Policy paper

Statement on freedom of religion or belief in conflict or insecure contexts

Updated 7 July 2022

Preamble

1. Despite the good progress that has been made on the sustainable development goals, many parts of the world continue to be afflicted by conflict, insecurity and upheaval. These undermine enjoyment of many human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief.

2. We recognise that religion or belief can serve as an identity marker, often alongside other identifiers such as ethnicity, gender, race and political, putting minority communities at risk of increased hostility, discrimination and violence in conflict or insecure environments. We deplore that rates of sexual and gender-based violence increase in conflict and insecure environments, and can be used as a tool to destroy communities.

3. Intolerance against one religious or belief community harms all of society and undermines universal values of equality and human dignity. Discrimination holds back economies.  Countries cannot fully develop while they oppress members of minorities and communities are stronger when they are fully inclusive.

4. We note that shrinking political, economic and civic space can occur in conflict and insecure environments, limiting the voices and agency of those already marginalised. We recognise the importance of working towards open societies, where tensions and conflicts are managed peacefully and human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief, are promoted and protected. We also note that the right to freedom of religion or belief does not give anyone the power to marginalize, suppress or carry out human rights abuses or violations against others.

5. To ensure inclusive political settlements and sustainable peace, we recognise the value of a diverse range of actors being included in peace and reconciliation processes at all levels, including those from religious or belief minorities, as well as organisations that represent their specific needs and contributions. We underline the importance of gathering first-hand views of actors directly engaged in and affected by the conflict, including civil society and local communities.

We commit to

• reaffirming condemnation of incitement to violence against all civilians, including towards members of religious or belief minority groups, in situations of conflict or insecurity

• promoting the protection of religion or belief in conflict or insecure environments, including through diplomatic, conflict resolution and peace-building initiatives

• ensuring the meaningful inclusion of marginalised religious or belief minorities in all aspects of peace-making, peacebuilding and transitional justice, taking into consideration other identifiers such as gender, age and ethnicity

• supporting local civil society organisations advocating for human rights, including for members of religious or belief minorities

• promoting the important role of faith leaders in tackling sexual and gender-based violence in conflict and insecure environments, including addressing the stigma often faced by survivors

Co-signatories

• Albania
• Australia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• Greece
• Israel
• Italy
• Japan
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Malta
• The Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• The Slovak Republic
• Slovenia
• Switzerland
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom
• United States of America