United Kingdom
July 26, 2021, 10:30 a.m.

Institute of Development Studies IDS

 

Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development (CREID) Summary

Thematic Area Consortium Lead Consortium Partners Countries/Regions Budget

Start and End Date: October 2018 to September 2022

Supporting tolerance and freedom of religion or belief,  Institute of Development Studies.

The Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development (CREID) is providing research evidence and delivering practical programmes to redress the impact of discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, by tackling poverty and exclusion and promoting collaboration and empowerment.

Currently, discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief can mean that people lack access to basic services such as health or education, experience verbal, emotional or physical violence and abuse, and be excluded from vital social and political processes. CREID believes that freedom of religion or belief is essential for people living in poverty to achieve their potential, live in dignity, free from stigma and exclusion.

Our work is producing new research evidence and developing innovative practical programmes in North and West Africa and South Asia.

Objectives:

  • Enable key stakeholders in international development to improve their understanding of intersecting issues between Freedom or Belief (FoRB) and development and the competencies and capacities to mainstream it in their programmes.
  • Develop effective and innovative approaches to service delivery that promote religious cohesion in highly sectarian and poor contexts
  • Develop and strengthen mechanisms for identifying, responding and mitigating the effects of hate speech are strengthened or developed
  • Support coalitions and networks to challenge discriminatory policies, decrees and discourses, and give visibility to the voices of religious minorities.
  • Ensure that FoRB is promoted in influential international spaces and platforms (particularly for global development) through people of different faiths, backgrounds, gender and age.

 

More specifically, we will be working on:

  1. Mainstreaming awareness of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in development so that policies and programmes addressing poverty and exclusion are sensitive and responsive to inequalities resulting from people’s religion or belief
  2. Investing in opportunities for interfaith service delivery in communities experiencing poverty and sectarian tensions
  3. Monitoring and countering hate speech and looking at how digital technology and media are affecting social cohesion
  4. Building coalitions at national level and supporting local campaigns promoting FoRB and inclusive development
  5. Engendering cross fertilisation for religious inclusivity by bringing about collaboration between humanitarian organisations, faith leaders, rights activists and development practitioners.

Impact/deliverables:

We are working towards Freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) which enables people who are living in poverty to enjoy more opportunities to achieve their potential and be included in society, live in dignity, free from stigma, and, ultimately move out of poverty”.

Key stakeholders in international development to improve their understanding of intersecting issues between Freedom or Belief (FoRB) and development and the competencies and capacities to mainstream it in their programmes.

  • Improved understanding and mainstreaming of FoRB into development programmes, drawing on experience, support and evidence from CREID;

Effective and innovative approaches to service delivery that promote religious cohesion in highly sectarian and poor contexts

  • Individuals engaged with the CREID’s service delivery programmes actively participate in local development initiatives that promote religious cohesion;
  • Interventions are designed and delivered addressing the intersection of religious marginality and poverty;

Mechanisms for identifying, responding and mitigating the effects of hate speech are strengthened or developed.

  • Staff from local organisations with improved capacity to identify, monitor and understand hate speech;
  • Actions taken by non-state actors trained or supported by CREID to actively seek to challenge, limit or contain online hate speech;

https://www.ids.ac.uk/search/Coalition+for+Religious+Equality+and+Inclusive+Development+%28CREID%29