‘Leave No One Behind’ - Realising Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Sustainable Development Goals
During the Global Week to #Act4SDGs, we launch the first of our six High-Level Dialogues in our ‘Leave No One Behind: Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Sustainable Development Goals’ series.
At the SDGs’ core sits the pledge to ‘leave no one behind’. Leaving anyone behind who is experiencing inequality or discrimination because of their religion or belief makes the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) impossible. Ensuring that we have no blind spots in this area is necessary for everyone to reside in the diverse, inclusive, and equitable societies that the SDGs seek. Considering the human right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) – which is interconnected with all human rights and grounds the SDGs – is essential for this.
The ‘Leave No One Behind’ dialogue series is a unique platform where parliamentarians, faith/belief leaders and influencers, and policy practitioners working internationally and nationally on the SDGs and FoRB can come together for collective learning, as a step towards action.
The High-Level Dialogues will host parliamentarians, faith and belief leaders and select civil society actors to share from their experiences and explore the connections, gaps and opportunities between the SDGs and FoRB, as a step towards action. Resources will be provided ahead of the meetings and regional follow-up support will be available to operationalise any next steps.
This series is co-organized by the Freedom of Religion or Belief Leadership Network (FoRBLN), International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB), Religions for Peace (RfP), African Parliamentarians for Human Rights (AfriPAHR), the Faith for Rights Initiative, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR).
The high-level dialogue series is intended in the first instance for parliamentarians and faith leaders from the 8 FoRBLN project countries (Bangladesh, the Gambia, Ghana, Malawi, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda), but it will also be of interest to parliamentarians and faith and belief leaders from across Africa, Europe, and South and Southeast Asia.
Each high-level dialogue will launch an expert briefing paper by DIHR that coincides with the theme of the consultation. The series will explore the following topics over 6 months from September 2021:
Freedom of Religion or Belief and the SDGs (23 September 2021) – This event is over.
Freedom of Religion or Belief and Gender (14 October 2021) – This event is over.
Freedom of Religion or Belief and Education (11 November 2021) – This event is over
Freedom of Religion or Belief, Civic Space and Freedom of Expression (9 December 2021) - This event is over
Freedom of Religion or Belief and Health (20 January 2022) - This event is over
Freedom of Religion or Belief and Climate Change (24 February 2022) - This event is over
All of the events have been recorded and can be found by clicking here.
ABOUT the SDGs and FoRB
Adopted in 2015 by all United Nations Member States, Agenda 2030’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals are a ‘plan of action for people, planet and prosperity’ to ‘strengthen universal peace in larger freedom’ and ‘eradicate poverty and inequality in all its forms and dimensions’. The 17 SDG goals are integrated, but each have their own themes, targets, and indicators. Pursuing one SDG affects the outcomes of others.
Agenda 2030 is explicitly grounded in human rights. At the SDGs’ core sits the pledge to ‘leave no one behind’. The SDGs’ interdependence and core pledge mean that many of the SDGs require ensuring that no one experiences inequality because of their religion or beliefs. The human right to FoRB – freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief - is the internationally recognised and universal right that seeks to ensure everyone’s enjoyment of diverse, inclusive and equitable societies. It is found in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights. FoRB is a right that we all equally share and is interdependent with all other human rights. FoRB relates to core parts of our identity, meaning and purpose. These identities, however, are used globally to entrench inequalities and to justify discrimination and violence towards communities and individuals.
This series follows on from the UN Special Rapporteur on FoRB’s 2020 UN General Assembly report. The report emphasised that “no one will be left behind only when sustainable development efforts advance the political, social and economic inclusion of people belonging to all religious or belief groups” and proposed indicators to support these efforts.
CONTACT US
If you have any questions or need about the content and technicalities associated with the consultations, please don’t hesitate to contact us at contact@ippforb.com