Keeping Faith in 2030: Religions and the Sustainable Development Goals (highlight notice)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leeds
Department Name: School of PRHS
Abstract
Religion is a major cultural, social, political, and economic factor in many ODA recipient countries, and understanding the relevant religious dynamics and the role of faith actors is crucial to bringing about sustainable development. While development practice and development studies had essentially subscribed to a modernist, secular paradigm of social change for much of the twentieth century, this has begun to change in recent years. Increasing portions of development aid are now channelled via so-called faith based organisations, and religion is increasingly recognised as a human resource rather than an obstacle to development. Many religious groups have also been involved in development policy by adopting and heralding the Millennium Development Goals and through consultations in the drafting of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Academic research has, to some extent, addressed these developments in pioneering research projects (such as the DfID-funded Religion and Development (RaD) research programme at Birmingham University, 2005-2011) and there has been an increasing number of relevant publications on related themes, contributing to the rise of a new academic field of 'religions and development' in the UK and internationally, as an interdisciplinary effort between the Arts & Humanities and other disciplines.
While these are promising developments and a useful stepping stone for this proposal, there are major challenges which need to be addressed by a sustained effort in order to take religions and development research further, so that it can better respond to the challenges and opportunities generated via the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and its associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By networking scholars from the UK, Ethiopia, and India, the proposed Research Network seeks to address the following three challenges:
1) Integrate voices from the Global South: Notable exceptions notwithstanding, there is a considerable disconnect between the religions and development literature produced in the Global North and what development researchers, policy makers and practitioners do in many ODA recipient countries in the Global South. There is a danger that the current interest in religions and development reflects little more than a donor trend among Western policy makers and researchers, while in ODA recipient countries the continued public role of religions is a much more problematic and controversial case.
2) Integration of faith-based actors: While there is much research on so-called faith-based organisations and increased funding opportunities available to them, collaboration in research and development policy and practice has been harder to achieve. More work needs to be done for enabling a more in-depth and open dialogue between faith-based organisation and development actors, especially in order to provide an important feedback mechanism for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
3) Improved methodologies, interdisciplinary dialogue, and better data: Academic debate on religions and development is not as nuanced as it could be, due to different methodologies, varying conceptualisations of religion, and relatively little comparative data. The network will focus on issues of methodology and comparison across disciplinary boundaries and methodological premises to pave the way for more balanced and comparative discussions. Our regional focus supports this approach, as it allows us to to collate data, major issues and perspectives in our policy briefings and dossiers in a comprehensive manner.
The activities of the research network are built around three conferences (UK, Ethiopia, India), which will be used to network the main actors in the field, produce material and publications relevant to academic and non-academic users, and highlight central areas for further research. A multi-user website and steering group will facililitate ongoing activities.
Academic research has, to some extent, addressed these developments in pioneering research projects (such as the DfID-funded Religion and Development (RaD) research programme at Birmingham University, 2005-2011) and there has been an increasing number of relevant publications on related themes, contributing to the rise of a new academic field of 'religions and development' in the UK and internationally, as an interdisciplinary effort between the Arts & Humanities and other disciplines.
While these are promising developments and a useful stepping stone for this proposal, there are major challenges which need to be addressed by a sustained effort in order to take religions and development research further, so that it can better respond to the challenges and opportunities generated via the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and its associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By networking scholars from the UK, Ethiopia, and India, the proposed Research Network seeks to address the following three challenges:
1) Integrate voices from the Global South: Notable exceptions notwithstanding, there is a considerable disconnect between the religions and development literature produced in the Global North and what development researchers, policy makers and practitioners do in many ODA recipient countries in the Global South. There is a danger that the current interest in religions and development reflects little more than a donor trend among Western policy makers and researchers, while in ODA recipient countries the continued public role of religions is a much more problematic and controversial case.
2) Integration of faith-based actors: While there is much research on so-called faith-based organisations and increased funding opportunities available to them, collaboration in research and development policy and practice has been harder to achieve. More work needs to be done for enabling a more in-depth and open dialogue between faith-based organisation and development actors, especially in order to provide an important feedback mechanism for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
3) Improved methodologies, interdisciplinary dialogue, and better data: Academic debate on religions and development is not as nuanced as it could be, due to different methodologies, varying conceptualisations of religion, and relatively little comparative data. The network will focus on issues of methodology and comparison across disciplinary boundaries and methodological premises to pave the way for more balanced and comparative discussions. Our regional focus supports this approach, as it allows us to to collate data, major issues and perspectives in our policy briefings and dossiers in a comprehensive manner.
The activities of the research network are built around three conferences (UK, Ethiopia, India), which will be used to network the main actors in the field, produce material and publications relevant to academic and non-academic users, and highlight central areas for further research. A multi-user website and steering group will facililitate ongoing activities.
Planned Impact
The main non-academic user groups who will participate in and benefit from the network will encompass secular and faith-based actors operating across different sectors of development, as well as policy makers working in government development agencies and multilateral organisations such as the UN and the World Bank. We are able to reach these audiences through existing contacts, having collaborated with a number of them already in our research and impact work.
The Islamic Relief Academy will be our project partner, based on its working relationship with the PI and Co-I in setting up a UK Development Studies Association study group on religions and development. We also intend that the network will strengthen ties with other faith-based groups (e.g. Christian Aid, Tearfund, World Vision), local development actors in Ethiopia and India (e.g. Ethiopian Inter-Faith Forum for Development Dialogue and Action), governmental and non-governmental organisations (DfID, INTRAC), and hubs such as the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities.
To summarise, and as outlined more fully in the 'pathways to impact', the network will pursue four engagement and impact strategies, which are linked with relevant outputs:
1. Involve non-academic users in planning and conducting all activities.
2. Deliberate conference programming to facilitate engagement between non-academic users and generators of religions and development research.
3. Produce material relevant to policy-makers, development practitioners, and faith-based organisations.
4. Network academic and non-academic users beyond direct conference engagement.
Linked to these strategies users will benefit in a variety of ways. First, through being involved in planning and conducting all activities, non-academic participants will play a role in shaping the content of the conferences so that the design of the sessions are relevant to their needs, as either faith based or secular development actors (although in practice this binary is not always apparent, particularly in the Global South). For instance, the conferences will be a forum to disseminate information to different audiences about the ways in which faith groups are engaging with the SDG process, particularly in India and Ethiopia. This is likely to be information that secular development actors, for example, do not have access to in other fora and will help inform and improve their design of development policy and practice such that it is appropriate for different communities.
Second, non-academic users will be at the centre of the process that produces the 'good practice guide' and 'policy dossiers', assisting with translating academic material into a language and format useful to non-academic users, as well as helping to disseminate it. The 'good practice guide' will be a practical document to assist a range of development actors, faith based and secular, in engaging in dialogue, particularly with respect to tricky or contested areas, such as gender inequality or sexual rights. Three policy dossiers will be produced for the UK, Ethiopia and India, making visible to a policy audience the key issues relating to religions and development, particularly with respect to the SDG agenda, as well as offering some comparative analyses. We anticipate that these dossiers will contribute to improving development policy and practice where it involves engagement with faith actors, a goal that we be strengthened via the launch event in the House of Commons to which policy makers, practitioners and academics will be invited.
Finally, the considerable networking and collaboration opportunities provided by the project website (which will also play a role in dissemination) will benefit all participants by pro-actively connecting researchers and practitioners with similar topical interests, and by highlighting project initiatives and/or funding opportunities in this regard.
The Islamic Relief Academy will be our project partner, based on its working relationship with the PI and Co-I in setting up a UK Development Studies Association study group on religions and development. We also intend that the network will strengthen ties with other faith-based groups (e.g. Christian Aid, Tearfund, World Vision), local development actors in Ethiopia and India (e.g. Ethiopian Inter-Faith Forum for Development Dialogue and Action), governmental and non-governmental organisations (DfID, INTRAC), and hubs such as the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities.
To summarise, and as outlined more fully in the 'pathways to impact', the network will pursue four engagement and impact strategies, which are linked with relevant outputs:
1. Involve non-academic users in planning and conducting all activities.
2. Deliberate conference programming to facilitate engagement between non-academic users and generators of religions and development research.
3. Produce material relevant to policy-makers, development practitioners, and faith-based organisations.
4. Network academic and non-academic users beyond direct conference engagement.
Linked to these strategies users will benefit in a variety of ways. First, through being involved in planning and conducting all activities, non-academic participants will play a role in shaping the content of the conferences so that the design of the sessions are relevant to their needs, as either faith based or secular development actors (although in practice this binary is not always apparent, particularly in the Global South). For instance, the conferences will be a forum to disseminate information to different audiences about the ways in which faith groups are engaging with the SDG process, particularly in India and Ethiopia. This is likely to be information that secular development actors, for example, do not have access to in other fora and will help inform and improve their design of development policy and practice such that it is appropriate for different communities.
Second, non-academic users will be at the centre of the process that produces the 'good practice guide' and 'policy dossiers', assisting with translating academic material into a language and format useful to non-academic users, as well as helping to disseminate it. The 'good practice guide' will be a practical document to assist a range of development actors, faith based and secular, in engaging in dialogue, particularly with respect to tricky or contested areas, such as gender inequality or sexual rights. Three policy dossiers will be produced for the UK, Ethiopia and India, making visible to a policy audience the key issues relating to religions and development, particularly with respect to the SDG agenda, as well as offering some comparative analyses. We anticipate that these dossiers will contribute to improving development policy and practice where it involves engagement with faith actors, a goal that we be strengthened via the launch event in the House of Commons to which policy makers, practitioners and academics will be invited.
Finally, the considerable networking and collaboration opportunities provided by the project website (which will also play a role in dissemination) will benefit all participants by pro-actively connecting researchers and practitioners with similar topical interests, and by highlighting project initiatives and/or funding opportunities in this regard.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Emma Tomalin (Principal Investigator) | |
| Jörg Haustein (Co-Investigator) |
Publications
Haustein J
(2021)
Religion, Populism, and the Politics of the Sustainable Development Goals
in Social Policy and Society
Tomalin E
(2020)
Religions and development: a paradigm shift or business as usual?
in Religion
Tomalin E
(2018)
Religions, poverty reduction and global development institutions
in Palgrave Communications
Tomalin E
(2019)
Religion and the Sustainable Development Goals
in The Review of Faith & International Affairs
Tomalin E
(2020)
Global aid and faith actors: the case for an actor-orientated approach to the 'turn to religion'
in International Affairs
Tomalin, E
(2018)
Religion and the Sustainable Development Goals
| Description | Religion is a major cultural, social, political, and economic factor in many official development assistance (ODA) recipient countries. Understanding religious dynamics and the role of faith communities and actors is crucial for sustainable development. While faith communities have endured and thrived the world over, a wave of modernist, secular social change has dominated development practice and discourse from the second half of the 20th century onwards. It had been previously anticipated by a number of scholars, development practitioners and others that religion would become outdated and eventually obsolete. However, faith communities, actors and assets continue to occupy a critical space. Accordingly, development discourse and practice today acknowledges the significant role that religion plays in this area. Greater portions of development aid are now channelled via faith-based initiatives/organisations, and religion is increasingly recognised as a resource for - rather than as an obstacle to - development. Many faith actors have also been involved in shaping development policy as well as committing to the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), codified by the UN. This policy paper is based upon findings from a research project funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) titled 'Keeping Faith in 2030: Religions and the Sustainable Development Goals'. Its main recommendations are summarised below. Summary of Recommendations: 1. Faith-actors should not be brought in solely as 'religious voices' but as development partners like all others. 2. Members of NGOs and governments should increase their religious literacy, not only in terms of the history, teachings and practices of different world religions, but also with respect to how religion actually manifests in diverse settings. 3. Identifying which faith actors to engage with according to their relative background and expertise, and on what issues, should be given careful consideration. 4. Perceived tensions between certain SDG goals or targets and religious values should be approached by recognising that faith actors can be important mediators for gaining a more specific understanding of such tensions and finding ways of addressing them. 5. In building partnerships with faith actors, it is important that those actors are listened to and included on their terms rather than being instrumentalised to achieve pre-defined development goals. 6. More investment is needed to spread knowledge about the SDG agenda to local faith actors to enable them to participate in the international conversation and mobilise local resources for the sustainable development agenda. |
| Exploitation Route | 5. Policy Recommendations 1. Faith-actors should not be brought in solely as 'religious voices' but as development partners like all others. Often, local faith actors and FBOs do not want to be relegated to the 'religion corner'. Neither is their goal in engaging with the SDGs simply to assert religious interests or perspectives. Instead, they see themselves as part of the global development effort, operate through its language, and seek to gain further visibility as development actors. For politically marginalised religious communities, this is even more crucial as the SDG process provides them with a way to increase their participation and speak back to government policy, not in order to further religious or doctrinal goals, but to ascertain the rights of their respective populations. Moreover, the areas that faith-actors choose to work on is shaped by the constituency of their beneficiaries and their organisational goals, rather than being simply driven by doctrine. Doctrinal justification may be brought in later on to give authority to paths of action selected due to the needs of the community being served. 2. Members of NGOs and governments should increase their religious literacy, not only in terms of the history, teachings and practices of different world religions, but also with respect to how religion actually manifests in diverse settings. Rather than viewing religion in the Global South in terms of the 'world religions paradigm' alone, it is important to also consider the following three factors: First, the Western 'world religions paradigm' tends to prioritise texts over lived religion and the role of religious leaders as official representatives of the populations they claim to represent. Such an approach in the Global South can lead to a poor understanding of religious dynamics. Second, the 'world religions paradigm' tends to present religionists as belonging to only one, discrete religious tradition, when, in many places, the boundaries between religions are often not clear-cut, and people may practise or belong to more than one at the same time. Third, the 'world religions paradigm' also not only assumes a clear distinction between religions, but also between the secular and the religious. In many settings in the Global South, this is not a binary that reflects how people think about their religion and instead, it permeates all aspects of their private, public and political lives. 3. Identifying which faith actors to engage with according to their relative background and expertise, and on what issues, should be given careful consideration. While it is important to take the contribution of faith actors to development seriously, and to realise that religion is a resource rather than an obstacle to development, religion or faith is not a panacea to solve development problems and can sometimes exacerbate inequality and conflict. There is a need to resist discourses that overstate the apparent advantages of FBOs. However, the SDGs can only be achieved if the widest range of partnerships and collaborations are encouraged and facilitated across all sectors and all levels of society. Faith actors are key to this since so many people who have the most to benefit from the SDGs live in the Global South where levels of religiosity are high. In meeting the aim to 'leave no one behind', faith actors can play an important role in changing attitudes, in supporting those in need and in transforming their lives. 4. Perceived tensions between certain SDG goals or targets and religious values should be approached by recognising that faith actors can be important mediators for gaining a more specific understanding of such tensions and finding ways of addressing them. Since in reality, religious doctrine is not fixed and interpretations can vary, many faith-based development actors view themselves as translators of global secular frameworks (such as the SDGs) into local religio-cultural languages. FBO representatives and other faith actors typically have a very good understanding of the breadth of doctrinal positions within their religion, and the varieties of cultural obstacles or concerns to goals such as the SDGs. As such, they should not be seen as representatives of a particular doctrinal position or 'difficulty', but as experts in navigating a plural field of positions and cultural practices in the interest of implementing a particular SDG goal or target in a contextually sensitive and sustainable way. This, however, may take time to be successful and needs careful identification of which subjects to tackle first and which actors to engage. 5. In building partnerships with faith actors, it is important that they are listened to and included on their terms rather than being instrumentalised to achieve pre-defined development goals. Some faith actors feel that their resources and capacity have been instrumentalised to serve a secular development agenda, without including the level of transformation and fundamental structural reform that their teachings and values, as well as experience, indicate are really necessary in order to reduce human suffering and inequality. Faith actors are not alone in making this kind of critique and there are a broad range of civil society actors who are suspicious that the SDGs are going to be incapable of achieving their ends as they do not adequately tackle the root of the problems faced by the poor. The faith actors we have engaged with were not overly concerned about the secular articulation and framing of the SDG goals but they were acutely aware of the important role that a faith perspective could play in the implementation and success of the goals. 6. More investment is needed to spread knowledge about the SDG agenda to local faith actors to enable them to participate in the international conversation and mobilise local resources for the sustainable development agenda. Given the lack of knowledge about the SDGs among local faith actors and the constraints arising from of their top-down implementation process, there is a real risk that the SDG framework will not have the desired mobilising effect on civil society. With their close community links, religious leaders and faith-based organisations are key to changing this and more must be done to enable them to conduct advocacy for the SDGs and their inclusive paradigm of 'leave no one behind'. Large development organisations should host regular multipliers workshops and aim for a strategic inclusion of faith actors as consultants in project planning. Likewise, national governments should be encouraged to consult with faith actors in their implementation of the SDGs. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| URL | https://religions-and-development.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/Policy-Paper-for-web.pdf |
| Description | This project generated interest from non academics including DFID and the UN. Our findings have been circulated to these audiences in the following ways. We do not have any direct evidence of how our findings have been used. 1) The production of a report for the Transatlantic Policy Network on Religion and Diplomacy (TPNRD) (http://religionanddiplomacy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TPNRD-Religion-and-the-SDGs.pdf). Tomalin also presented this report at an event for diplomats organised by the TPNRD in Vienna, May 2018. 2) In December 2018 we were contacted by Hilary Ogbonna (Programme Specialist, Africa and Arab States, UN SDG Action Campaign, Global Campaign Centre) as he wanted find out about the network. He presented the end of network conference at SOAS in Feb. 2019 and then attended the launch of our project policy paper in the Houses of Parliament, with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society. He particularly emphasised that the work he had done to date with the UN SDG Action Campaign had not engaged faith actors and that our network was unique for having explored this area. Reaching a UN and diplomatic audience was a key aim for the network. He invited ust o present research findings at the SDG Global Festival of Action, 2-4 May 2019, World Conference Centre, Bonn. Our session was 'Facilitating inter-faith partnerships and networks for SDG Actions' (https://event.globalfestivalofaction.org/). There were 40 people in attendance, from UN agencies and third sector organisations. Copies of our policy report were available (https://religions-and-development.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/Policy-Paper-for-web.pdf). We have initiated discussions with the organisers to make such a session a feature of future events. 3) The UK government via DFID, presented its first SDG Voluntary National Report (VNR) in New York in July 2019. We were invited to attend a consultation at DFID on the VNR in February 2019, aimed at faith actors working on the SDGs. At this consultation we shared details of our work with the office of the Minister For International Development The Rt Hon Lord Bates. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2018 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Collaboration with the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities |
| Organisation | Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| PI Contribution | This grant enabled me to forge strong relationships with the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (https://jliflc.com/) - 'an international collaboration to develop and communicate evidence on local faith actors' roles and contributions to development and humanitarian action for community well-being'. Members of the JLI attended events from this grant and we have since collaborated on a number of projects: I co-chair their learning hub on modern slavery and human trafficking; I am a member of their executive board playing a key role in their academic engagement; we secured funding with Tearfund, Islamic Relief and Red-R UK from the Belgian Government for a project entitled 'Bridging the Gap: the role of local faith actors in humanitarian response in South Sudan'. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They are funding a full time senior research fellow in the Centre for Religion and Public Life at Leeds for one year, with plans to renew it in the future. |
| Impact | Frame, J., Tuckey, M., White, L., Tomalin, E. (2019) 'Faith and freedom: the role of local faith actors in anti-modern slavery and human trafficking - a scoping study.' Scoping Study. Washington D C: Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities: Anti-Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Hub. https://jliflc.com/resources/ams-ht-scoping-study/ Wiklinson, O, Tomalin, E, Logo, K, Wani Laki, A, De Wolf, F (2020) Bridge Builders: strengthening the role of local faith actors in humanitarian response in South Sudan, Islamic Relief, Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities, RedR UK, Tearfund, Tearfund Belgium, University of Leeds. https://jliflc.com/resources/bridge-builders-south-sudan/ Wilkinson, O., Logo, K.H., Tomalin, E. et al. Faith in localisation? The experiences of local faith actors engaging with the international humanitarian system in South Sudan. Int J Humanitarian Action 7, 4 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41018-021-00113-8 |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Collaboration with the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities |
| Organisation | Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| PI Contribution | This grant enabled me to forge strong relationships with the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (https://jliflc.com/) - 'an international collaboration to develop and communicate evidence on local faith actors' roles and contributions to development and humanitarian action for community well-being'. Members of the JLI attended events from this grant and we have since collaborated on a number of projects: I co-chair their learning hub on modern slavery and human trafficking; I am a member of their executive board playing a key role in their academic engagement; we secured funding with Tearfund, Islamic Relief and Red-R UK from the Belgian Government for a project entitled 'Bridging the Gap: the role of local faith actors in humanitarian response in South Sudan'. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They are funding a full time senior research fellow in the Centre for Religion and Public Life at Leeds for one year, with plans to renew it in the future. |
| Impact | Frame, J., Tuckey, M., White, L., Tomalin, E. (2019) 'Faith and freedom: the role of local faith actors in anti-modern slavery and human trafficking - a scoping study.' Scoping Study. Washington D C: Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities: Anti-Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Hub. https://jliflc.com/resources/ams-ht-scoping-study/ Wiklinson, O, Tomalin, E, Logo, K, Wani Laki, A, De Wolf, F (2020) Bridge Builders: strengthening the role of local faith actors in humanitarian response in South Sudan, Islamic Relief, Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities, RedR UK, Tearfund, Tearfund Belgium, University of Leeds. https://jliflc.com/resources/bridge-builders-south-sudan/ Wilkinson, O., Logo, K.H., Tomalin, E. et al. Faith in localisation? The experiences of local faith actors engaging with the international humanitarian system in South Sudan. Int J Humanitarian Action 7, 4 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41018-021-00113-8 |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Collaboration with the Salvation Amy |
| Organisation | Salvation Army |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | When Tomalin began collaborating with the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) she was invited to co-chair their learning hub on Anti-Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery with Anne Gregora - Programme Advisor for Anti-Human Trafficking and Gender Based Violence at Salvation Army. This has led to a broader engagement with The Salvation Army. We are advertising two matched funded PhD studentships at Leeds (funded by Leeds and The Salvation Army) and are in the process of planning a research centre that will be pump primed by The Salvation Army on the topic of faith actors' roles in the public sphere. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Salvation Army is match funding two PhD studentships at Leeds to begin in October 2022. |
| Impact | Frame, J., Tuckey, M., White, L., Tomalin, E. (2019) 'Faith and freedom: the role of local faith actors in anti-modern slavery and human trafficking - a scoping study.' Scoping Study. Washington D C: Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities: Anti-Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Hub.https://jliflc.com/resources/ams-ht-scoping-study/ |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Citizenship, Marginalities and Development: Faith-Based/Civil Society Organizations' engagements with marginalised communities towards Sustainable Development Goals, Indian Social Institute, New Delhi, 9th December 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | This was the second network event held in New Delhi. Workshop blurb: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the new charter of the global developmental agenda introduced by the United Nations. The new list of 17 SDGs is a successor of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It appears that there has been considerable progress made on the implementation of the SDGs at the global and national levels since it was officially adopted on January 1, 2016. Over the year, efforts were made to incorporate the voices of the people at the policy level by drafting the indicators from the perspective of the most marginalised sections of the society. The civil society organizations also have been constantly engaged in popularizing, monitoring and advocacy of the SDGs. Similarly, the involvement of religious organizations in welfare and charitable activities has a long history and they play a crucial role in sustainable development. However, with all the positive signs of this potentially paradigm shifting global developmental agenda, there are concerns regarding its reach and impact on the traditionally marginalised and socially excluded communities, particularly the Dalits, Adivasis, and the religious minorities who together form nearly 40% of India's population. Considering that, poverty eradication and the reduction of inequalities continue to be major global challenges and indispensable requirements for sustainable development. The broad development agenda set before the world through the SDGs, to address the root causes of poverty and inequalities that will "leave no one behind" and to strive for a world that is just, equitable, peaceful and inclusive, cannot be achieved without a firm commitment to including marginalised communities In this context, Indian Social Institute in collaboration with Islamic Relief, the University of Leeds and Jawaharlal Nehru University is organizing a one day Workshop on 9th December 2017 at the Indian Social Institute, New Delhi to bring together individuals and organisations, especially Faith-Based/Civil Society Organizations engaged with marginalised communities in order to 1) reflect on the nature of exclusion experienced by different sections of the marginalised communities and its changing dynamics 2) share the ways in which Faith-Based/Civil Society Organizations engage with communities to reduce marginalisation 3) deliberate on their knowledge and understanding of the SDGs: to what extent were able to take part in the consultation process to decide the SDGs? How are they interacting with state agencies in their work with marginalised communities in order to achieve the SDGs? 4) Create an informal network of faith groups and the SDGs as an output of the meeting. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.isidelhi.org.in/ |
| Description | Conference: Religions and the SDGs in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Conference: Religions and the SDGs in Ethiopia - 20-21 September 2018, Addis Ababa. See here for write up of event https://religions-and-development.leeds.ac.uk/events/keeping-faith-in-2030-ethiopia-conference/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://religions-and-development.leeds.ac.uk/events/keeping-faith-in-2030-ethiopia-conference/ |
| Description | Conference: Religions and the SDGs in Ethiopia, India and the UK - SOAS, London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Conference: Religions and the SDGs in Ethiopia, India and the UK - Feburary 12-13 2019, see here for information about the event https://religions-and-development.leeds.ac.uk/events/conference-religions-and-the-sdgs-in-ethiopia-india-and-the-uk/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://religions-and-development.leeds.ac.uk/events/conference-religions-and-the-sdgs-in-ethiopia-i... |
| Description | International Conference on State, Civil Society and India's Religious Margins, December 7 and 8 2017, JNU, New Delhi |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | This was the first of two events held in New Delhi under the network. The conference sought to engage with the issues and concerns that are faced by religious minorities, and margins within communities classified on religious grounds. The resurgence of religion globally and the growing recognition of 'faith question' in development studies and rights frameworks also provides us with a context in which we ought to explore/discuss such questions in the emerging world order. The recently framed development goals by the United Nations, the SDGs, too, recognize questions of social justice and community rights as central issues for human development. These are 17 goals that between 2015 and 2030 are to be collectively pursued by states. The conference was also proposed in the light of the present Indian government's pronounced leitmotif of sabka saath, sabka vikas (roughly translated as 'collective effort and inclusive development'). To what extent have policy instruments evolved over the past few years to comprehend and address the pressing developmental deprivations faced by the country's disadvantaged groups? Does a policy shift from targeted development to a more populist universal paradigm-one size fits all-allow for a better understanding of the social reality and need for human progress? How are religious communities addressed in this development approach? What are the likely implications of these shifts for India's ability to meet the SDGs, particularly Goal 10 ('reduced inequalities'). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.jnu.ac.in/content/csss-organising-international-conference-state-civil-society-and-india... |
| Description | Keeping Faith in 2030: Religions and the Sustainable Development Goals - FBO Workshop on Religions and the Sustainable Development Goals |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Purpose: Keeping Faith in 2030: Religions and the Sustainable Development Goals is a research network that involves academics and faith-based development actors. The network aims to enhance international exchange about the role of religions in defining, implementing, and safeguarding 'sustainable development', as codified in the UN 'Sustainable Development Goals' (SDGs) (please see the accompanying information sheet about this project). This workshop was the first event of the network, and aimed to bring together faith-based organisations and other actors in the UK involved in religions & development practice to examine the new SDGs. We aimed to use this workshop for identifying key themes and issues for future network activities and were especially interested to find out about • Engagement in the consultation process to define the SDGs • Whether participants felt that religious voices were enabled to be heard in the process and with what effect • To what extent and in what ways they were beginning to interpret and implement the SDGs • Whether they felt the SDGs provide a useful framework to tackle 'sustainable development' globally The event provided a forum to bring people together to discuss a topic which is likely to increase in importance in their work over the coming years, up to 2030. We also envisaged that it would provide an opportunity to bring more people into the network from its outset so that academics and development actors can build a platform to work collaboratively towards realising these important goals. Outcomes/impact: • Generated interest in order to secure interviewees for the project • Helped set interview questions and the agenda for the other network events to be held in India and Ethiopia • Led to the setting up of a religions-and-development mailing list at the University of Leeds and requests to join this list • Established a link with Tear Fund and then the setting up of an Under Graduate student placement 2017/18 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://religions-and-development.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/Keeping-Faith-in-2... |
| Description | Keeping Faith in 2030: Religions and the Sustainable Development Goals - website for project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Project website - to provide information on the project, to disseminate outcomes from workshops, to advertise events, to generate networking around the topic. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018 |
| URL | https://religions-and-development.leeds.ac.uk/ |
| Description | Launch event of policy report 'Keeping faith in 2030: religions and the SDGs' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | With the APPG on Faith and Society we held a launch event for our policy paper in the Jubilee Room, Westminster Hall (4-6pm, February 13th, 2019). This was hosted by Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society, 13 February 2019. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://religions-and-development.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/Policy-Paper-for-w... |
| Description | Presenting paper on religion and the SDGs for the Transatlantic Policy Network on Religion & Diplomacy (TPNRD) Vienna 15 May 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | I was commissioned by the Transatlantic Policy Network on Religion & Diplomacy (TPNRD) to write a paper on religions and the SDGs and then to present it at an event for diplomats in Vienna on 15 May 2018. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://ciris.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TPNRD-Religion-and-the-SDGs.pdf |
| Description | SDG Global Festival of Action, 2-4 May 2019, World Conference Centre, Bonn; Our session was 'Facilitating inter-faith partnerships and networks for SDG Actions' (https://event.globalfestivalofaction.org/). |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Invitation to Tomalin (PI) and Haustein (Co-I) to present research findings at the SDG Global Festival of Action, 2-4 May 2019, World Conference Centre, Bonn. Our session was 'Facilitating inter-faith partnerships and networks for SDG Actions' (https://event.globalfestivalofaction.org/). There were 50+ people in attendance, from UN agencies and third sector organisations. Copies of our policy report were available (https://religions-and-development.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/Policy-Paper-for-web.pdf). We have initiated discussions with the organisers to make such a session a feature of future events. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://religions-and-development.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/Policy-Paper-for-w... |
| Description | SDG UN High Level Political Forum in New York July 8th-20th |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Invitation to attend the SDG UN High Level Political Forum in New York July 8th-20th. Tomalin (Co-I) and Freeman (steering group member) will be attending. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | SDG Voluntary National Report (VNR) consultation DFID |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The UK government via DFID, presented its first SDG Voluntary National Report (VNR) in New York in July 2019. We were invited to attend a consultation at DFID on the VNR in February 2019, aimed at faith actors working on the SDGs. At this consultation we shared details of our work with the office of the Minister For International Development The Rt Hon Lord Bates. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Setting up of study group on religion and |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | In 2016 the PI Professor Tomalin set up a study group at the UK Development Studies Association on 'religions and development' with the non-academic partner on the AHRC funded network, Shabaana Kidy (Islamic Relief Academy). We have had panels in Oxford 2016 on the 'The role of religion in defining and realising the SDGs', and in Bradford in 2017 on The increasing space for 'moral economies' in the light of global inequality: the role of religions and faith perspectives. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://religions-and-development.leeds.ac.uk/study-group/ |
| Description | invitation to present on research on religions and the SDGs at World Vision event on Hilversum, Amsterdam |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | 5-7 June 2018 - Faith Leaders and Communities: Influence, Engagement and Channels of Hope Research Workshop. I presented about the research on religions and the SDGs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |