Module 16: Ethical and spiritual leverage

Full text of commitment XVI

Context

As much as religions are often manipulated in conflict situations, faith actors are powerful agents of peace-building and reconciliation in post conflict situations. They are certainly best placed to prevent or counter such manipulation in the name of their own religion or belief. Universal values are common heritage of humanity. This fact can and should be used by faith actors in particular to reconcile divided communities. Faith actors, like any other human rights defenders, are among the custodians of shared values among all religions and beliefs – be they theistic, non-theistic, atheistic or other. Optimizing this custodianship through concrete social engagement is not a deviation from the role of faith actors. It rather lies in its heart and demonstrates its sincerity.

Additional supporting documents

In support of the peer-to-peer learning on commitment XVI, the training file could include the 2019 Declaration of the 10th World Assembly of Religions for Peace: “To our commitment to the importance of human rights, we add our foundational concern for the cultivation of virtues, those habitual orientations to value that sculpt our human potentials. These include our potentials for the most elevated states of mercy, compassion, and love. For us, the labor to become virtuous is not a solitary act; rather, it is an act of “solidarity;” one that can only be achieved by generosity and mutual love. The cultivation of virtue tackles the ignorance, individual egoism, and group egoism that mutilate authentic community. Shared well-being also calls for a robust notion of the “common good” that can serve all of us in our efforts to virtuously unfold our rights-protected human dignity. The supreme good for us is the sacred, even as we understand it differently. The common good includes the earth with its air, water, soil, and web of life. The common good also includes just institutions that help each to develop her or his human dignity. These call all of us to a shared and grateful responsibility. Each person is to draw from the common good; each is to help build it up. Advancing shared well-being is concrete. We commit to advancing shared well-being by preventing and transforming violent conflicts, promoting just and harmonious societies, nurturing sustainable and integral human development, and protecting the earth.”

In “The Promise of World Peace”, the Universal House of Justice (the international governing council of the Bahá’í Faith) addressed a message to the peoples of the world inviting them to consider that a new social order can be fostered by all peoples’ seeing themselves as members of one universal family: “For the first time in history it is possible for everyone to view the entire planet, with all its myriad diversified peoples, in one perspective. World peace is not only possible but inevitable.”

In addition, the “Churches’ Commitments to Children” (published by the World Council of Churches in 2017) calls for raising church voices for intergenerational climate justice, supporting initiatives for and with children and adolescents. Furthermore, the Interfaith Rainforest Initiativebrings the commitment, influence and moral authority of religions to efforts to protect the world’s rainforests and the indigenous peoples that serve as their guardians.

See also the Faith for Earth initiative, launched by UN Environment in November 2017, with shared values:
C: Communication – Effective communication at all levels between all stakeholders.
R: Respect – All spiritual and religious beliefs are respected.
E: Empower – Empower and engage all stakeholders.
A: Act – Act in coherence with individual reflection and communal beliefs.
T: Transform – Transform people’s behaviour for a more responsible lifestyle inspired by their own faiths.
I: Inspire – Inspire innovative approaches to achieve the 2030 Agenda.
O: Organize – Organize knowledge and other resources related to faiths and sustainable development.
N: Network – Build a strong network between the UN and faith-based organizations.

Furthermore, the training file could include the draft set of principles and guidelines for the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members (2010), which includes the recommendation “to provide information to social leaders, including religious leaders, on how addressing leprosy in their teachings or written materials may contribute to the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by the disease and their family members”. In her 2019 report, the Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members, Alice Cruz, referred to harmful stereotypes and wrongful stereotyping: “When asked about the traditional beliefs regarding leprosy, the majority of responses pointed to the persistence of religious beliefs (grounded in different religious traditions) that classify leprosy as the result of sins committed in current or past lives by the affected person or by the affected person’s ancestors; God’s punishment on the individual and/or the family; a curse pronounced by ancestors; sorcery; possession by evil spirits; and punishment for adultery and/or sexual promiscuity.” In terms of good practices for the elimination of discrimination, she noted that “examples of decentralized actions within States that bring together different stakeholders (traditional and religious leaders, politicians, teachers, care providers, etc.) were mentioned in countries such as Brazil and Burundi.”

With regard to HIV, the facilitator could refer to the UNAIDS Strategic Framework on Partnership with Faithbased Organizations, UNFPA’s training manual on Engaging Faith-based Organizations in HIV Prevention, UNICEF’s workbook on What Religious Leaders can do about HIV/AIDS, and the personal commitment to action Together We Must Do More, released at the 2010 High Level Summit of Religious Leaders on HIV: “I commit to exercising stronger, more visible, and practical leadership in the response to the HIV pandemic – increasing commitment, deepening meaningful engagement with people living with HIV, and acting decisively to protect human rights within my faith community; through collaboration among other religious leaders of different faiths; and by influencing local, national, regional and global decision-making processes on HIV.”

In March 2020, Religions for Peace published the following Statement on Coronavirus Crisis: “Religions for Peace wishes to draw attention, of faith leaders, communities and beyond, to several observations and lessons learned from the current coronavirus crisis. Humanity could not have received a stronger reminder of the depth of its interrelatedness and unity of purpose. This most tiny virus, COVID-19, carries an existential test, combined with a huge opportunity for humankind: a test of solidarity and an opportunity to re-think and correct a number of trajectories. As a community of believers from different faith traditions across the globe, putting aside any theological differences, we submit that many of the crises we face are human-made and have been managed neither with fairness nor in solidarity.

Last year Pope Francis and Imam El-Tayeb: “Call[ed] upon intellectuals, philosophers, religious figures, artists, media professionals and men and women of culture in every part of the world, to rediscover the values of peace, justice, goodness, beauty, human fraternity and coexistence… as anchors of salvation for all, and to promote them everywhere.”  This time of crisis makes such a call more urgent than ever.

Our core responsibility as faith actors is to translate ethical values into concrete actions. A compelling way to do this is to promote human rights, fraternity and solidarity through the “Faith for Rights” framework. Beyond religious institutions and faith leaders, such a joint approach to face the current health crisis – and its severe economic and social implications – is also an individual responsibility. The “Faith for Rights” framework and its 18 commitments reach out to individual theistic, non-theistic, atheistic or other believers in all regions of the world to enhance cohesive, peaceful and respectful societies on the basis of a common action-oriented platform.

To fulfil this responsibility of believers, in this broad definition of religion or belief, we encourage faith actors to use the online #Faith4Rights toolkit. Now that we all have more time to reflect, you will find that this toolkit offers concrete ideas for learning, teaching, preaching and design community development projects. It also proposes several cases to debate, including a hypothetical case concerning reactions to an epidemic by religious and political leaders.

Despite our apparent scientific and material progress, it did not take more than a virus to uncover the fragile state of our humanity. Greed, moral deterioration and lack of fairness and solidarity are weakening the spiritual grounds of our sense of responsibility. Far from surrendering to negativism and frustration, we urge all religious actors and individual believers to seize this exceptional opportunity to innovate while assuming their respective responsibilities in making faith stand up for the rights of all.

Peer-to-peer learning exercises

Unpacking: Participants break down commitment XVI into different elements, identifying required actions and corresponding responsibilities, including their own ones. Participant’s diverse experiences would be a valuable source to shape this commitment in many concrete ways. It is a commitment that lends itself to a long list of implied actions that are predominantly contextual. Faith matters everywhere but quite differently, depending on historical considerations and cultural particularities. (Individual exercise for five minutes followed by ten minutes of a full group discussion on the differences between individual listings).

Linking the dots: Discuss the relationship between these elements and link them notably to commitments I (on freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief) and II (to use the “Faith for Rights” declaration as a common minimum standard of interaction between theistic, non-theistic, atheistic or other believers). (Collective exercise for ten minutes).

A number of questions can be used by facilitators both for unpacking and linking the dots related to the moral weight of religious and belief leaders in different societies: Where does push-back against religions come from in some societies? How would it be understood in light of an opposite trend in other societies? What is the impact of religious diversity on different religions or beliefs?

In this context, the facilitator could also discuss the role of faith actors in armed conflict and in enhancing compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL). Useful strategies can include peer pressure, peer cooperation and peer learning between States, non-State armed groups, religious leaders, faith actors and UN human rights mechanisms (see the roundtable with Religions for Peace Secretary-General Azza Karam and Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed at the Generating Respect Project Conference on 10 December 2021).

In the foreword of a 2019 report of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on “IHL and Islamic Law in Contemporary Armed Conflicts”, the ICRC President Peter Maurer considered human suffering as a starting point for collaboration with faith actors: “Given the immense suffering caused by conflict, it is critical that we find common perspectives on preventing violations of IHL and protecting human dignity.” He added that “Individuals and communities affected by conflict, and influential local actors, play a crucial role in cultivating respect for the law. This is why we believe so strongly in building trustful relationships with cultural and religious actors, and why we engage in constructive dialogue on working together to uphold IHL, and thus prevent violations and protect communities.” The ICRC was among the first international organizations to deal with the links between religion and rights: “Already in 1954, the ICRC was advocating the importance of engaging on humanitarian values with other cultures. Rodolfo Olgiati, a member of the Committee at the time, saw that all the great religions of the world contained the equivalent of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s ideals, and recognized the opportunity this presented for closer cooperation with faith actors. Since then, the many links between IHL and the world’s various faiths have revealed themselves on numerous occasions, enabling us to reaffirm our common objective – to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it might be found, and to protect life and health, and ensure respect for the human being”.

Critical thinking: A critical discussion on the relationship between these elements could start with the question if participants disagree with any of them. Can any of these elements stand alone? Are there missing elements in that commitment? (Collective exercise for 15 minutes)

Storytelling: Participants summarize relevant experiences pertaining to this commitment. In particular, how can the spiritual and moral weight of religions and beliefsbe used to strengthen the protection of universal human rights? In which human rights area have participants seen and employed religious values effectively? (Collective exercise for 15 minutes)

The facilitator could refer to the statement by Zainah Anwar (Director of the global civil society movement Musawah) during the 2018 OHCHR expert workshop on the role and contribution of civil society organizations, academia, NHRIs and other relevant stakeholders in the prevention of human rights abuses: “She asserted that religion could be a source of empowerment and liberation if ideological non-State actors ceased silencing any demands for equality. Musawah had undertaken capacity-building and engaged in international advocacy, including by submitting to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women thematic reports and country-specific statements on reservations that justified the repression of women. Furthermore, she noted that the Beirut Declaration and its 18 commitments on “Faith for Rights” was important in order to turn the principles into action on the ground, for example by refining curriculums, teaching materials and textbooks wherever some religious interpretations, or the way they were presented, may give rise to the perception of condoning violence or discrimination (twelfth commitment). She stressed the importance of devising a human rights-based counter-narrative in order to build knowledge and prevent violent extremism.”

The facilitator could also share the example highlighted by Special Rapporteur Heiner Bielefeldt concerning a breakthrough in inter-faith communication reached by religious leaders in Cyprus: “On 18 October 2013, the Grand Mufti of Cyprus, Dr. Talip Atalay, crossed the green line and held service at Hala Sultan Mosque near Larnaca for the first time. This was possible due to an agreement reached with the Greek Orthodox Archbishop Chrysostomos II, who personally facilitated Dr. Atalay’s access to the areas controlled by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. Two days earlier, Bishop Christoforos of Karpasia, who had been prevented for the previous 18 months from visiting the northern part of Cyprus and his diocese, was allowed to visit and worship at the monastery Apostolos Andreas on the Karpass peninsula in the north-east of Cyprus. ‘While the Cyprus conflict is not per se a religious conflict, all cooperation between the religious leaders had stopped when the bi-communal conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots escalated fifty years ago,’ the UN Special Rapporteur added.”

Exploring: Developing concrete small projects could be a good way to translate this commitment XVI into deliverables determined by the participants’ local contexts. Participants can also be guided to learn how to transform their projects into fundraising proposals. Such projects could be focused on any given commitment or a number of inter-related commitments under the “Faith for Rights” framework. Projects and fundraising proposals can also best be prepared by small groups among the participants. These are then presented to the plenary which acts as a hypothetical board of a funding institution and decides which project to select and why (discussion in working groups for 30 minutes, followed by presentation of the fundraising proposals in plenary).

This exercise can be extended, depending on the learning objectives and the priorities of the participants. The facilitator could refer to the above-mentioned examples of faith-based initiatives for and with children and adolescents as well as in the fields of protecting the environment and eliminating discrimination, for instance against persons affected by leprosy and their family members. What is the specific role and responsibility of religious leaders in this context? How could the specific project be sustainably funded, including through grassroots initiatives and crowdfunding? What are possible pitfalls and how can they be avoided?

Responding to pandemics: A concrete example that could be used by facilitators is the coronavirus crisis that began in 2020 and the related Statement by Religions for Peace (see text above under Additional supporting documents). Participants could be asked how to conceive a project that alleviates any negative consequences in their local context. What are these consequences and where are the entry points to these issues in the 18 commitments? What is the specific role that faith actors can play in this respect in order to complement rather than duplicate the contributions of other actors? Which practices in the religious sphere could either prevent diseases or increase the risk of their propagation? What are the lessons learned that may lead to preventative action by the participants who could integrate this in their own work?

In this context, the facilitator could refer to the World Health Organization’s document Practical considerations and recommendations for religious leaders and faith-based communities in the context of COVID-19 (April 2020), which provides guidance on gatherings, conducting faith activities remotely/virtually, safe ceremonies and burial practices, strengthening mental health and resilience, faith leaders’ role in COVID-19 education, upholding human rights and addressing stigma and discrimination. With regard to the latter point, WHO’s guidance stresses the following: “Religious leaders have a particularly important role to play in championing attention to and inclusion of, vulnerable populations including minorities, migrants, refugees, internally displaced persons, indigenous peoples, prisons, people with disabilities, and members of other marginalized groups, by creating supportive environments; advocating for their rights and access to diagnosis, treatment and vaccines; sharing evidence-based accurate information; and publicly standing against statements and acts that encourage violence and human rights violations against people. By drawing on language within their own faith tradition, religious leaders can promote positive messages that affirm the dignity of all people, the need to protect and care of the vulnerable, and inspire hope and resilience in those affected by, or vulnerable to, COVID-19. On the practical side, faith-based organizations can work with health and development agencies to identify mechanisms to increase access to information and services for vulnerable communities, including those that are provided by faith-based organizations themselves. Moreover, most of these faith traditions serve all people in need, without regard to national or ethnic origin, race, sex, or religious affiliation, and are motivated by universal values and ethical principles of ‘do no harm’, ‘solidarity’, and the ‘golden rule’.”

At the virtual consultation for a Global Pledge for Action by Religious Actors and Faith-Based Organizations to Address the COVID-19 Pandemic in Collaboration with the UN (May 2020)275, the High Commissioner noted: “We need your far-sighted leadership; your sense of principle; and your voices of authority and concern to combat these hateful divisions. The struggle for equality and justice is at the heart of the human rights agenda, and at the heart of the UN's work. Our virtual consultation today brings together as One-UN a wide range of initiatives, including two Secretary-General Plans of Action – on hate speech and on safeguarding religious sites; the Fez Plan of Action; the 18 commitments on “Faith for Rights”; and the recent Faith4Rights toolkit. This peer-to-peer learning tool, which we have been piloting online together with Religions for Peace, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, includes exercises regarding the impact of COVID-19 on women, girls and minorities. Today’s challenges related to COVID-19 may be followed tomorrow by other tests for humanity and for our universal values. My Office and our partners are committed to helping to make the Pledge for Action a powerful, results-oriented framework to advance the work of diverse faith actors at the grass roots level. Joining diverse faith actors within a shared vision and framework, we hope to nourish a community of practise, learning from each other and stimulating promising initiative based on human rights and mutual collaboration and respect.” In July 2021, the High Commissioner welcomed the action-oriented recommendations of monthly webinars: “Together, we have piloted the methodology of the ‘Faith for Rights’ toolkit, moving away from ad hoc events to a strategic process of peer-to-peer learning. This implies listening to each other, sharing experiences what works and what doesn’t, and responding jointly to needs at the grassroots level.”

Simulating: Simulation of an adversarial debate leading to an in-depth discussion, for example on a hypothetical case related to the spread of an epidemic (see scenarios G and M in the annex). The facilitator could point to the specific roles and responsibilities of religious leaders, whose actions may either positively or negatively affect the overall health situation and even lead to stigmatization of or discrimination against specific communities.278 The Rabat Plan of Action and Beirut Declaration are also quoted by the Religious Liberty and COVID-19 Research Project in its living document on Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. This collective exercise, especially the case for debate in scenario G, would require at least an hour.

Tweeting: Summarize the commitment XVI within 140 characters (individual exercise for 5 minutes).  One possible result of this tweeting exercise could be as follows: “We commit to leverage the spiritual and moral weight of religions and beliefs in order to strengthen the protection of universal human rights and develop preventative strategies”.

Translating: Similar to the tweeting exercise, participants could be asked to “translate” this commitment into child-friendly language or into a local dialect. Again the idea is to stimulate discussion about the most important elements and appropriate ways of transposing and simplifying the message, without losing the substance of the commitment.

Adding faith quotes: Find religious or belief quotes relevant to commitment XVI (individual exercise for five minutes, followed by a reading from each participant of his added reference). With regard to faith and environment, the facilitator could also refer to the following Native American saying: “When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money.”

Inspiring: Participants share artistic expressions they know of that capture aspects of the commitment under discussion. There are numerous sources that may enrich inspiration for faith actors with respect to the roles of art, music, poetry and dance.

In addition, please find here the example of a cartoon and calligraphy as well as music.

Learning objectives

• Participants realize and optimize their multiple roles as social workers, mediators and inter-cultural communicators.
• Participants understand that shared faith values matter to a point that can change attitudes and reverse situations of tension, animosity and injustices.
• Participants are inspired by concrete examples of faith actors from across the globe who have stimulated social transformations in order to tailor new approaches to their own social contexts.

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