and justice.
PaRD’s SDG 16 workstream commissioned the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI), an international collaboration focused on building and communicating the evidence base on the roles of religions in sustainable development, to conduct this scoping study on partnerships with local faith actors (LFAs) for peaceful and inclusive societies.

Corresponding author information: Dr. Olivia Wilkinson, Director of Research, Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities: olivia@jliflc.com

Suggested citation: S. Trotta and O. Wilkinson. (2019) Partnering with Local Faith Actors to Support Peaceful and Inclusive Societies. Washington DC; Bonn: Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities; International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD)

JLI launched the report with the PaRD SDG 16 work-stream at the 2019 HLPF side event: Together for the Goals: Religious Actors’ role in sustaining peace

View the PaRD SDG 16 Presentation from the launch of the report.

Find more information about the JLI-PaRD partnership here. View study on PaRD website

This study, conducted in South Sudan in 2017 and 2018, draws on informant interviews, focus groups, and consultations to better understand and map the religious sector in South Sudan. Its primary finding is that religious actors and institutions are the most important peace actors in the country. However, due in part to efforts by the government to constrain their influence, religious actors are not using their legitimacy effectively to turn the tide from war and violence to peace and reconciliation.

Religious actors, unlike in previous negotiations, were asked to moderate discussions at the May 2018 peace talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Even though the most challenging issues were not resolved, the shift in status raises the possibility of new roles for religious actors in future peace processes.

Sources of legitimacy for religious actors include their willingness to conduct risky mediation efforts, travel to areas experiencing violence, and speak truth to power. Their acts or statements, though, risk being labeled political. Comments about atrocities by soldiers or visits to marginalized communities, sometimes in rebel-held territory, further close the space for religious peace work when deemed to be political acts. Meanwhile, threats facing religious actors in South Sudan have worsened since 2013, and range from restricted movement and resource shortages to detentions, torture, and killings.

Opportunities exist to improve engagement between international peace actors and religious actors, to expand peace roles for religious women, youth, and prophets, and to increase the impact of religious peace efforts. Religious actors have also indicated interest in learning about nonviolent action and other such opportunities, but do not well understand concepts of strategic nonviolent action.

The purpose of this document is to encourage churches and Christian organizations to reflect on the structural roots of what has led to the disruption of peace in the world, and on their own current practices and priorities in relation to education and peacemaking. At the same time, it is hoped that the document may assist a wider conversation on education for peace involving followers of other religions, as well as social and political actors in our multi-religious world, taking into consideration specific historical and cultural contexts.

THIS IS A SUMMARY of the Religion in Conflict and Peacebuilding Analysis Guide, which is written for people working to address violent conflicts where religion plays a role in the conflict or can play a role in peacebuilding. It provides guidance on how to understand and act upon the religious dimensions of conflict and peacebuilding. It is one of four Action Guides; the others are Religion and Mediation, Religion and Reconciliation, and Religion and Gender.

THIS ANALYSIS GUIDE is written for people who are working to address violent conflicts in which religion plays a part a role or can aid in peacebuilding. It provides guidance on how to understand the religious dimensions of conict and take them into consideration in peacebuilding. The guide examines a wide range of ways religion can contribute to peacebuilding, whether practiced by religious or secular actors, even when the conflict has no religious dimensions.

Association, Dissociation, Kindness, Justice and Compassion

Responses to 50 faith-based arguments against peaceful co-existence and an introductory examination of Islamic textual evidence for peaceful interfaith relations

See Da’wah Insititute Website

Partnering through Faith

South Sudan Context and overview

Adaption and innovation: meeting humanitarian needs in fragile and conflict contexts

There is no simple roadmap for operating in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. The nature of these contexts requires constant learning, adaption and revision. And although contexts vary considerably, World Vision’s experience across diverse geographies and situation has revealed a number of core lessons.

This Learning Report captures World Vision’s learnings through real-time evaluations and case studies carried out in more than 10 fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

It includes examples of how World Vision adapts its programming to meet the needs of children in these contexts, including in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, the Kurdistan Region of the Republic of Iraq, Syria and Uganda.

The report also explores lessons learnt when operating in these fragile and conflict-affected contexts. Additionally, it highlights some of the core tools and approaches World Vision uses to ensure the organisation is grounded in conflict-sensitive and principled operations while being adaptable to the context.

See World Vision website

Report developed by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children on armed violence in the community.

See section 5.6.1 for the role of community and religious leaders and actors.

The impact of the Interfaith Peace Platform on the peace process in the Central African Republic

Geneva Liaison Office of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA)

Together with Imam Oumar Kobine Layama, president of the Central African Islamic Council, and Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga, Reverend Nicolas Guerekoyame-Gbangou, president of the Evangelical Alliance in the CAR formed the Interfaith Peace Platform. In a conflict, in which religion was declared the dividing element, their friendship challenged community leaders to promote peace and mutual understanding at village level throughout the country. As their influence grew and their efforts multiplied, their advice was sought both by the political elite on a landmark national reconciliation forum and the international community.

This paper aims to provide an overview of their work and seeks to identify key factors for their success. It also raises the question of whether the application of these factors could be a help for other countries facing similar crises.

To a large extent, governance capacity and community resilience explains the nature and structure of the response. In this report, three case studies – from Angola, Mali, and Honduras – of actual responses to climate change and conflict are presented.

Part one of this two-part report examined the overall links between climate change and conflict.1 It found how violent conflict worsens climate vulnerability. For example, violent conflicts lead to famine;
natural resources destruction is a deliberate tactic in waging war; conflict hampers macro-level responses to climate change; and the adoption of ‘green strategies’ can also be used to gain the upper
hand in conflicts.
Climate change hazards make it more difficult to tackle violence and build peace. Climate change can trigger food shortages, decrease water supplies or disrupt access to energy supplies – leading to economic and political turmoil, social unrest, riots, deadly battles and even all-out war. In response, the governments and militaries of 110 countries have already identified climate change as a threat to their national security.

Part two – climate justice policy brief here

Policy brief from Tearfund- Queen Margaret University Research

Social connections and levels of trust among displaced and settled communities in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Full article on the study

Engaging with Faith Groups to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls in Conflict-affected Communities

Globally, one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is particularly prevalent and hard to address in conflict-affected areas.
Do local faith groups have a role to play in response?

This brief highlights key policy implications from Tearfund’s research in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The project seeks to engage and equip faith leaders to be catalysts within communities to address the causes and consequences of violence against women and girls. It operates in 15 conflict-affected communities in Orientale Province in the DRC.

Link to Tearfund website and program partner Heal Africa

Brief from the Center for Security Studies in Zurich

Religion is a factor in conflict and further understanding of the relationship is needed to resolve these conflicts. Challenges and opportunities in mitigating religious conflicts and effective approaches.

Based on the Fez Process

As efforts to prevent atrocity crimes and their incitement are most likely to succeed when different actors are working in collaboration, the Plan of Action also includes recommendations for other actors, including States and state institutions and civil society, including new and traditional media.

The Plan of Action is founded on human rights principles, in particular the right to freedom of expression and opinion, freedom of religion and belief and the right of peaceful assembly. The Plan of Action contains three main clusters of recommendations that aim to prevent, strengthen and build. Each cluster includes recommendations that are organised according to thematic focus.

Alliance for Peace Annual Conference: Peace Now More than Ever

Session: Beyond a Leap Of Faith: Evaluative Reflections on the Practices of Monitoring and Evaluating Inter-Religious Peacebuilding

October 13, 2017

Panelists

• Peter Woodrow, Executive Director of CDA Collaborative Learning Projects
• James Patton, President and CEO, International Center for Religion and Diplomacy
• Nell Bolton, Senior Technical Advisor for Justice and Peacebuilding, Catholic Relief Services
• Nick Oatley, Special Advisor for Learning and Evaluation, Alliance for Peacebuilding

Discussion:

• Introduction to Faith Matters: A guide for the design, monitoring & evaluation of inter-religious action for peacebuilding
• Methodological challenges of monitoring and evaluating peacebuilding programs
• Case Study of CIRCA (Catholic Relief Services) interreligious peacebuilding project among Muslim and Christian communities in Egypt, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. See brief here

SECULARIZATION VS THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN HUMANITARIAN AID

Until the late seventies secularization was understood, almost universally, to be irreversible, equated with modernization and progress. Religious institutions seemed to have lost much of their influence. Religion had little or no visible role in international relations. This assumption undergirded international institutional and governmental approaches to state-led nation building, development and humanitarian assistance.

Humanitarian actors can increase program effectiveness, address fragmentation of humanitarian assistance, and build capacities and relationships of trust that will endure in post-crisis environments, simply by coordinating international aid with local community leaders, who, in most societies, will include local religious leaders, when designing and investing in responses to humanitarian needs. The insights of these leaders, especially local religious leaders, can assist in identifying those most in need and how best to protect. Investing in these leaders can enhance their moral authority for post-crisis peace-building.

The aim of the presentation is to highlight the role of faith-based actors in conflict related humanitarian response by drawing on specific experiences from Norwegian Church Aid’s work and partnership with two of our many local FBO partners namely The Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development (DERD), affiliated to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East (GOPA) in Syria, and the Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service (TCRS) in Tanzania. The presentation will take into account both the benefits and challenges of partnership, as well as setting out recommendations for increasing the engagement of local faith actors in humanitarian response and what resources would be needed for more effective partnerships in humanitarian response.

This report presents the conclusion of a preliminary study aimed at shedding light on the role of Sunni Muslim religious discourse in the Syrian crisis and understanding how to assess this discourse and turn it into a tool to end violence and build peace. It is a cognitive resource aimed at promoting the possibilities of peace within the framework of Adyan Foundation’s “Syria Solidarity Project” created to “Build Resilience and Reconciliation through Peace Education”. The original text of the report is in Arabic.

Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security

Prepared by the Soka Gakkai International
October 2017

In March 2011, the northeast region of Japan known as Tohoku1 was hit by a natural disaster of enormous magnitude: The Great East Japan Earthquake. The 9.0-magnitude earthquake, coupled with numerous aftershocks, a series of highly destructive tsunami waves and a nuclear reactor accident, claimed thousands of lives, while causing lasting damage to the
surrounding communities and survivors of the atrocity. Even today, more than six years later, many continue to live in temporary housing and endure ongoing uncertainty about the future.

The core activities of the SGA aim to promote awareness and understanding through dialogue to advance the following three themes:

1. Build a culture of peace and a world free of nuclear weapons
2. Strengthen ties of friendship in Asia through dialogue and cultural exchanges
3. Support post-disaster reconstruction efforts after the Great East Japan Earthquake

World Vision Central African Republic (World Vision CAR) has been implementing a variety of social cohesion and peacebuilding programmes as a part of its larger response to an ongoing humanitarian crisis. World Vision began operations in the CAR in 2014. In addition to humanitarian projects in various sectors including food, WASH and Child Protection, the organisation has been implementing social cohesion projects including participating in the Central African Republic Interfaith Peacebuilding Partnership (CIPP) project since 2015. The CIPP supports inter-religious platforms of religious leaders across the country by building their capacity and partnering with them to implement a variety of humanitarian and recovery activities.

The current crisis in Central African Republic (CAR) is often framed in religious terms, with a ‘Muslim’ Seleka group seizing power in the majority-Christian country in early 2013, then with ‘Christian’ militias called the ‘anti-Balaka’ rising up to counter this. While, prior to the outbreak of violence in 2013, most of the citizens of the CAR have memories of living side-by-side despite different religions, this coexistence broke down quickly as the political conflict unfolded, with many growing entrenched in their existing religious communities, marked by increased suspicion and mistrust of others. Furthermore, with the rise of violence, more than 13,000 children have been exploited by armed groups. Many more children have been subjected to sexual abuse, gender-based violence and ongoing risk of injury; there are still many children who are displaced and separated from their families, exposing them to even greater risk of abuse and exploitation.
World Vision Central African Republic (World Vision CAR) has been implementing a variety of social cohesion and peacebuilding programmes as a part of its larger response to the crisis.

The  Review of Faith and International Affairs has just published a special series on Reconsidering Religious Radicalism

See Full Journal Here  

Includes the following articles:

• Reconsidering Religious Radicalism: An Introduction to the Summer 2017 Issue Judd Birdsall & Drew Collins
• Radicalism, Anxiety, and Inquiry Nicholas Adams
• Soteriological Uncertainty and the Development of Religious Resistance Identities Aidan Cottrell-Boyce
• Moderating Religious Identity and the Eclipse of Religious Wisdoms: Lessons from Hans Frei Ben Fulford
• Nationalism by Another Name: Examining “Religious Radicalism” from the Perspective of Iraq’s Christians Erin Hughes
• Apostasy and Counter-narratives—Two Sides of the Same Coin: The Example of the Islamic State   Göran Larsson
• Engaging “Moderates” Against “Extremists” in German Politics on Islam Tobias Müller
• “All Pretend an Holy War”: Radical Beliefs and the Rejection of Persecution in the Mind of Roger Williams Matthew Rowley
• Expertise and (In)Security: Lessons from Prison and Probation Contexts on Counter-terrorism, Trust, and Citizenship Ryan J Williams

Report conducted by Arigatou International GNRC and Goldin Institute (GI), on Experiential Stories of Former Child Soldiers (FCS), it is noted that the human race is losing close to 20,000 children daily on brutal wars. Children are conscripted against their will to kill, maim and plunder. In this report we learn that war is also one of the brutal ways of inflicting violence onto children.

Studies in Muslim-Christian Cooperation

This publication presents case studies on interreligious action, highlighting specific approaches and tools that CRS staff members created and the networks they helped forge. They address shortcomings as well as successes and delineate lessons garnered from everyday experience. They also point to the many challenges on the horizon, such as finding ways to better employ religious resources in the pursuit of peace; linking community-level attitudinal and behavioral changes to broader social and religious transformation; effectively addressing personal traumas and prejudices; and fostering women’s and young people’s leadership in and through their religious communities.

Table of Contents

Foreword (J. Andreas Hipple, GHR Foundation)

Introduction (Tom Bamat, Nell Bolton and Myla Leguro)

Interreligious Action as a Driver for Social Cohesion and Development – Atalia Omer

Bosnia-Herzegovina: Choosing Peace Together (CPT) – Nell Bolton and Edita Čolo Zahirović

Building Capacities for Peace across Africa – Shamsia Ramadhan

Central African Republic (CAR): Platforms for Social Cohesion – Jean Baptiste Talla

Coastal Kenya: United for Children’s Rights – Grace Ndugu

Mindanao: Binding, Bonding and Bridging – Myla Leguro and the A3B Project Team

Upper Egypt: Action for Interreligious Tolerance – Roger Fahmy and Malaka Refai

Afterword (Nell Bolton)

CRS Website

This contribution from an insider Muslim author provides peace workers with a few resources from Islamic tradition that could be used when addressing a conflict rooted in an Islamic context. It presents briefly a number of basic Islamic concepts that are often misunderstood and misused. It addresses the issues of peace and war, conflict and conflict transformation, the requirements for decent work, the concept of «work of goodness» as well as other issues related to Islam/West relations, the tensions that may arise between Muslims and Westerners and the way to deal with them.

Promotion of a culture of peace and interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace

26 September 2016
Report of the Secretary-General

The present report provides an overview of the activities that have been carried out by the main United Nations entities working in the areas of a culture of peace and interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace since the adoption by the General Assembly of its resolutions 70/19 and 70/20.

See also Culture Matters Report

Interfaith initiatives respond to the violence and uneasy tensions of our times and interfaith efforts aim to confront the root causes, especially those that touch on religious beliefs and practices. Interfaith work looks to identify solutions in common values and goals that can help cross deep social and political divides, binding people together. This project set out to understand the many initiatives that involve interfaith dialogue and action and to appreciate their impact and the challenges they face. The task is complicated by the remarkable diversity of initiatives and the fact that they are multiplying rapidly. This report is an introduction to a complex field and a stock-taking. It offers a map of the history, intellectual foundations, and major features and actors involved in interfaith work.

Islam, like all religions, strongly influences social, economic and political spheres of life. Tenets that are perceived to be Islamic shape the status of and relationship between women and men. These tenets result in women – because they are women – being denied a number of human rights, for example in cases of divorce or inheritance law. Religious leaders and scholars often justify these forms of discrimination by referring to Islamic sources.

Role of Religion and Religious Leaders in Farmer-Pastoralist Conflict in Plateau State: An Inter-Religious Peacebuilding in Northern Nigeria (IPNN) Qualitative Research Report

In the context of persistent, low-intensity conflict, which has characterized Nigeria’s Middle Belt for the past decade, Mercy Corps’ Interfaith Peacebuilding in Northern Nigeria (IPNN) program, supported by the Gerald A. and Henrietta Rauenhorst (GHR) Foundation, reduces violent incidents and increases economic activity by leveraging the roles of religious leaders to create interfaith cooperation in a region where ethnicity and religion are closely interlinked. As part of this effort, this IPNN qualitative research study evaluated the impact of religious leaders and interfaith initiatives on peacebuilding outcomes. The research was conducted through four separate field visits to Plateau State—including the four IPNN sites and one control site—and answers three interconnected questions.

Effective Inter-religious Action in Peacebuilding (EIAP) Guide for Program Evaluation

Peter Woodrow and Michelle Garred, with assistance from Diana Chigas, and contributions from David Steele and Ricardo Wilson-Grau CDA Collaborative Learning Projects

The Alliance for Peacebuilding and its partners in the Peacebuilding Evaluation Consortium—CDA Collaborative Learning Projects, Mercy Corps, and Search for Common Ground—began the Effective InterReligious Action in Peacebuilding project (EIAP), with funding from the GHR Foundation. This three-year initiative seeks to improve the evaluation practices of inter-religious peacebuilding programs by addressing three specific gaps in inter-religious peacebuilding efforts: measurement, cooperation, and policy. The goals of the EIAP are two-fold: 1) to generate guidance on how to evaluate inter-religious action, and 2) to develop a framework for ongoing learning regarding what constitutes effective inter-religious action

For more information please see the Alliance for Peacebuilding website or DM&E for Peace

Presentation from Maryam Dada Ibrahim at Faith Works Africa: Partnerships for Peace and Prosperity on Conflict Prevention, Migration and Counter Violent Extremism. Includes next steps and recommendations in engaging faith based groups.

Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP), in collaboration with CDA Collaborative Learning and Search for Common Ground (SFCG) recently convened a group of 30 leading experts to discuss how to better measure the effectiveness of inter-and intra-religious action for peacebuilding. The meeting is part of a three-year program funded by the GHR Foundation entitled, Effective Inter-religious Action in Peacebuilding (EIAP) Program and took place in Istanbul, Turkey from June 15- 17, 2016.

The purpose of the meeting was as follows:

1. To share best practices and lessons learned in evaluating inter- and intra-religious action for peacebuilding;

2. To provide input into the Guide for Assessment of Inter-Religious Action (GAIA);

3. To explore how to more effectively measure the impact of specific sub-sectors of inter- and intra-religious action for peacebuilding; and

4. To strengthen ties across a diverse group of stakeholders working in the field of inter- and intra-religious action for peacebuilding.

For more information click here

Click here to read what IMA World Health is doing related to Faith-Based Organization (FBO)
Engagement: http://imaworldhealth.org/faith-based-organization-fbo-engagement/

Statement from FBOs regarding unmentioned faith in the Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030 during WCDRR 2015 in Sendai Japan. To see the document, and other publications by the Humanitarian Forum Indonesia, click here: http://www.humanitarianforumindonesia.org/Download/SeminarMaterial.aspx

The Syria crisis alone is the worst humanitarian crisis since the second world war. The following eBook, shows a basic  explanation of the refugee crisis, how life as a refugee destroys children’s future and steps anyone can take to make a difference.

To download the eBook, click here: http://app.fh.org/refugee?utm_source=refugeedownload&utm_medium=resources&utm_campaign=downloads

This case study provides an overview of how a peace movement led by lay religious women inspired people across ethnic and religious lines and helped bring an end to the Second Liberian Civil War (1999-2003).

The study examines this Liberian phenomenon by answering six questions: What are the causes of conflict in Liberia? How did domestic religious actors promote peace? How was laity-led peacebuilding different from that of religious elites? How did domestic efforts intersect with international efforts at peace? What factors explain the success of religion-inspired peacebuilding? How did religious actors continue to promote peace in the post-conflict phase? The case study includes a core text, a timeline of key events, a guide to relevant religious organizations, and a list of further readings.

To read the report, click https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/publications/ending-liberia-s-second-civil-war-religious-women-as-peacemakers

Since the conflict began, more than 1,900 Palestinians – including women and children – have died and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes. Over 1.5 million people are without reliable access to basic services and the public health system is close to collapse. Up to a quarter of the population has been displaced and many homes destroyed. Islamic Relief is on the ground in Gaza, delivering vital humanitarian aid.

This link contains Islamic Relief’s work in this specific context and several other cases and reports under its publications file.

To read click here: http://www.islamic-relief.org/publications/

This report, published with the Cambridge Institute on Religion and International Studies (CIRIS), offers background on the January 2016 Marrakesh Declaration on the Rights of Minorities in Predominantly Muslim Majority Communities. Muslim scholars and politicians issued the Marrakesh Declaration as a concerned and concerted response to the widespread persecution and violence against minorities, particularly by extremist groups in recent years that claim Islamic justification for violent acts.

This report explains the background and content of the Declaration and offers recommendations for its implementation. This report was originally commissioned by CIRIS on behalf of the Transatlantic Policy Network on Religion and Diplomacy, a community of diplomats in North America and Europe who engage on religious issues for their respective foreign ministries.

Islamic Relief report, Invisible Lives, outlining how a lack of livelihoods options, chronic underfunding and the threat of violence, is making life difficult for Syrian women refugees living in neighboring Iraq and Lebanon.

The case study reviews the religious landscape in Kenya and provides an overview of the various types of violence, pointing to the complex overlapping of ethnicity and religion. The difference between types of conflict and their causes are explored, with special attention to the roles of religious actors, and examples of peacebuilding through inter-religious cooperation are highlighted, notably the Ufungamano Initiative. Various inter-religious organizations in Kenya are introduced, as well as an analysis of the growing potential for collaboration.

Read more here.

This article explores the role of Religious Leader Engagement (RLE), a capability under development in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and operational focus of the CAF Chaplain Branch. It stands as a recent contribution to the Comprehensive Approach.

Full length magazine: http://www.jwc.nato.int/images/stories/threeswords/THREE_SWORDS_24.pdf

“Faith-based Interventions in Peace, Conflict and Violence: A Scoping Study” was launched at the World Humanitarian Summit on May 23, 2016 at the JLIF&LC & Soka Gakkai International Side Event “Evidence on Religious Groups’ Contributions to Humanitarian Response”. For more information about the launch, please visit: www.jliflc.com/whs

An Evidence Brief for the WHS, based on the Scoping Study and linked to WHS Core Commitment 1 “Global leadership to prevent and end conflict”, is available here.

“Faith-based Interventions in Peace, Conflict and Violence: A Scoping Study” was authored by Chris Shannahan and Laura Payne of Coventry University, in close collaboration with the JLI Peace & Conflict Hub Members and Co-Chairs: Sarah Pickwick (World Vision), Alpaslan Ozerdem (Coventry University) and Lucy Salek (Islamic Relief).

For other resources on faith, peace and conflict see here

Report from the Second Donor-United Nations-Faith Based Organizations’ (DUF II) Policy Roundtable

This technical report focuses on the role of religious actors, and religious considerations in the SDG agenda, particularly as they pertain to gender equality, peaceful coexistence and security considerations. The perspectives in these pages bring together experiences and policy analysis shared from the different realities of Donors, UN agencies and Faith-Based NGOs. The narratives build on and inform policies  are required at a time when religion is predominantly viewed as an emerging challenge.

To read the report, click here.

This article underlines the need to move beyond the exhausted notion of all religions preaching peace to studying the specific manner in which violence is legitimised in each religion. This is the first step liberal secularists need to take if they plan to mount a successful challenge to the dominance of the Hindu right.

Full Article Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299526439_Secularism_and_Religious_Violence_in_India or See more at: here.

With the unexpected and disconcerting reemergence of religion as a first order cleavage in global politics, scholars and policy makers have been scrambling to bring some analytical order to the phenomenon. In this article, the author seeks to show why the existing approaches to religious violence are limited in their explanatory value. In the first approach, there is a denial of the significance of religious cleavages writ large. In the second approach there is an excessive emphasis on theology and individual motivations. It offers an approach derived from historical institutionalism and argues that this approach generates a useful and different frame within which to understand the phenomenon of religious conflict and violence.

Full article text: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2757450

Article by Saferworld Bangladesh, January 2016

By involving religious leaders and using their influence in the local community, a Saferworld project in Bangladesh has been able to more effectively address safety and security issues and promote peace, write G.M. Shoeb Ahmed and Bibhash Chakraborty.

The extended article can be accessed here:

http://www.saferworld.org.uk/news-and-views/case-study/66-religious-leaders-inspiring-communities-for-greater-peace-in-bangladesh

Reflections and recommendations on “Working on Religion, Peace and Conflict in Theravada Buddhist Countries” arising from an exchange between peacebuilding practitioners held 19-21 March 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The reflection contains four pages. They include highlights and summarized recommendations.

The aim of this Toolkit is to help lower the discomfort of USAID staff in making the analytical and programmatic connections between conflict, religion and peacebuilding. The Key Issues section provides additional arguments for why development practitioners should—and can—address religion more directly. Special attention is given to clarifying the legal provisions governing engagement with religious organizations and detailing a nine-step process of due diligence to ensure that programming is both sensitive and effective.

The Program Options section provides in-depth summaries of four USAID-funded programs that engage both religiously-grounded grievances and religious actors. Such an approach is a departure from other Toolkits, but given the agency’s limited experience with this type of programming, in-depth treatments detailing objectives, activities, partners, and lessons learned seem more helpful and more likely to overcome the discomfort by demonstrating the possible. The Toolkit also includes valuable lessons learned and a list of organizations active in the nexus of religion and conflict that offer various resources to conflict analysts or development programmers.

The Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation (CMM) recognizes that we are at an early stage understanding and addressing the nexus of conflict, religion and peacebuilding. Thus this Toolkit is a more of a starting than an ending point. To help advance this work, CMM has established a Religion and Conflict resource page on the USAID Intranet (inside.usaid.gov/dcha/cmm) that will be regularly updated with new project summaries and new resources. We also encourage questions, comments and suggestions by email to: conflict@usaid.gov.