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DIFFERENT FAITHS, COMMON ACTION

ACTION FOR PEACE

Transforming Violent Conflict

The differentiating character of Religions for Peace’s approach to conflict transforma-tion is its experience in, and proven record of, engaging diverse religious and ethnic groups in the framework of Inter-religious Councils (IRCs) on the national, regional and international levels. Supported by and coordinated through continental and global inter-religious councils, Religions for Peace affiliated IRCs worked with religious communities to educate their adherents on the root causes of conflict; serve as effec-tive advocates for conflict prevention; play a central role in mediation and negotiation among armed groups; and lead their com-munities in reconciliation and healing re-quired to transform armed conflict into a true and lasting peace.

In 2011, Religions for Peace engaged in robust mediation and conflict transformation

initiatives in situations of conflict.

In Africa, the African Council of Religious Leaders-Religions for Peace (ACRL-Religions for Peace) was able to provide an opportu-nity for the Elders to incorporate their per-spectives in the Final Statement presented by the Somali Civil Society to the United Nations Security Council.

In response to the violent eruptions in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire due to the disputed Presidential election, Religions for Peace released a statement urgently calling for all combatants in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire to desist from the violent fighting and to find a peaceful solution. This state-ment was coupled with a multi-religious delegation sent by Religions for Peace to meet with two leaders involved in the conflict to seek a peaceful resolution.

In the Mindanao, the Philippines, Religions for Peace Philippines has had a series of

BASED upon deeply held moral principles

widely shared by the world’s

faith traditions, Religions for

Peace advances a positive notion

of peace

3

consultations in 2011 with MILF Chair-man Al Haj Murad Ibrahim and Secretary Teresita Deles of the Office of the Presi-dential Advisor to the Peace Process to cre-ate necessary conditions for the resumption of the stalled peace process. Prof. Dr. Din Syamussudin, Religions for Peace Interna-tional Co-president, serves on the Interna-tional Contact Group (ICG) to provide ad-vice to the concerned parties on the peace process.

As the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) heads of state meeting failed to resolve the ongoing border con-flict between Thailand and Cambodia, se-nior Buddhist and other religious leaders from both countries met in Bangkok on 31 May 2011 to forge a collaborative effort for peace and to issue a joint statement on the role of religious communities in resolving conflict and advancing peace. Religions for Peace Thailand has conducted emergency

visits in three southern border conflict areas, Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala. During these emergency visits, Religions for Peace Thailand worked with Buddhist clergies and Muslim leaders, government officials, military and police personnel to work towards eliminat-ing violence committed in the name of re-ligion, provide moral support to all victims and to mediate between the victims of the unrest and local residents.

The Moderator of European Council of Religious Leaders-Religions for Peace (ECRL-Religions for Peace) engaged in the peacebuild-ing process in East Timor through visits and advocacy for legislative measures and implementation of relevant mechanisms. ECRL-Religions for Peace also engaged and accompanied religious leaders and authori-ties in Kyrgyzstan in their reconciliation and nation building efforts after the vio-lence of 2010. National consultations and visits were undertaken by ECRL-Religions for

SUPPORTED the Somali Elders

& Religious Leaders to come to the forefront of peacemaking

in Somalia & the establishment of Council of Elders

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ACTION FOR PEACE

Peace delegation during the year to facilitate the building of an inter-religious council in Kyrgyzstan.

Religions for Peace advanced peace education and post-conflict reconciliation to prevent the re-emergence of violence. In Burundi, Religions for Peace addressed the causes and consequences of instability and violent conflict. Through trainings, consultations and experience sharing, community dia-logue, and mediation, Religions for Peace as-sisted in building the capacity of Religions for Peace Burundi to advocate for and influence national policy.

Religions for Peace Sri Lankan facilitated peace education initiatives to educate Sri Lankan youth on the religious tenants of peace. It also organized art competitions at schools with students creatively expressing religious teachings on peace and how youth can per-sonally contribute to it.

Religions for Peace peace education programs have also addressed specific issues, such as the wearing of the hijab in Thailand. Reli-gions for Peace Thailand organized a multi-re-ligious consultation on the issue to educate participants on the cultural and religious context of the hijab and the need to respect the cultural practices of all communities living in Thailand.

In March 2011, a high-level International Multi-religious Roundtable on “The Role of Religions in Advancing Reconciliation and Peacebuilding in Post-Conflict Societ-ies” was organized in Singapore, where the sharing of best practices and lessons learnt from IRC engagement in healing and rec-onciliation in post-conflict societies was undertaken.

The Religions for Peace global coalition fur-ther advanced its work on disarmament in 2011. These included awareness raising, education and advocacy actions. In Africa,

FACILITATED peace education

initiatives to educate Sri

Lankan youth on the religious tenants of peace

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trainings were held and projects implement-ed in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to empower survivors of armed violence and to reduce the demand for small arms and light weapons. In Europe, the youth launched an advocacy campaign calling on the parliament in Poland to ratify the Land Mine Ban Treaty and in Albania worked to raise awareness on gun violence through the media. ECRL- Religions for Peace participated in the second state party meet-ing of the Cluster Munitions Convention in Lebanon, and engaged in advocacy towards states still reluctant to join the Convention. It also worked with the Gothenburg pro-cess to promote the Armed Trade Treaty (ATT). The Latin American and the Carib-bean Council of Religious Leaders-Religions for Peace (LACCRL-Religions for Peace) con-tinued to prepare for its participation in the upcoming Organizations of American States (OAS) General Assembly, through the development of a Latin American and

Caribbean Theological Document on Arms Control for Promoting Citizen Security and Poverty Reduction.

Religions for Peace continued to use its exten-sive religious channels to equip the Global Interfaith Youth Network to engage in ad-vocacy initiatives for the second phase of the Arms Down! Campaign, building on the previous year’s successful actions and the collection of 20 million signatures. It launched a week-long e-advocacy action on the Global Day of Action on Military Spending which allowed individuals to communicate to the Heads of State of Five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council, urging them to reduce their mili-tary spending by 10% and re-allocate those funds to development assistance.

HELDtraining to empower

survivors of armed violence & to reduce the

demand for small arms and light weapons

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ACTION FOR PEACE

ADVANCEDa global initiative

dedicated to engaging faith-based

organizations, religious leaders, communities and

individuals of faith for common

action to end violence agaisnt

women

Advancing Peace by Promoting Just & Harmonious Societies

Religions for Peace advances peace by promot-ing just and harmonious societies through multiple initiatives, including promoting justice, human rights, and reconciliation; as-sisting in social reconstruction and healing in post conflict societies; confronting social and cultural violence; and promoting peace education.

Religions for Peace World Council advanced the Universal Code on Holy Sites. The Code is in the process of being endorsed by the world’s religious leaders and organizations. A pilot project in Bosnia and Herzegovina was launched, and a second pilot project is to be started in the Holy Land in January 2012.

Religions for Peace is advancing the Restoring Dignity, a global initiative dedicated to en-gaging faith-based organizations, religious

leaders, communities and individuals of faith for common action to end violence against women. This initiative included the adoption of restoring dignity statement by the Religions for Peace Executive Commit-tee during its meeting in March 2011, the launch of a global campaign engaging reli-gious youth to say NO to violence against women, small projects in seven countries and dissemination of over 4,000 of the Re-storing Dignity toolkit.

ECRL-Religions for Peace met in Moscow and developed a declaration on “Advancing Hu-man Dignity through Human Rights and Traditional Values”. The declaration is the fourth in a series of declarations on com-mon texts and interpretations on key con-cerns for promoting peace and harmonious co-living.

To address the challenges faced by reli-giously and culturally diverse migrant com-munities and the countries that host them,

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Religions for Peace convened the 7th ASEM Interfaith Dialogue Official Pre-event: Interfaith Youth Roundtable on Migra-tion in Manila, the Philippines. Prominent youth leaders from ASEM member states and major religious youth organizations, senior religious leaders from Asia and Eu-rope, as well as governments representa-tives addressed the challenges of migration through concrete interfaith cooperation. The final multi-religious statement on mi-gration was presented by Religions for Peace youth, women and senior religious leaders to the participating 48 Asian and European States at the ASEM Interfaith Dialogue.

Advancing Human Development

Religions for Peace further advanced peace by working for human development through promoting the rights and well-being of children, promoting the rights of women, advancing poverty alleviation strategies and responding to HIV/AIDS and major new or sudden threats related to building peace.

Through the global partnership with UNI-CEF, Religions for Peace continued to work in the Philippines, Liberia, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Iran, and other countries to protect children under conflict situations and reject violence against children.

Religions for Peace also equipped different re-gions to advance poverty alleviation strate-gies related to building peace. In partnership with the World Justice Forum and UNDP, actions were taken to raise awareness and advocate to the government for the legal empowerment of the poor in Argentina,

ADDRESSED the challenges of migration

through concrete interfaith

cooperation

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ACTION FOR PEACE

Indonesia, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Uganda. Religions for Peace also established a strategic and operational partnership with the Cen-tre for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty (CIFA) for multi-religious advocacy and ac-tion for poverty alleviation.

Religions for Peace has been active in advocat-ing for the rights of those with HIV/AIDS and responding to their needs. In partner-ship with ACRL-Religions for Peace, Religions for Peace International continued to imple-ment the New Partners Initiative (NPI) under which it provided care and support to people infected and affected by the dis-ease in Ethiopia and Tanzania. Recently in Liberia, Religions for Peace Liberia conducted awareness training workshops, which edu-cated religious leaders about the facts of HIV/AIDS and how to combat stigmati-zation and discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS. In April 2011, pursuant to a recent partnership between Religions for

Peace International and CIFA, Religions for Peace Mozambique, Kenya and South Africa were involved in field research and delib-erations on how religious leaders may be engaged as positive partners in the imple-mentation of a new tool kit for prevention of HIV/ AIDS transmission.

ECRL-Religions for Peace engaged in the HIV and AIDs advocacy work through the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance as a mem-ber of the Multi-Faith Working Group on Strengthening Religious Leadership in the Response to HIV. It also participated in United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) and its Moderator also led an interfaith prayer breakfast held on the occasion.

In response to the earthquake and the tsu-nami, Religions for Peace International and Re-ligions for Peace Japan worked with Buddhist, Shinto, Christian and other faith communi-ties in the affected areas in northern Japan

CONTINUEDto work to

protect children under conflict situations and reject violence

against children

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to assist religious communities in relief and recovery efforts. This entailed, among oth-ers, providing grief counseling and estab-lishing multi-sectoral referral system.

Advancing Peace by Protecting the Earth

RfP advances peace by protecting the earth through various initiatives, including issuing statements on multi-religious warrants for linking global warming and threats to peace, providing solidarity for the RfP network members in situations where environmen-tal degradation is a threat to peace, and ad-dressing global warming through research and advocacy. RfP International developed a resource guide on climate change, which will be launched at an official side event during the 7th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa. Planning is under-way for various events including a caravan of youth, including members of the Afri-can Interfaith Youth Network, an interfaith rally, prayer service, etc, during COP17.

WORKEDin the affected

areas in nothern Japan to assist

religious communities in relief & recovery

efforts

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ACTION TO BUILD THE RELIGIONS FOR PEACE MOVEMENT

BUILDING& strengthening

regional and national

interreligious councils

Building and Strengthening Regional and National Interreligious Councils

One of the unique services Religions for Peace provides through experienced and skilled senior staff is to offer religiously and cul-turally sensitive multi-religious facilitation in the building and strengthening of inter-religious councils, women of faith and re-ligious youth networks at the national and regional levels. As an illustrative example, Religions for Peace’s facilitation in the building of the Inter-religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) ten years ago has culminated in the development of the country’s most repre-sentative, action-oriented and sustainable inter-religious mechanism for advancing peace and development. Celebrating the tenth anniversary of its founding, IRCU currently has the annual budget of 8 mil-lion USD with multiple projects in the areas of health, peace, human rights and good

governance.

Africa: In Africa, Religions for Peace has de-veloped 23 national IRCs and four sub-re-gional IRCs. ACRL-Religions for Peace leaders held a series of consultations throughout 2011 with senior religious leaders from South Sudan in Juba to discuss the possi-bility of building a Southern Sudan Inter-religious Council (SSIRC). ACRL-Religions for Peace’s was also engaged in facilitating the formation of IRCs in Comoros, Djibouti and Swaziland.

In September 2011, as part of widening the Inter-religious Network of the Indian Ocean Island Countries (INIOIC) and forg-ing close cooperation between the Indian Ocean Island Islands and Religions for Peace, the Groupe de Dialogue Inter-Religieux de La Re-Union (GDIR) formally joined the global Religions for Peace movement.

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Asia: In May 2011, the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace (ACRP), consisting of representatives of 18 Religions for Peace Asian national affiliates convened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for its annual Executive Committee meeting. Discussions included the sharing of best practices in multi-reli-gious advocacy and action for good gover-nance, conflict transformation and poverty alleviation.

IRCs in Asian countries were assisted by Re-ligions for Peace International in their capacity building through various concrete multi-religious actions. During this reporting pe-riod, Religions for Peace Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Indonesia were equipped and provided with focused technical assis-tance to implement concrete actions on the ground.

Europe: ECRL-Religions for Peace continued in its network building efforts along two

fronts: inside the Religions for Peace network in Europe, and with external network build-ing. It co-convened a consultation with the Campana Foundation in Rovereto, with representatives of national Religions for Peace bodies, national groups that were not yet part of Religions for Peace, European Women of Faith Network and European Interfaith Youth Network to discuss the building of inter-religious structures on a national level.

During this period, ECRL-Religions for Peace supported the development of IRCs in It-aly, Ireland and Finland as well as ensured the affiliation of Belgian Council of Reli-gious Leaders to Religions for Peace.

Latin America and the Caribbean: The LACCRL-Religions for Peace offered techni-cal assistance to 24 national affiliates in the region. In 2011, a series of consultations with religious leaders were conducted for

DEVELOPED23 national

Interreligious Councils & four

sub-regional Interreligious

Councils

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ACTION TO BUILD THE RELIGIONS FOR PEACE MOVEMENTthe development of representative IRCs in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela.

Steps were also taken to establish the Reli-gions for Peace Caribbean Sub-regional Net-work as well as the Women of Faith and In-terfaith Youth Network in the sub-region.

Mobilizing the Global Women of Faith Network

The Religions for Peace Global Women of Faith Network remains a strong mechanism for action. At present, regional Women of Faith Networks have been formed in Af-rica, North America, Europe, Latin Amer-ica and the Caribbean, and the Asia-Pacific region. National women of faith networks have been launched in over 40 countries, the latest being the Belgium Women of Faith Network.

In March, the International Women’s Coor-dinating Committee met to discuss matters relating to the next Women’s Assembly, re-source mobilization, coordination and sus-tainability of the Global Women of Faith Network. The same month a consultative process on the formation of a National Women of Faith Network for the UK was initiated that included the launching a new

HOSTEDa live web-based interfaith youth video conference on the events of September 11 & their impact on inter-religious

dialogue & relationships

around the world

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exhibition to celebrate the centenary of International Women’s Day. The Religions for Peace European Women’s Coordinating Committee also met in Brussels in May to share updates on projects led by women of faith in Europe and develop action plans on the next steps.

Developing the Global Youth Network

Religions for Peace Global Youth Network has strengthened its networks at the na-tional, regional and international levels.

On the tenth anniversary of September 11, Religions for Peace International hosted a live web-based interfaith youth video confer-ence on the events of September 11 and their impact on --inter-religious dialogue and relationships around the world. This interfaith youth, featuring a panel of religious youth from six continents of the world, engaged in dialogue with Dr. Wil-liam Vendley and explored the challenges of advancing inter-religious understanding ten years after September 11th.

Members of the International Youth Com-mittee (IYC) met in October in Manila, the Philippines, to formulate concrete plans

SHAREDbest practices in multi-religious

advocacy & action for good

governance, conflict

transformation & poverty alleviation

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ACTION TO BUILD THE RELIGIONS FOR PEACE MOVEMENTto strengthen the Global Interfaith Youth Committee through the creation of viable youth networks and new partnerships. They were also engaged in presenting an interfaith youth statement on migration during the ASEM Main Forum.

In 2011, Religions for Peace also provided technical assistance and built the capac-ity of the Interfaith Youth Networks of India, Uganda, Philippines and Argentina to launch the Restoring Dignity: Reli-gious Youth Say No to Violence against Women campaign. Through this campaign, religious youths implemented initiatives that addressed prevention of violence, advocacy against the dowry system and discriminatory practices, gender inequality and domestic abuse.

In Africa, ACRL-Religions for Peace worked with religious leaders in Comoros, South Sudan, Swaziland, and Angola to develop

Interfaith Youth Networks in these coun-tries. The Kenyan Interfaith Youth Net-work convened a successful forum on Peace and Sustainable Development at the All African Council of Churches (AACC) that brought together 50 youth from various learning institutions and FBOs’ around Kenya.

The Nepal Interfaith Youth Network ad-dressed the country’s challenge at a con-sultation entitled “Role of Religions and Youth for Peace, Security and Constitution Making” to address how religious youth can help frame the new constitution to promotes peace and justice.

A Religions for Peace European Youth Sum-mit was held in September that brought together 20 religious organizations, includ-ing the World Student Christian Federa-tion, Focolare, Ecumenical Youth Council of Europe, Pax Christi, Muslim Scouts of

IMPLEMENTEDinitiatives

that addresses prevention of violence, advocacy

against dowry sustem and

discriminatory practices, gender inequality and domestic abuse

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France, and the European Union of Jewish Students. As a result of the Summit, EIYN is currently in the process of building part-nerships and developing youth networks in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Finland.

LAUNCEDa campaign

aimed to mobilize religioous

communities and leaders for common action to end violence against women

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ACTION TO STRENGTHEN THE NETWORK

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E-AdvocacyReligions for Peace initiated a web-based cam-paign to raise funds for relief efforts in Ja-pan following the earthquake and the sub-sequent tsunami. It implemented an online petition on the Global Day of Action on Military Spending. A web page dedicated to Restoring Dignity and Religious Youth Say NO to Violence Against Women was developed to engage faith-based organiza-tions, religious leaders, communities and in-dividuals of faith for common action to end violence against women. The website allows users to share stories, sign a pledge and also provides users with resources necessary to advance the mission of the initiative.

Building Partnerships with Key StakeholdersReligions for Peace has developed strategic partnerships with various governmental, inter-governmental and civil society organi-zations to advance multi-religious action for peace. As an illustrative example of Religions for Peace’s engagement with governments on religion and foreign affairs, the Religions for Peace International Secretary General was appointed by the US Secretary of State Hi-lary Clinton as one of ten members of US State Department’s Advisory Committee on Strategic Partnership with Civil Society and a Co-chair of the Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group. Other leaders in Religions for Peace are also members of the Religion and Foreign Policy Working group, including H.E. Mohmmad Sammak from Lebanon and His Grace Archbishop John Onaiyekan from Nigeria. The launch of

DEVELOPEDstrategic part-nerships with

various govern-mental, inter-governmental

and civil society organizations to advance multi-religious action

for peace.

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this historic initiative and the first meeting of the Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group was held in October 2011, bring-ing together senior officials from across the State Department, the White House, USAID, as well as religious leaders, schol-ars and representatives of faith-based organizations.

ECRL-Religions for Peace further strength-ened its relationships with the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe as well as its engagement with the Organiza-tion for Security and Co-operation in Eu-rope (OSCE) and European Parliament.

LACCRL-Religions for Peace was granted an observer status by the Permanent Coun-cil of the Organization of American States (OAS). During the year, partner-ships were further strengthened with the Church World Service (CWS), World Bank, OAS, Pan American Health Organiza-tion (PAHO), UNESCO and the Global

Foundation Democracy and Development (FUNGLODE). BROUGHT

together senior officials from

across the State Department, the

White House, USAID, as well

as religious leaders, scholars and faith based

organization representatives

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ACTION TO STRENGTHEN THE NETWORKAdvancing the Religions for Peace IXth World Assembly The government of Qatar and the Doha In-ternational Center for Interfaith Dialogue

(DICID) agreed to host the Religions for Peace XIth World Assembly in the context of the DICID annual conference. It will be held in Doha, Qatar, on 5-7 November 2012 to ad-vance the following goals:

Build stronger bridges of partnership between the world’s religious com-• munities, governments, and intergovernmental bodies.

Strengthen multi-religious cooperation for peace among religious leaders • by equipping national and regional inter-religious councils, women of faith networks, and religious youth networks for common action.

Support multi-religious cooperation in countries burdened by violent • conflict.

Engage the world’s media to advance the power of multi-religious • cooperation.

AGREEDto host the

Religions for Peace XIVth

World Assembly

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HOSTReligions for Peace

XIth World Assembly on 5-7 November 2012 in Doha, Qatar.

The Religions for Peace IXth World Assem-bly will provide opportunities to build multi-sectorial partnerships between representatives of religious communi-ties and relevant governmental agencies, United Nations and intergovernmental agencies, and philanthropic foundations, as well as to provide a venue for extraor-dinary sessions of conflict mediation and peace processes.

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www.religionsforpeaceinternational.org777 United Nations Plaza, 9th FloorNew York, NY 10017 T.:212.687.2163F.:212.983.0098info@religionsforpeace.org