FBO Mapping.QXD - United Nations Population Fund

United Nations Population Fund220 East 42nd StreetNew York, New York 10017www.unfpa.org

ISBN 978-0-89714-894-8E/1,000/2008

CULTUREMATTERS

Lessons from aLegacy of Engaging

Faith-basedOrganizations

Culture M

atters Lessons from a Legacy of Engaging Faith-based O

rganizations

Culture MattersLessons from a Legacy of Engaging Faith-based Organizations

CULTURE MATTERS2

ContentsForeword ...................................................................................................................................................................4Glossary of Terms...................................................................................................................................................7Executive Summary................................................................................................................................................9

I. Introduction—Background, Climate and Tools .......................................................................................12Learning from a Legacy........................................................................................................................12

Box 1. Faith-based Organizations — UNFPA Typology .......................................................14Objectives, Assumptions and Challenges ......................................................................................15

Objectives ........................................................................................................................................15Assumptions....................................................................................................................................15Box 2. Definitions: Religion and Culture..................................................................................16Challenges........................................................................................................................................17

The Culture Lens....................................................................................................................................17The Climate of Engagement—the United Nations and Faith-based Organizations ...........17

Box 3. The Culture Lens ...............................................................................................................18Box 4. UNGA Resolutions Mentioning Religion ..................................................................20The Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) .........................................................................................20Box 5. Conventions and Declarations ......................................................................................21United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) .................................................................22The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) ...23The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)....................................................................24The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA)..........24

II. Highlights of Ongoing Commitments by UNFPA ................................................................................25A. The Civil Society Hearing on Interreligious and Intercultural

Understanding and Cooperation for Peace..............................................................................25B. The Launch of the Women, Faith and Development Alliance (WFDA)...........................26C. Trainings on Culturally Sensitive Programming ......................................................................27D. Consolidating UNFPA-FBO Partnerships in 2008 and Beyond: Convening

and Launching Regional and Global Interfaith Networks on Population and Development ............................................................................................................................27

III. Mapping UNFPA and FBO Partnerships in the Field ........................................................................29Sources and Methodology .................................................................................................................29Africa Overview ....................................................................................................................................30

Table 1: At a Glance: UNFPA-FBO Partnerships in Africa..................................................32Africa Insights ................................................................................................................................33

Arab States, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Overview .........................................................42Table 2: At a Glance: UNFPA-FBO Partnerships in the Arab States, Eastern Europe and Central Asia .............................................................................................44

Lessons from a Legacy of Engaging Faith-based Organizations 3

Arab States, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Insights ...................................................45Asia and the Pacific Overview ..........................................................................................................52

Table 3: At a Glance: UNFPA-FBO Partnerships in Asia and the Pacific.......................53Asia and the Pacific Insights .....................................................................................................54

Latin America and the Caribbean Overview ................................................................................66Table 4: At a Glance: UNFPA-FBO Partnerships in Latin America and the Caribbean.........................................................................................................................67Latin America and the Caribbean Insights............................................................................68

IV. Epilogue: Policy Considerations for Engaging Agents of Change ................................................76

V. Select Further Reading, Resources and References ...........................................................................79Overview and Magazine Articles.............................................................................................80Books and Reports........................................................................................................................82Case Studies ...................................................................................................................................92United Nations Initiatives, Conferences and Programmes................................................95Reviewed Articles .........................................................................................................................98Toolkits ............................................................................................................................................101

Appendix A. Matrix of Case Studies ............................................................................................................103

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Foreword “The implementation of the recommendations contained in the Programme of Action is the sovereign right of eachcountry, consistent with national laws and development priorities, with full respect for the various religious andethical values and cultural backgrounds of its people, and in conformity with universally recognized internationalhuman rights.”

— The Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, Chapter II: Principles

One hundred seventy-nine Member States meeting in Cairo in 1994 made it clear that development cannottake place in isolation of people’s cultures and beliefs. The United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA)realizes that working with communities of faith is both a privilege and a necessity. The mandate of UNFPAis located in the heart of human procreation and well-being, and as such, part of it deals with the mostsensitive—and often taboo—themes of all time: gender relations and the right to sexual and reproductivehealth. As identified in the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population andDevelopment (ICPD), “reproductive health care is ... the constellation of methods, techniques and servicesthat contribute to reproductive health and well-being by preventing and solving reproductive healthproblems. It also includes sexual health, the purpose of which is the enhancement of life and personalrelations, and not merely counselling and care related to reproduction and sexually transmitted diseases”.With this in mind, reproductive rights embrace certain human rights that are already recognized in nationallaws, international human rights documents and other consensus documents.

The ICPD Programme of Action brought human relations from the private sphere into the public one. Itopened human relations, especially the most intimate, to the world of debate and negotiations, in orderto ensure that collectively we understand the dynamics of such relations and work for a better quality oflife for women and men, young and old. The rest of the mandate is no less complex—as it shifted thepopulation agenda to population and development, from counting people to making people count, thusrepeating and insisting that people are the centre of development. The population and developmentagenda includes many sensitive issues, including those factors that lead people to abandon home, hearthand profession to seek new lives in new places—often under dire circumstances; or indeed growing up—and growing older—among societies that have yet to adjust to the social, cultural, economic and/orpolitical implications of either. It further included issues of forced displacement and movement of people,as well as the mutually impacting factors of population and environment. All of these issues were placedwithin the context of human rights and the right to development.

The fact that the ICPD brought religion to the forefront of population and development was highlightedin a study by the Park Ridge Centre for the Study of Health, Faith and Ethics, which described whathappened in ICPD as follows: “People of [religious] conviction shocked each other and the watchingworld as they clashed over some of the most volatile topics of the day: family planning and the natureof family, the rights of women, gender and sexuality, and abortion and birth control1.”

1 Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA Executive Director, “Culture Matters to Development: It Is the ‘How’ and Not the ‘Why’ and the ‘What’” (TraverseLecture, Swiss Development Corporation, Bern, Switzerland, 13 December 2005).


Hence, UNFPA, through this publication, maps out its legacy of seeking the council of the oldest sourcesof “wisdom” and service known to mankind—faith-based organizations, religious leaders and institutionsof worship. In doing so, we are building on our earlier series, titled Culture Matters: Working withCommunities and Faith-based Organizations, in which we make clear a case for why engaging faith-basedorganizations and local leaders is critical to UNFPA development work. We believe that engaging thesecommunity-based organizations is critical for many reasons: They are often reference points for thecommunities, and they are respected. They provide the communities with spiritual and moral support, aswell as educational and health services. They are those communities’ institutions and networks, and theyare often credible to their constituency. Most of all, we share the same objective, though we approach itfrom different perspectives. We want to serve people, and we want to respond to the needs of the poor,the marginalized and the excluded as they claim their human rights to a life free of fear and free of want.

This sequel to the earlier series shows how broadly we have attempted to honour these partnerships,and shares some of the key lessons learned in that process. Far from being an ad hoc shaking of hands,the nature of the partnerships with faith-based organizations requires analysis, contestations,deliberations and negotiations, resulting in an agreed-upon modus operandi for joint work.

As this publication testifies, there is no one formula or standard blueprint for engagement. Instead,there is an ongoing—and cautious—series of calculations, commitments and mutual assessments ofobjectives, methods and even language. This is the essence of the culturally sensitive approach toprogramming taken by UNFPA, which holds human rights, the right to development, and genderequality as consistent and unwavering objectives.

I acknowledge that the “stories” of engagement contained in this publication are likely incomplete, asmany contribute to our ongoing commitment to building bridges with the faith-based communities, asis the case with other critical agents of change.

The complicated—and ongoing—process of mapping the engagement between UNFPA and faith-basedorganizations began under the guidance of my colleague Safiye Cagar, Director of the Informationand External Relations Division and the compilation of Noemi Espinoza. The results were updated,elaborated upon and assessed by Azza Karam, Senior Culture Advisor, Gender, Human Rights andCulture Branch, led by Aminata Toure. The report on the Civil Society Hearing included here wascompiled by Elisabeth Scheper. Thanks to our consultant Julie Slok, the initial drafts of this documentwere comprehensively compiled and edited. The references on which Julie worked were provided bySuvekchya Ghimire and Carolina Iacovino. Culture Consultant Karen Demavivas was on hand toensure follow-up with information sought from our many UNFPA country offices around the worldthat make up what this organization is. Our Culture Team—an interdivisional structure—parentedthis process of production and includes many of the names mentioned here, as well as Geeta Lal(Asia and the Pacific Division), Sherin Saadallah (Division of Arab States, Europe and Central Asia)and Julitta Onabanjo (Office of the Executive Director). In addition, we are grateful to MelissaD’Agostino, our Research Consultant, for her meticulous editorial input; to the Publications Team(with Hedia Belhadj’s supervision), for their input and process; and especially to Kate Ramsey forher comments on an earlier draft, and to Beverly Kerr, and Mehdia Bendella for managing thepublication process.

CULTURE MATTERS6

As we commit to continuing this journey—with more wisdom gained from both successes andchallenges—I thank each and every one of the UNFPA country offices, the Headquarters team, and ourcolleagues in our sister United Nations agencies; their shared thinking and experience is key to this kindof endeavour and thus made this work possible.

Most of all, I would like to express our gratitude to our partners in the faith-based community whobelieved in UNFPA and supported our partnership, who opened their minds and their hearts to listen tous and the messages of the Millennium Development Goals and the ICPD goals, and who found waysfor us to work together. Through our context-specific partnership, we acknowledge that we are not thesame, but we also acknowledge that there is a common space where we can combine our variousresources to achieve the one objective in which we believe: serving the people in the communities sothat every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV and AIDS, andevery girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

Thoraya Ahmed ObaidExecutive Director

United Nations Population Fund


Glossary of TermsAYRH Adolescent and Youth Reproductive Health

ASRH Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health

AYA African Youth Alliance

AoC Alliance of Civilizations

BCC Botswana Council of Churches

CBO community-based organization

CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

CDPMM Corporación de Desarrolo y Paz para el Magdalena Medio (Development and Peace Corporation for Magdalena Medio)

CIPK Council of Imams and Preachers in Kenya

CCM Country Coordinating Mechanism

FBO faith-based organization

FGM/C female genital mutilation/cutting

GHRCB Gender, Human Rights and Culture Branch (UNFPA)

GFTAM Global Fund for Tuberculosis, AIDS and Malaria

IEC information, education and communication

ICPD International Conference on Population and Development

LAC Latin America and the Caribbean

MSIA Marie Stopes International Australia

MDGs Millennium Development Goals

MOWCA Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs

NGO non-governmental organization

CULTURE MATTERS8

OPGA Office of the President of the General Assembly

PICs Pacific Island Countries

PLCPD Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development

PCB Programme Coordinating Board

STIs sexually transmitted infections

UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund

UNCT United Nations Country Team

UN/DESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for Women

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNFPA United Nations Population Fund

UNAIDS United Nations Programme on AIDS

UNRISD United Nations Research Institute for Social Development

WFDA Women, Faith and Development Alliance

WCCD World Commission on Culture and Development


Executive Summary

Objectives and Content

Culture Matters: Lessons from a Legacy ofEngaging Faith-based Organizations is a sequel toCulture Matters: Working with Communities andFaith-based Organizations. The objectives of thispublication are:

• To document partnerships between UNFPAand faith-based constituencies in the areas ofreproductive health and population

• To assess the outcomes, lessons learned andbest practices of faith-based partnershipsaround the world

• To share further resources on faith-basedengagement and organizations

The mandate of UNFPA is to promote the rightsof each woman and man, young and old, in orderto enable each and every individual to have thebenefits of a life fully lived with health and equalopportunities through that person’s life cycle.UNFPA supports the efforts of countries inimplementing the ICPD Programme of Actionthrough national and regional programmes tocontribute to the reduction of poverty byachieving reproductive health and rights, andgender equality. The aim is to ensure that everypregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, everyyoung person is free of HIV and AIDS, and every girland woman is treated with dignity and respect.

Over the past 30 years, UNFPA, through itsdedication to this mandate, has implicitlyincorporated cultural sensitivity into itsprogramming, as it recognizes that people notonly are products of their culture but also serve

as transformers of it. Culture, within whichreligion features prominently, is considered apowerful component in ensuring and sustaininghuman development. More recently, in the pastfive years, UNFPA has explicitly institutionalizedcultural sensitivity approaches as one of itsprogramming tools within the context of a neworganizational unit—the Gender, Human Rightsand Culture Branch, Technical Division.

Conceptually, culture is understood as the totalof all factors that influence the perceptions,comprehension, behaviour and reactions ofhuman beings. Culture is, therefore, notquantifiable, but pervasive. Cultural agents arethose who determine, influence and articulateperceptions, attitudes and behaviour. Theseinclude intellectuals, authors, artists and mediapersonalities, as well as tribal elders andreligious and community leaders. These “agentsof culture” are, in many respects, also itsguardians, interpreters and transmitters—thatis, its gatekeepers. But in a sense, each andevery individual is a shaper of the culture inwhich that person lives—hence the dynamismand complexity of cultures. In contemporarycontexts, it can be argued that religious leadersin particular, and faith-based networks ingeneral, constitute some of the most influentialcultural gatekeepers and actors.

Faith-based non-governmental entities with afoundation in community welfare and socialservice delivery are particularly obvious—andprominent—development agents, and havebeen so for longer than the modern-day, moresecular service entities. Thus, faith-basedorganizations (FBOs) combine developmentand cultural features in a powerful mandate.

CULTURE MATTERS10

Assumptions

The basic assumptions underlying theengagement between UNFPA and FBOs, asoutlined in the precursor to this publication, arethat:

• Cultures are the context in which alldevelopment work takes place and where allinternational human rights agreements areimplemented

• Faith as part of culture is an importantdeterminant of value systems, at both theindividual and community levels

• Cultures are dynamic, interactive and evolving

• FBOs, religious leaders and religiousinstitutions, as the gatekeepers and interpretersof religious text and thus impacting culture, areimportant partners in the process ofdevelopment, particularly when it comes toinfluencing behaviour, attitudes and perceptions

• FBOs and religious groups have enormousoutreach, both actual and potential. Theymanage the oldest, most far-reaching anddiverse array of social service deliverymechanisms

As a preview of sections to come, some of thelessons learned by UNFPA in its collaborationwith FBOs are that:

• Communities can be encouraged toincorporate universally recognized rights intotheir own realities through an exploration ofhow human rights and gender issuescontribute to the well-being of men, women,young people and families. (See the exampleof Honduras and Costa Rica on page 72.)

• Promoting behaviour change often begins byidentifying religious leaders who have thecapacity and legitimacy to motivate andmobilize communities. Moreover, partneringwith local religious leaders or agents of changehas repeatedly become an invaluable strategyin gaining wider acceptance and ownership ofprogrammes. (See the example of Kyrgyzstanon pages 49-50.)

• Carefully developed advocacy campaigns,closely tailored to the religious and culturalcontexts in which they are launched, make iteasier to deal with sensitive subjects.Successful campaigns targeting changes inbehaviours and attitudes are those thatreflect a clear understanding of the views ofboth allies and potential adversaries, anddraw from sources that are popular within agiven culture. (See the example from Eritrea,on page 34.)

• Effective negotiation requires an understandingof the interests of diverse stakeholders—frompolitical leaders to FBOs, cultural leaders andthe private sector. Instances of successfulpartnership demonstrate that the interests ofthese stakeholders can be just as critical aspolitical and economic concerns, and oncethese are clearly understood, the necessarycommon ground is established, with a clearrespect for each other’s particular space whenand where necessary. (See the example ofColombia on pages 68-69.)

• Incorporating language that appreciates thenuances of religion and religious sensitivities issometimes critical to the creation of spaces inwhich there is understanding and support forprogramme objectives, with a solidunderstanding of each other’s constraints. (Seethe example from Afghanistan on page 54.)


This publication consists of five sections:

• Section I is an introduction to working withFBOs; it provides the UNFPA definition ofFBOs, which is inclusive of many forms oforganizations and representations of the faithcommunity. This section also presents the“culture lens” used in UNFPA programming,and shares an insight into the experiences ofsister United Nations entities working withFBOs, as part of its assessment of the climateof the engagement in the United Nations. Inaddition, this section contains relevanthighlights from the lessons learned, which arepresented in more detail in the case studies—or mapping of engagements—in Section III.

• Section II highlights some of the ongoinginternational engagements from the work ofUNFPA. To that end, outcomes anddeliberations from the Civil Society Hearingaround the High-Level Dialogue onInterreligious and Intercultural Cooperation forPeace and Development, held in the UnitedNations Headquarters in fall 2007, are provided.

• Section III provides a mapping of most of theUNFPA programs that have included orspecifically targeted FBO engagement in oneform or another. The presentation is divided

according to the different regions, and eachmapping is preceded by a brief overview ofpopulation and reproductive health issues.

• Section IV, an Epilogue, shows that the casefor engaging FBOs in development is nolonger a matter of discussion, but rather oneof considered, systematic and deliberateengagement of partners who make a positivedifference. It also shares the conclusions ofthe mapping that ignoring an importantparallel universe of development at a timewhen resources are growing scarce for theentire world, and when basic needs arebecoming increasingly harder to provide formore than half of the world’s population, isnot an option. The case for distinguishingamong the variety in the world of faith-baseddevelopment and service provision isreiterated. The Epilogue also presents fivecritical UNFPA policy considerations onengagement with FBOs.

• Section V is a listing of selected and annotatedfurther readings and resources on culture,faith and development issues more broadly.This section provides information aboutarticles; books and reports; case studies;United Nations initiatives; and toolkits onworking with FBOs.

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The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)promotes the right of every woman, man and childto enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity.UNFPA supports countries in using populationdata for policies and programmes to reducepoverty and to ensure that every pregnancy iswanted, every birth is safe, every young person isfree of HIV and AIDS, and every girl and woman istreated with dignity and respect.

— UNFPA Mission Statement

Learning from aLegacy

Over the decades, UNFPA haspartnered with “agents ofchange” across faith traditions.Agents of change are those incommunities who have leverage with manypeople and are open to bringing about orhelping to bring about change in societies. Theengagement has ranged from preventing HIVand treating AIDS, to encouraging safemotherhood and preserving the dignity of menand women by affirming their human rights aswell as their moral capacity to plan for theirfamilies’ well-being. Pleased with the recentincrease in interest and acceptance of the roleof FBOs2 in the wider development community,UNFPA is committed to both assessing andenhancing its faith-based partnerships, as part

of its broader strategic goal of creatingconducive sociocultural environments toensure the achievements of the ICPDProgramme of Action.

UNFPA-supported programmes have reachedsome of the most vulnerable and marginalizedcommunities through partnerships with faith and

interfaith organizations. Somechurches, mosques and templesaround the world already haveaffiliated schools, health units,income-generating programmes,and youth networks withnationwide and grass-roots reach.Working with these existing, long-standing, far-reaching andenergy-efficient mechanisms canlend credibility and familiarity to

many United Nations initiatives. This work is alsotime- and resource-efficient, and may reduceunnecessary duplication of activities. In addition,in many instances it can—and does—empowerlocal communities to bring about the changesthey deem necessary and prevent changes frombeing imposed by external actors. This isespecially important if initiatives are perceived asbeing threatening to community or religiousvalues, as locally interpreted.

Culture Matters: Lessons from a Legacy ofEngaging Faith-based Organizations is a sequel to

I Introduction—Background, Climate and Tools“Today, there is an urgent need to rebuild bridges and to enter into a sustained and constructive interculturaldialogue, one that stresses common values and shared aspirations. Religious leaders can play an importantrole in such an exchange. They can stress the core beliefs and ideals found in all the great faith traditions:compassion, solidarity, respect for life and kindness towards others.”

— Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General

“Religion as practiced and

interpreted is a powerful

force, with both positive

and negative impacts on

programming.”

— Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA Executive Director

2 Faith-based organizations are defined as religious and religion-based groups or congregations, specialized religious institutions, and registered orunregistered non-profit institutions that have a faith-based character or mission. Spiritual organizations are also considered faith-based organizations.


Culture Matters: Working with Communities andFaith-based Organizations. Some of the lessonslearned through these collaborations, presentedin the first Culture Matters, and elaboratedthrough the mapping undertaken in this sequel,are highlighted herewith:

• Communities can be encouraged to incorporateuniversally recognized rights into their ownrealities through an exploration of how humanrights and gender issues contribute to thewell-being of men, women, children andfamilies. See the example of Honduras andCosta Rica (page 72).

• Promoting behaviour change often begins byidentifying religious leaders who have thecapacity and legitimacy to motivate andmobilize communities. Partnering with localreligious leaders or agents of change hasbecome an invaluable strategy in gainingwider acceptance and ownership ofprogrammes, as illustrated by the example ofKyrgyzstan (pages 49-50).

• Carefully developed advocacy campaigns,closely tailored to the religious and othercultural contexts in which they arelaunched, make it easier to deal withsensitive subjects. Campaigns shouldreflect a clear understanding of the views ofboth allies and potential adversaries, andshould draw from sources that are popularwithin a given culture. One example is fromEritrea, (page 34).

• Effective negotiation requires an understandingof the interests of diverse stakeholders—frompolitical leaders to FBOs, cultural leaders andthe private sector. Until their interests areclearly understood, it will be difficult to findcommon ground. See the example ofColombia (pages 68-69).

• Incorporating language that appreciates thenuances of religion and religious sensitivities issometimes critical to the creation of spaces inwhich there is understanding and support forprogramme objectives, with a solidunderstanding of each other’s constraints. Seethe example from Afghanistan on page 54).

UNFPA began implementing its vision topartner with FBOs on reproductive health andpopulation issues more than 30 years ago,when it supported the establishment of theInternational Centre for Population Research ofAl-Azhar University in Cairo, the oldest Islamicreligious academic institution. It furtherpublished a very authoritative study on “Family

From Afghanistan: The Importance of Semantics

A case study from Afghanistan proves theimportance of semantics. Under theculturally sensitive banner “healthy familyrelations”, UNFPA supported a massadvocacy campaign to eliminate domesticviolence on the occasion of theInternational Day of the Elimination ofViolence against Women.

All the messages in the distributed bookswere informed by words from the Qur’anand Hadith (sayings of the MuslimProphet), and included sections on topicssuch as conflict management, as well as areference section on practical ways formullahs to use the book. Through theliaison of the Ministry of Religious Affairs,the mullahs’ assistance was successfullysought to disseminate the messages in thebook to their constituents in prayersessions and community meetings.

Planning in the Legacy of Islam”, which is stillconsidered a reference for discussions on thesubject. More recently, in 2002 UNFPA startedits revival of the relevance of culture ondevelopment, especially within the rapidlychanging socio-cultural and economicenvironment that is sweeping countries andpeoples around the globe.

To gain a deeper understanding of the regionalcultural specificities, UNFPA conductedinternal regional consultative meetings from2002 to 2005 to hear directly from itsinternational and national staff who areworking at the country level. It further includedquestions about culture in the questionnairesent to all governments in preparations for thecommemoration of ICPD+10. The responseshighlighted different priorities by location. InAfrica, the responses prioritized localtraditions; in Latin America, religion; in Asiaand the Pacific, cultural practices; and in theArab States, religion and culture took equalpriority. Building on these findings, UNFPAdeveloped a programmatic “culture lens” as anapproach to working with its partners indeveloping countries.

As the United Nations agency dealing withreproductive health and gender relations, UNFPAis acutely aware of the need to integrate culture,in its broadest sense, into programming as a keymeans of generating national and communityownership and sustainability for the programmes.In fact, UNFPA—as mandated by 179 countriesmeeting at ICPD in Cairo in 1994—realizes that,without the involvement and integration ofcommunity acceptance and ownership, it cannotprovide the required support to the countries inwhich it is invited to work.

CULTURE MATTERS14

UNFPA has a three-pronged programmingmethodology characterized by:

• Gender equality

• Cultural sensitivity

• A rights-based approach

Under these interlinked concepts, UNFPA’s work is focused on:

• Reproductive health

• Women’s empowerment and genderequality

• Population and development issues

Box 1. Faith-based Organizations—UNFPA Typology3

FBOs are defined as religious or faith-based groups or congregations, and officially registered non-governmental or governmental institutions that have a religious character or mandate.

Categories of Faith-based Organizations

1. Faith-based and/or faith-inspired development organizations, (e.g., Islamic Relief, Christian Aid,Catholic Relief Services, and their national, regional, and international chapters);

2. Interfaith- or multi-faith-based organizations: Organizations that come together for a commoncause guided by common values derived from different religious traditions, and provide servicesthat are beyond the scope of a single congregation;

3. Local congregations: People who worship together and reach out socially (e.g., organizing foodpantries, clothing donations, in-home visits and assistance to the elderly);

4. Ministries of religious affairs (particularly, but not only, in countries where non-governmentalorganizations may, for whatever reason, find it difficult to register or function).

3 UNFPA, Engaging Faith-based Organizations in HIV Prevention: A Training Manual for Programme Managers (2007).


Since early 2002 in particular, UNFPA hasbuilt on its legacy by systematically targeting,mainstreaming and mobilizing FBOs in all its areas of work. As a critical component of its culture mandate, UNFPA has advocated for mobilizing like-minded members of allfaith-based and interfaith communities,indigenous peoples, and cultural actors.

This has led UNFPA to focus first onunderstanding and promoting the significance ofculture in development work, and thus it hasprogressively developed a three-prongedprogramming methodology: a combination ofgender equality, cultural sensitivity and therights-based approach to programming. Underthese interlinked concepts, and within this nexusof culture-gender-human rights, UNFPA realizesits strategic mandate on reproductive health;women’s empowerment and gender equality;and population and development issues.

Collaboration and partnerships between UNFPAand local faith-based and religious leaders andorganizations have proved instrumental increating local ownership of the ICPDProgramme of Action4.

In countries where partnerships with suchstructures and institutions were formed, UNFPAwas able to mainstream reproductive healthconcerns and services into many of thesenetworks5.

Objectives, Assumptions andChallengesOBJECTIVES

The objectives of this report are:

• To document current partnerships betweenUNFPA and its faith-based constituencies inthe areas of reproductive health and population;

• To note some critical outcomes, lessonslearned and best practices of faith-basedpartnerships around the world;

• To share further resources on engagementwith FBOs.

ASSUMPTIONS

The basic assumptions, underlying theengagement between UNFPA and FBOs, basedon lessons learned to date, are:

From Colombia: Human Rights, includingReproductive Rights

In Colombia, a predominantly Catholiccountry ridden by conflict, UNFPA and theCatholic Church found common groundand goals. Shared principles on humanrights and the conviction that there is anurgent need to create peace was the basisfor this partnership.

UNFPA and the Church developed anawareness of individual rights byinitializing talks of reproductive rights. Oneof the benefits of the collaboration was theopportunity to engage armed groups, whowere less threatened by talk ofreproductive rights than of human rights.Thus, armed groups willingly participatedin reproductive health workshops, whichthen became opportunities to discusshuman rights. The entry point wasreproductive health, which led to adiscussion on respect for life and for thedignity and freedom of people.

4 The recommendations contained in the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (the CairoConference) address the mandate of the conference and its overall theme: the interrelationships among population, sustained economic growthand sustainable development.

5 United Nations Population Fund: Report of the Executive Director for 2003 (programme highlights).

• Faith and culture areimportant determinants ofvalue systems at both theindividual and the communitylevel. Religions and culturesare dynamic and interactive.They cannot be immune tosocietal changes, or todialogues and interpretationsthat take place in response tothe changing context of thecommunities.

• FBOs and religious leadershave enormous outreachpotential. They can reach the hearts and minds of their constituents and begenerators of sustainable change in traditionsand cultures.

• FBOs have large numbers of constituents inpublic posts who are involved in determiningsocial and economic priorities, allocating

resources, and influencingpublic opinion.

• In concrete and pragmaticterms, not only do FBOs havelarge networks of schools,health clinics and income-generating activities thatreach remote hamlets,villages, towns and cities, butin some parts of the world,FBOs provide the only and/orthe best education andhealth-related services. Thefigures below are based on aUSAID/Access study7 of the role of FBOs in health-care services in someAfrican countries:

• Democratic Republic of the Congo—FBOsaccount for 50 per cent of health services,with 180 hospitals and several thousandhealth clinics

• Kenya—FBOs account for 40 per cent ofhealth services, with 24 hospitals, 341health clinics and 51 church programmes

• Lesotho—FBOs account for 40 per cent ofhealth services, with eight hospitals and 75health clinics

• Uganda—FBOs account for more than 55per cent of health services and 75 per centof pre-services

• Religious leaders want the best for theirconstituencies, and can often be persuadedby science and statistics to change positionsfrom harmful practices to more positivealternative practices.

CULTURE MATTERS16

Box 2. Definitions: Religion andCulture6

Religion

1. The belief in a superhuman power, esp.in a personal God, or gods, entitled toobedience and worship.

2. The expression of this worship. 3. A particular system of faith and worship.

Culture

1. The arts and manifestations of humanintellectual achievements regardedcollectively.

2. The civilization and achievements of aparticular group of people.

“UNAIDS notes that “today

faith-based organizations,

both on their own and in

partnership with others, play a

vital and expanding role in the

comprehensive response to

HIV: empowering people to

avoid risk of exposure to HIV,

providing physical and

spiritual care to those infected

and affected, and combating

stigmatization and

discrimination.”

6 Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press).

7 “The Role of FBOs in Improving Maternal Newborn and Women’s Health” (USAID/Access presentation by Sarla Chand on, 24 March 2008).


CHALLENGES

Intended as a “mapping”, this report is more a“signpost along the road of UNFPA partnershipswith FBOs”, and less a comprehensivedocumentation of each partnership. Whereasnumerous programmes and studies point to thevalues of engaging faith-based communities(see Section V), a blueprint for doing so doesnot exist. Such engagement is contextual, basedon the specificity of each community.Furthermore, systematic documentation andcritical assessments of such partnershipsremain limited, even within UNFPA. Ironically,this lack is partly due to the enormous numbersof such partnerships over the years, and to thefact that the engagement with the faith-basedsector was often taken for granted bydevelopment actors, including UNFPA.

Compiling the information for this exercise hasproved, time and again, the need for moresystematic information gathering, as well asmore clarity as to indicators with which togauge both the range and extent of thesepartnerships and, critically, their impact. Lastbut by no means least, because of all thesechallenges, several pitfalls and dangers comewith the territory. And while we sharesuccessful engagements (those that haveresulted in changing mindsets and mobilizingkey policy changes and/or amendments, as wellas religious public-opinion makers), theengagement with the faith-based sectorrequires ever more consistent deliberation,patience, and wisdom.

The Culture LensAs the first Culture Matters asserts, cultures aredynamic, interactive and subject to change.

“People are products of their cultures, but theyare also active participants in shaping thesecultures8”—that is, they are agents in and ofcultures.

Religion is an important part of culture and viceversa, and harmful cultural practices rooted orassumed to be rooted in religious values and/orinterpretations may be some of the mostdifficult to change. However, when attitudes andbeliefs are respected and evidence is presented,most religious leaders are open to the idea thatspecific areas of development will improve thehealth and well-being of their constituents, aswell as the exercise of their right to health andother interrelated rights.

The knowledge that different social and culturalrealities create both challenges and opportunitiesfor achieving programme goals prompts UNFPAto systematically integrate cultural dynamics andagents into all of its programmes. One of theresults—and, indeed tools—of this was thedevelopment of the “culture lens”. The culturelens enables the integration of the three-prongedprogrammatic approach taken by UNFPAcombining gender equality, cultural sensitivityand human rights. The culture lens is a tool thatinforms programme designs which fit diversenational and local contexts, but without losingsight of the rights that are basic to the well-beingof the individuals and the communities9.

The Climate of Engagement—the United Nations and Faith-based Organizations

During the 1990s, in global conferences onthe environment, population anddevelopment, women, human rights, and

8 Culture Matters: Working with Communities and Faith-based Organizations,http://www.unfpa.org/upload/lib_pub_file/426_filename_CultureMatters_2004.pdf.

9 Culture Matters: Working with Communities and Faith-based Organizations,http://www.unfpa.org/upload/lib_pub_file/426_filename_CultureMatters_2004.pdf.

CULTURE MATTERS18

Box 3: The Culture Lens

The Culture Lens Encourages Finding Locally Grown Solutions to Ensure Ownership and Sustainability of Development Results

The “culture lens” is a programming tool that helpspolicymakers and development practitioners analyze,understand and employ cultural values, assets andstructures in their planning and programmingprocesses. This allows a deeper understanding ofthe ICPD Programme of Action, strengthensprogramming effectiveness, and createsconditions for ownership and sustainability ofUNFPA programmes in the areas of women’sempowerment and promotion of reproductivehealth and rights. The culture lens is anapproach promoted by UNFPA that canadvance the goals of programming effectivelyand efficiently, with strong communityacceptance and ownership. It allows thecommunity to determine how to go aboutidentifying what needs to change in order toachieve the basic rights of people to a better life.

The culture lens clarifies:

• Realities and socio-cultural assets of societies in which programmes are delivered. Theseassets could be religious congregations or prayer groups.

• Influential local power structures and pressure groups that can be potential allies oradversaries to development programming. In fact, some powerful partnerships have beenforged by groups of religious leaders.

• The internal cultural tensions and aspirations of the various subcultures. Some of these tensions arebetween human rights and gender vis-à-vis religious communities and religious interpretations.

These perspectives can help policymakers and development practitioners achieve the goals ofdevelopment programming more effectively and efficiently, with stronger community acceptanceand ownership, by:

• Developing skills for interacting with and engaging individuals, communities and interestgroups living in a specific cultural context—for example, by setting up acceptable meetingtimes that do not collide with religious services or decency requirements.

• Using culturally acceptable and persuasive language in communication with partners andstakeholders.

• Building bridges between local cultural values and universally recognized human rights andgender equity and equality.

• Creating a favourable environment for programme ownership by engaging stakeholders inconsultations, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes, thusensuring sustainability of these programmes.

Local Pressure

Groups and

Power

Structures

CommunityNeeds and

Aspirations

Com

munity

Acceptance

andO

wnership

Polit

ical

, Leg

al,

Soci

al, C

ultu

rean

d Ec

onom

icRe

aliti

es

Communication

Mediation/Negotiation

and FacilitationSkills

Language

Sensitivity

to

Culturally Specific

Contexts

HUMAN RIGHTS&

GENDER EQUITYAND EQUALITY

KNOWLEDGE

S K I L L S


social development, religion moved to theforefront of United Nations advocacy. Publicawareness of religion at the United Nationsalso increased dramatically as a result ofmedia coverage surrounding the 1994 ICPD in Cairo and subsequent United Nationsmeetings. The charged religious atmospherethat emerged there gave many observerspause to think about religion’s role ininternational dialogue.

In response, Religion Counts was establishedas an international representation of scholars,experts and leaders as they participated in andmonitored religious activities at the UnitedNations, especially the five-year reviews of theICPD+5 and Beijing+5. They concluded thatreligion is indeed present at the UnitedNations; that its role at the United Nations isunclear to many people; and that religiousindividuals and groups do not have unifiedperspectives on either the issues before theUnited Nations or the appropriate role ofreligion in the United Nations10.

Since then, changes have occurred. In fact,during the sixty-second session of the GeneralAssembly in October 2007, the High-levelDialogue on Interreligious and InterculturalUnderstanding and Cooperation for Peacenoted, among many statements, that “in orderto achieve full and timely implementation ofthe Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)and strengthen human rights institutions, the United Nations cooperates with civilsociety groups, among them faith-basedorganizations”. The aim of this, as the gatheredparticipants maintained, is strengthened

cooperation to eradicate poverty and promotehuman dignity and freedom from despair11.

The gathered governmental delegates werekeen to stress the need to deepen theunderstanding among cultures, religions andcivilizations, and come to a greaterinterreligious and intercultural cooperation forpeace. This, they deemed, is required in orderto remedy negative effects of the globalizationprocess as manifested, in part, throughpatterns of migration, and increased tensionsamong ethnic and religious groups12.

In fact, the United Nations has a long record ofdefending freedom of religion and beliefs as afundamental human right and a foundation forpeace and justice. Thus, religion is specificallymentioned in many important internationalconventions and declarations.

Initiatives that call for interreligious andintercultural dialogue are now unfolding andintensifying at the United Nations and beyond.They are framed by a number of United NationsGeneral Assembly resolutions, which are theformal expression of opinions and/or positionsby Member States.

A bird’s-eye view of some of the most recentrelated activities and/or initiatives undertakenby various United Nations agencies, funds,programmes and bodies, apart from UNFPA, isprovided below. Although by no meanscomprehensive, this overview provides aninsight into how the United Nations system hasactively and systematically partnered with FBOson key mandate areas.

10 Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA Executive Director, “Culture Matters to Development: It Is the ‘How’ and Not the ‘Why’ and the ‘What’” (TraverseLecture, Swiss Development Corporation, Bern, Switzerland, 13 December 2005).

11 Sixty-second session, “High-level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace” (summary of informalinteractive hearings of the General Assembly with representatives of civil society, non-governmental organizations, religious communities,academia and the private sector).

12 “High-level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace” (summary of the report submitted to UNFPAby Elisabeth Scheper, Official Rapporteur).

The Alliance of Civilizations(AoC)

The Alliance of Civilizations was established in2005, at the initiative of the Governments ofSpain and Turkey, under the auspices of theUnited Nations. It aims to improveunderstanding and cooperative relations amongnations and peoples across cultures andreligions, and, in the process, to help counterthe forces that fuel polarization and extremism.

The first phase of the Alliance started with thecreation by the United Nations Secretary-General of a high-level group of 20 eminentpersonalities mandated to produce a reportexploring the roots of polarization amongcultures and societies worldwide and proposingpractical recommendations to address this

growing trend. The high-level group presentedits report to Secretary-General Kofi Annan inNovember 2006.

In April 2007, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Jorge Sampaio,former President of Portugal, as HighRepresentative for the Alliance. This marked thebeginning of the second phase of the Alliance ofCivilizations, with the development of an action-oriented implementation plan focusing oninitiatives and projects in the areas of youth,media, education and migration.

The Alliance is supported by a Group of Friends—a community of more than 85 member countriesand international organizations and bodies.Working in partnership with governments,international and regional organizations, civil

CULTURE MATTERS20

2007 61/269. High-level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding andCooperation for Peace61/221. Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace61/164. Combating defamation of religions 61/161. Elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief

2006 60/166. Elimination of all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief60/160. Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging toNational or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities60/150. Combating defamation of religions60/11. Promotion of religious and cultural understanding, harmony and cooperation60/10. Promotion of interreligious dialogue and cooperation for peace

2005 59/199. Elimination of all forms of religious intolerance59/142. Promotion of religious and cultural understanding, harmony and cooperation

2004 59/23. Promotion of interreligious dialogue

Box 4: UNGA Resolutions Mentioning Religion13

13 Derived courtesy of the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations website, http://www.rngo.org.


14 http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/a_ccpr.htm.

Box 5: Conventions and Declarations

The United Nations has throughout its history been aware of the importance of religion. Religionis mentioned in Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as one of the elementsthat is fundamental to ensure the enjoyment of human rights without discrimination.

Article 2 states that:

“Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms …without distinction of any kind, such as race,colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth orother status.”

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights recognizes the right to freedom ofreligion14. Article 18 stipulates that:

1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shallinclude freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, eitherindividually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion orbelief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.

2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt areligion or belief of his choice.

3. Freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as areprescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or thefundamental rights and freedoms of others.

4. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parentsand, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of theirchildren in conformity with their own convictions.

In 1981, the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of DiscriminationBased on Religion or Belief was signed and enacted. It states in Article 1.1 that:

“Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shallinclude freedom to have a religion or whatever belief of his choice, and freedom, either individuallyor in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship,observance, practice and teaching.”

Religion and religious beliefs are integrated and protected in a number of other conventions anddeclarations, such as:

1. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966)

2. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)

3. The Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (1989)

4. The Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious andLinguistic Minorities (1992)

5. The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007)

society groups, foundations, and the privatesector, the Alliance is supporting a range ofprojects and initiatives aimed at building bridgesamong a diversity of cultures and communities. Itis developing an online clearinghouse of bestpractices, materials and resources on cross-cultural dialogue and cooperation projects, aswell as a Rapid Response Media Mechanism toprovide platforms for constructive debate andopinion during times of increased tensionsaround cross-cultural issues.

The Alliance’s focus on concrete initiatives wasreinforced and consolidated at the First Allianceof Civilizations Forum, which was hosted by theGovernment of Spain on 15 and 16 January 2008.This high-profile, action-oriented event broughttogether a powerful network of political leaders,governments, international organizations, civilsociety groups, and religious communities, aswell as media and corporate leaders. Among itsmany outcomes, it featured the signing of anaction-oriented statement of solidarity and jointcommitment by diverse religious leaders towardsthe goal of advancing shared security and peace,and providing youth with guidance to counterextremist influences.

United Nations Programme onAIDS (UNAIDS)Created as a structure to ensure coordinationamong the various United Nations agenciesworking in and around HIV and AIDS, theUNAIDS Secretariat (and its 10 co-sponsors15)have long-standing historical engagement with networks of FBOs. UNAIDS recognizes thatthe role of religion is becoming increasinglyrelevant in international development today.Furthermore, UNAIDS acknowledges theimportant role that FBOs provide in terms of

health services in particular in many parts of theworld. This, in turn, highlights the need toengage and enhance partnerships with religiousleaders and faith-based communities from allfaith traditions in the response to AIDS. It hasbeen encouraging to find that collaboration onAIDS is often possible even in situations ofsignificant religious tension and conflict.

UNAIDS cooperates with FBOs in the provisionof a range of services that include spiritual andmaterial support for people living with HIV orAIDS, home visits, and care for orphans andvulnerable children. It works with networks ofreligious leaders living with and/or affected byHIV—the African Network (ANERELA+) and theInternational Network (INERELA+)—which havea wide reach and capacity to respond to AIDS.

UNAIDS also works with FBOs that convenereligious leaders in dialogue, and others that areactively involved in training health-care workers,teachers and other professionals, all of which arecritical activities to address the growing humanresource shortages in countries highly affected byAIDS. It thereby supports theological reflectionthat has fed into the teachings of clergy andreligious leaders, and promotes interfaithdialogue at both international and country levels,where faith leaders are involved in national andinternational decision-making processes onAIDS. UNAIDS encourages religious leaders tospeak out on stigma and discrimination.

FBOs have been represented on the NGOdelegation to the UNAIDS ProgrammeCoordinating Board (PCB), on the civil societytask force for the High-level Meetings on AIDS,in national interfaith networks engaged in theThree Ones national partnership forums, and inthe Global Fund for Tuberculosis, AIDS and

CULTURE MATTERS22

15 UNAIDS brings together the efforts and resources of 10 United Nations system organizations to the global AIDS response. Co-sponsors areUNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank.http://www.unaids.org/en/Partnerships/UNFamily/default.asp.

Malaria (GFTAM) mechanisms, such as theNGO delegations to their governing board andCountry Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs).

The UNAIDS Secretariat has a Memorandum ofUnderstanding with Caritas Internationalis,which provides practical relief and developmentthrough 163 national member organizationsworking in more than 200 countries, 103 ofthem with well-established HIV programmes.UNAIDS also collaborates with the EcumenicalAdvocacy Alliance; the Tear Fund; Islamic Relief;the Buddhist Sangha Metta Project; and the Artof Living Foundation, a Hindu group building aleadership platform among Hindu religiousleaders in India. In November 2007, UNAIDSExecutive Director Dr. Peter Piot gave theplenary address at the Saddleback Church globalAIDS summit, and senior managers madepresentations in the plenary sessions of twosignificant Islamic conferences on AIDS. At theregional and country levels, the UNAIDSSecretariat has approximately 60 PartnershipOfficers working with regional and nationalinterfaith networks, religious leaders, and NGOswith religious affiliations delivering AIDSservices often in rural communities. It welcomesadvocacy, coming from the faith community,which is designed to influence political decisionson AIDS, funding priorities, public policy, andaccess to antiretroviral drugs and services.

The United Nations Educational,Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO)

UNESCO16 works with religious authorities of allfaiths as well as other civil society partners toachieve common goals. The starting point forUNESCO is that ignorance of religious pluralismleads to misunderstanding and, consequently,

to intolerance. UNESCO believes that aunidimensional perception of culture andreligious “truth” is detrimental to the pluralismof ideas and beliefs, and can lead to ideologicalor nationalistic extremism, and isolationism.However, UNESCO maintains that religion canand does foster social cohesion. To this end,UNESCO has developed an interdisciplinaryprogramme on interreligious dialogue, a keycomponent of intercultural dialogue.

The interreligious dialogue programme drawson various disciplines, as well as on the supportand cooperation of all sectors of UNESCO.UNESCO has engaged specialized non-governmental organizations (NGOs) anduniversities to conduct specific research. Muchof the research confirms that religion is not afactor leading to the disintegration of the socialfabric but a factor of mutual enrichment,beneficial to society as a whole.

For UNESCO, interreligious dialogue is acomponent of intercultural dialogue, becausebeliefs are to be considered part of the overallculture of human beings. The fact that religion isviewed as a component of culture, UNESCOmaintains, helps in avoiding dogmatic issues onthe primacy of religion in social life.

The issue of religion is also placed within theoverall discussion on cultural diversity. Religiousbeliefs, attitudes and practices are an importantcomponent of this diversity and should berespected and preserved at the different levelsof social life.

Religious issues increasingly attract the attention of States as well as academic circles, intergovernmental organizations, and NGOs. In response to the actual focus on religiousconfrontations and religion-based prejudices,


16 http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html.

CULTURE MATTERS24

UNESCO was requested by its Member States toplace particular emphasis on the issue ofinterreligious dialogue.

UNESCO has an expertise and added value tobring to this field because it is the only agencyof the United Nations system to carry out anInterreligious Dialogue programme. As part ofthe United Nations reform initiatives of“delivering as one”, UNESCO has endeavouredto work in synergy with other agencies thataddress similar problems or issues, such as theHigh Commission for Human Rights, UNICEF,and other regional institutions, such as theEuropean Council, Parliament and Commission.UNESCO intends to consolidate and strengthenthis inter-agency work in the coming years.

The United Nations Children’sFund (UNICEF) For UNICEF, FBOs and religious leaders havebecome important partners in its work withchildren around the globe. In developingcountries, UNICEF works very closely withBuddhist, Christian and Islamic faithcommunities. UNICEF maintains that religionplays a central, integrating role in social andcultural life in most developing countries, andthat, indeed, there are often many more religiousleaders than health workers. They are in closerand more regular contact with all age groups insociety, and their voices are highly respected. Intraditional communities, religious leaders areoften more influential than local governmentofficials or secular community leaders.

Some of the areas of engagement for UNICEF inaddressing children’s rights are educationalprojects for out-of-school and abused children,advocacy and education for HIV and AIDSawareness and prevention, combating childlabour and commercial sexual exploitation ofchildren, and providing the best possible healthcare for children. The engagement of religiousleaders in advocacy for, and the integration andpromotion of, child rights and child protectioninto social action programmes led by churchesand religious groups17 continues to be a hallmarkof the work UNICEF conducts with FBOs.

The United NationsDepartment of Economic andSocial Affairs (UN/DESA)

DESA has a long-standing involvement inintercultural issues. As the United Nationsentity servicing the Economic and SocialCouncil, including its Commission on SocialDevelopment and the Permanent Forum onIndigenous Issues, DESA produces extensivepolicy analyses and normative work on issuessuch as social inclusion and the status ofindigenous peoples. This work always seeks topromote intercultural dialogue within andamong communities. Moreover, DESA ismandated to bring various entities of the UnitedNations system together in support of theconsideration by the General Assembly of theculture of peace, intercultural and interfaithdialogue, and the dialogue among civilizations18.

17 UNICEF home page, http://www.unicef.org, 15 January 2008. Also see Selected Further Resources for UNICEF experiences on working with FBOs.

18 http://www.un.org/esa/desa and http://www.un.org/ga/president/62/issues/interreligiousintercultural/UNinitiatives.pdf.

A. The Civil Society Hearing on Interreligious andIntercultural Understandingand Cooperation for Peace

In October 2007, a high-level dialogue tookplace at the United Nations General Assemblythat included a half-day informal hearing underthe overarching theme “High-level Dialogue onInterreligious and Intercultural Understandingand Cooperation for Peace”. The purpose of theinformal hearing was to provide an opportunityfor NGOs, academia and the private sector tointeract with United Nations Member Statesand bodies.

UNFPA collaborated actively with the Office ofthe President of the General Assembly (OPGA),DESA, UNESCO, UNICEF, and the UnitedNations Non-Governmental Liaison Service tosupport a Steering Committee composed ofglobal civil society representatives. The SteeringCommittee, which comprised representativesfrom various FBOs (accredited by relevantUnited Nations bodies), and on which theUnited Nations representatives served asfacilitators, put together a list of candidatesrepresenting FBOs, as well as academia andprivate sector representatives, to speak at theinformal hearing19.

UNFPA hosted and co-organized several of thedeliberations and meetings, including the Civil

Society Hearing and facilitated the process ofnominating and selecting FBO representatives. Italso sent out invitations to members of its globalfaith-based networks urging their participation inthe selection process. UNFPA sponsored some ofthe selected FBO representatives from Africa, LatinAmerica, and the Arab region. In addition, UNFPAsponsored a round-table event that broughttogether some of the representatives at the CivilSociety Hearing to discuss the challenges andsuccesses of mobilizing around reproductive healthand population in different parts of the world.

The objectives of the High-level Dialogue were to:

• Strengthen efforts towards interreligious andintercultural understanding and cooperationby engaging a variety of actors andconstituencies in government, civil societyand the United Nations system, to promote aculture of peace and dialogue amongcivilizations and advance multi-stakeholdercoalitions on related issues

• Translate shared values into action under thehigh-level goal of achieving sustainable peacein the 21st century.20

Through the Civil Society Hearing, it becameapparent why religion was perceived asoccupying an increasingly unique role. On theone hand, the FBO representatives maintainedthat religious spokespersons “have a distinctivespiritual and moral authority to bear the

II Highlights of Ongoing Commitments by UNFPA


19 “High-level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace” (summary report),http://www.un.org/ga/president/61/follow-up/hld-interreligious.shtml.

20 “High-level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace” (summary report),http://www.un.org/ga/president/61/follow-up/hld-interreligious.shtml.

CULTURE MATTERS26

unbearable and forgive the unforgivable”.21 Onthe other hand, some of the participants notedthat religions may also assert superiority toothers and make claims to “ultimate truth”.

While this is one of the key factors behind thepotential for religions to be abused to justifyviolence, it can also work as an incentive forpeacemaking. Some of the FBO representativesargued that they are agents of peace. Somespoke to the need to view perpetrators who usesacred texts to condone violence as part ofreligious communities, who need to be invitedto internal faith dialogues rather than pushed tofurther marginalization. They also suggestedthat the United Nations urge religious groups towork together—and if possible facilitate suchwork—across internal and external divides,noting that this would “undermine the potentialfor claims to absolutism or exclusivity”.

To develop a shared vision, the participantsmaintained, societies must be introspectivewith regard to their own religious and culturaltraditions. There is a need, they urged, for twocomplementary dialogues: the interreligiousdialogue, and the dialogue with extremeelements within the one religious tradition. Bothwere deemed equally important.

The FBO representatives noted that whenreligions promote egalitarianism, they becomepowerful allies in attempts to foster peace amongthe nations. They advocated further that concreteexamples of successful grass-roots dialoguesinvolving different religious communities and civilsociety organizations need to be systematicallycollected and disseminated as proof of practicalefficiency and peacekeeping resources.

Some participants were keen to stress the roleof the media in promoting understanding, andthat freedom of speech must not be used tofoster hatred and misunderstanding. Some ofthe FBO representatives also praised the role ofthe United Nations in monitoring and callingattention to victims of religious repression, butthey cautioned that freedom of religion andbeliefs continues to be violated in several partsof the world. Finally, participants urged thatboth governments and religious representativesneed to work together more reflectively anddeliberately, targeting shared concerns.

B. The Launch of the Women,Faith and DevelopmentAlliance (WFDA)

UNFPA has also endorsed the Women, Faith,and Development Alliance (WFDA), a uniquepartnership of a tripartite axis of internationallyfocused faith, development and women’s

From Eritrea: Multi-faith in Action

Some of the UNFPA projects are multi-faith and engage not only various faithconfessions but also several religions. Inthe project titled “Care and Support forPeople Living with HIV and AIDS”, UNFPAin Eritrea directly collaborated with theIslamic Mufti Office as well as theOrthodox, Catholic and EvangelicalChurches. UNFPA facilitated a NationalCommittee consisting of representativesfrom these groups to create an interfaithplatform that would oversee and assessthe performance of the project. The projectitself addresses issues of reproductivehealth, HIV and AIDS, and maternalmorbidity and mortality.

21 UNFPA, Report of the Civil Society Hearing around the High-level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace(excerpts compiled by Elisabeth Scheper, October 2007).

organizations. The Breakthrough Summit inApril 2008 served as a forum for internationalleaders from faith communities, governments,donors and NGOs to convene and announcenew commitments to engender global povertyalleviation efforts.

Co-founded by the Washington NationalCathedral’s Centre for Global Justice andReconciliation, InterAction’s Commission on theAdvancement of Women, Religions for Peaceand Women Thrive Worldwide, WFDAlaunched its international action and advocacycampaign at the Breakthrough Summit inWashington, DC. The Summit offered anopportunity to announce this unique alliance ina manner orchestrated to show the varied facesand discourses of its members, whilehighlighting the critical issues of injustice facingwomen and girls. WFDA is dedicated toengendering global efforts to reduce poverty byincreasing political will and action to increaseinvestments in women’s and girls’empowerment around the world.

Echoing the UNFPA vision of collaboration andpartnerships that bring the faith-based worldwithin the programmatic ambit of internationaldevelopment agencies and women’s rightsorganizations, WFDA provides a naturalcounterpart to the UNFPA efforts. Hence,UNFPA has committed to helping WFDA set itsorganizational infrastructure and programmaticengagements.

C. Trainings on CulturallySensitive Programming

In August 2008, UNFPA concluded its cycle oftraining workshops for its own regional staff onculturally sensitive programming, which followon the country-specific trainings that havetaken place since 2003. So far, several suchworkshops have been held in Baku, Azerbaijan;Bangkok, Thailand; Cairo, Egypt; Contonou,

Benin; Nairobi, Kenya; Panama City, Panama;and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

UNFPA has also developed training manuals onculturally sensitive programming for its trainingworkshops organized for the United NationsCountry Teams (UNCTs), which took place overthe course of 2007/08. June 2008 saw thecompletion of the five trainings for UNCTs ofBangladesh, Brazil, Iran, Iraq and Jordan. As anopportunity to discuss the challenges ofconceiving development programmes in the midstof the tense nexus of culture, gender and humanrights, these UNCT trainings provided an overviewof shared inter-agency dilemmas, as well as criticalopportunities for reflection on creative approaches.

D. Consolidating UNFPA-FBOPartnerships in 2008 andBeyond: Convening andLaunching Regional andGlobal Interfaith Networkson Population andDevelopment

Lessons from the partnerships in which UNFPAhas been active show amazing results in areasthat might not have been the most obvious. Thetypes of interventions and partnershipsbetween FBOs and UNFPA are multifaceted,multicultural and multi-faith.

In 2007, UNFPA began planning a series ofregional consultations bringing together itspartner FBOs to share best practices andlessons learned. The regional meetings aredesigned to emerge with recommendations toenhance these multifaceted partnerships, with aview towards successfully addressing some ofthe most pressing concerns (HIV and AIDS,gender-based violence, empowerment ofwomen, reduction in maternal morbidity andmortality, and response to humanitarian crisis).


CULTURE MATTERS28

The African Forum took place in Durban,South Africa, in December 2007, and wasfollowed by the Asia and Pacific Forum inKuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in May 2008. In July2008, the Arab region hosted its FBO Forumin Cairo, followed by the Latin American andCaribbean one in Buenos Aires in September.Each of these Fora is an opportunity toconvene a critical mass of FBOs that supportthe agenda of the ICPD and MDGs, andthereby to form regional interfaith networks.

The Regional Fora are critical moments ofreflection in the journey UNFPA is takingtowards creating a Global Interfaith Networkon Population and Development. Theiroutcomes crystallize and fortify the emergenceof this significant faith-based movement forhuman development. Each consecutiveRegional Forum documents the lessons learnedand incorporates the recommendationsemerging from the prior consultation. At thesame time, each Forum focuses on thespecificities of building interfaith partnershipsaround a particular set of issues relevant toeach respective region.

The Regional Fora culminate in a Global Faith-based Forum, during which the successesof FBO partnerships will be presented. TheRegional and Global Fora are in line with theUNFPA 2008-2011 Strategic Plan, whichemphasizes the forging of regional multilateralpartnerships and alliances that include andunderscore the importance of partnering with

faith-based groups in order to enhance theglobal outreach by UNFPA to support countriesin achieving the ICPD-MDG agendas.

As the 15-year anniversary of the ICPD in2009 approaches, it is time to take stock ofachievements, gaps and challenges, andmobilize a critical mass of partnershipstowards reaching the goals set out by theICPD nearly 15 years ago and their link to theMDGs. Efforts to implement the ICPDProgramme of Action and to achieve the MDGof reducing global poverty by half by 2015continue to gather momentum. By conveningthis critical mass of FBOs at the regional andglobal levels around the ICPD issues, the Forathus aim to achieve the following:

• Create a Global Interfaith Network onPopulation and Development as a key catalystin furthering a conducive socioculturalenvironment.

• Endorse increased access to comprehensivereproductive health services and care. Thegathered FBOs and religious leaders willprovide recommendations to enhance theirpartnerships with UNFPA on improvingstrategies, approaches and capacities todeliver on the UNFPA mandate areas.

• Share challenges, lessons learned and bestpractices in creating culturally sensitive andrights-based partnerships and alliances forthe MDGs.

III Mapping UNFPA and FBO Partnerships in the Field


In 2006, UNFPA carried out a “mappingexercise” that had the following objectives:

• To gather information on the partnershipsbetween UNFPA and FBOs on reproductivehealth, gender equality and populationdynamics

• To document specific outcomes, lessonslearned and best practices of such partnerships

• To identify potential future FBO partners

Sources and MethodologyA questionnaire was sent out to all countryoffices, and an analysis of an earlier survey onICPD+10 was performed to identify FBOpartners. Subsequently, in 2007, UNFPA sent afollow-up questionnaire with five selectquestions to UNFPA country offices to updatethe information and fill in some gaps. Theresponses were consolidated in the form of anFBO case study chart and project summarydocuments. This was supplemented byadditional data from the field derived from theUNFPA publications Culture Matters: Working

with Communities and Faith-based Organizations(2004), Working from Within: Culturally SensitiveApproaches in UNFPA Programming (2004), andProgramming to Address Violence against Women:Ten Case Studies (2005).

Although the mapping covers the period of2006/07, some of the FBO case studiespresented were executed prior to those dates.An overview of all the case studies can be foundin Appendix A. The relationship betweenUNFPA and FBOs continues and evolves, hencethe mapping is intended to be a work inprogress, or a living document, rather than aqualitative milestone assessment.22 In thefollowing sections, the mapping information isorganized by region: Africa; Arab States,Eastern Europe and Central Asia; Asia and thePacific; and Latin America and the Caribbean.Each section consists of a brief overview of thecontext, a table, and a listing per country.

It is to the three-decade legacy of the partnershipbetween UNFPA and FBOs working in Africa, theArab States, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Asiaand the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbeanthat we now turn.

22 Updates available at http://www.unfpa.org/publications/index.cfm?filterListType=3&filterSortBy=1&filterTitleArr=A-B-C.

CULTURE MATTERS30

Africa Overview

As a continent, Africa is rich in its wealth ofnatural resources and its abundance of people,though neither is yet well developed andutilized. Furthermore, it is a continent with areligious, cultural, social and economic diversitythat ranges from rich tribal animist societies tomodern urban centres, and has traditionally hadstrong collaboration between FBOs andinternational organizations. Complex culturalrealities such as pro-natalism (an attitude thatencourages childbearing), polygamy andcustomary law are present in a mix withmodernity and monotheistic religions in muchof the continent. Poverty, gender inequality, HIVprevalence and harmful practices, includinggender-based violence, are the biggestchallenges to meeting the needs and assuringthe rights of women and girls, men and boys,young and old.

Though many of the African countries have madeprogress towards economic growth, efforts toeradicate poverty, empower women, reduce childmortality and improve maternal health in theregion continue to be severely undercut by thedevastating AIDS pandemic and by massivehuman displacements in the wake of naturaldisasters, violent conflicts and political strife. Inan area that is home to more than 60 per cent ofthe world’s HIV-positive people, halting andreversing the spread of HIV, as well as addressingother health issues such as malaria andtuberculosis, are among the highest priorities.23

Making motherhood safer is another urgentpriority: Women in the region face a 1-in-16lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy-relatedcauses, and millions more will be disabled. Thehigh rate of teen pregnancies creates additional

risks for mothers and newborns. Lack of access toemergency obstetric care and a low proportion ofbirths attended by professionally trainedpersonnel contribute to the continuing,extraordinarily high rates of maternal death anddisability. Among ongoing work, advocacyremains needed to target the poorest of the poorin urban slums and in difficult-to-reach areas, inefforts to stamp out harmful practices and reducegender-based violence (associated with poorpregnancy outcomes, among other effects).Expanded efforts also are under way to treatwomen who have been disabled by obstetricfistula, a devastating injury of childbearing.24

Early motherhood is prevalent, with a continentalaverage of 103 births per 1,000 teenage girlsaged 15-19. But this ranges from less than 6 percent in South Africa, to Niger, where a fourth ofadolescent girls are mothers.25

Population statistics for Africa are themselves inneed of enhancement, and diligent collection,updated analysis and utilization of thisinformation for planning purposes is needed.But it is already well known that there arecritical challenges to be addressed. HIV andAIDS prevalence is high, especially in southernAfrica, where 25 per cent of men and 40 percent of women carry the virus. Infant mortalityrates are, on average, 89 per 1,000 live births;however, this ranges from 44 per 1,000 inMauritius to 160 per 1,000 in Sierra Leone.From a reproductive health point of view,therefore, while the need for accurate dataremains one of the key issues for population anddevelopment, the biggest challenges are thehigh levels of maternal and infant mortality, HIVand AIDS, and early childbirth.

Hence, the dominant areas of engagementwith FBOs are AIDS treatment, support and

23 http://www.unfpa.org/africa/overview.cfm.

24 http://www.unfpa.org/africa/overview.cfm.

25 UNFPA, “Monitoring ICPD Goals: Selected Indicators”, in State of the World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth (2007).


care; reproductive rights and sexual andreproductive health (including such health andrights specifically for adolescents); maternalhealth; family planning; gender equality; andelderly health. The projects in which UNFPAhas been involved are wide-ranging, havingincluded programmes with youth, women andmen, elderly people, religious leaders (e.g.,imams), professional health personnel, andpeople living with HIV and AIDS.

UNFPA partnered with a variety of FBOs, suchas the Botswana Council of Churches, theCatholic congregation of the House of theLittle Sisters of the Poor (des Petites Soeursdes Pauvres), the Supreme Muslim Council ofGhana, and Religions Against AIDS inRwanda. Partnership activities entailedadvocacy such as establishing spaces fordialogue with communities in forums.Capacity-building activities consisted oftraining, sensitization and awareness-raising

among professional personnel, governmentrepresentatives and NGOs, as well as themobilization of religious leaders.

The lessons learned from the ongoingengagement with FBOs include the realizationthat prior to designing advocacy work for grass-roots communities, it is important to ensurethat leaders of these communities areapproached, sensitized and incorporated intothe development process. In fact, practical fieldexperiences point to the fact that dialogue,sensitization and joint programming with FBOsshould be an ongoing process that goes beyonda single programming cycle. Likewise, it is vitalto find ways and means to mainstreamdevelopment activities into the work of faith-based partners, so that such activities becomepart of their regular programmes. Critically,providing hard data has proved time and againto be one of the best advocacy tools to win oversome faith-based partners.26

26 The full case study, “Strengthening Ties with a Religious Network in Ghana that Promotes Interfaith Understanding and Better Prospects forYouth”, can be found in the publication Culture Matters: Working with Communities and Faith-based Organizations (2004).

CULTURE MATTERS32

Benin ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Botswana ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Burkina Faso ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Burundi ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Democratic Republic of the Congo ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Eritrea ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Ethiopia ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Gambia ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Ghana ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Kenya ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Liberia ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Madagascar ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Malawi ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Mauritania ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Niger ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Nigeria ✓ ✓

Senegal ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Sierra Leone ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

South Africa ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Tanzania and Zanzibar ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Uganda ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Zimbabwe ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Isla

m

Chr

istia

nity

Inte

rfai

th

Relig

ious

lead

ers

Faith

-bas

ed o

rgan

izat

ions

Adv

ocac

y w

ith c

omm

unity

-bas

edor

gani

zatio

ns

Cap

acity

bui

ldin

g w

ith

relig

ious

lead

ers

HIV

/AID

S an

d se

xual

ly

tran

smitt

ed in

fect

ions

Repr

oduc

tive

righ

ts a

nd s

exua

lan

d re

prod

uctiv

e he

alth

Ado

lesc

ent

repr

oduc

tive

righ

ts

and

sexu

al a

nd r

epro

duct

ive

heal

th

Fam

ily p

lann

ing

Mat

erna

l and

infa

nt m

orta

lity

Gen

der

equa

lity

Fem

ale

geni

tal m

utila

tion/

cutt

ing

Gen

der-

base

d vi

olen

ce

Popu

latio

n

Elde

rly

heal

th

Table 1:

At a Glance: UNFPA-FBOPartnerships inAfrica

RELIGION PARTNERSHIP ACTIVITY ISSUES ADDRESSED


Africa Insights

Benin

• UNFPA supports a network of Islamicassociations that build capacity among theirconstituency to advocate for the rights ofwomen. The associations also assist withresource mobilization and work to increasethe access of adolescents and young peopleto sexual and reproductive health informationand services, including such information andservices concerning HIV and AIDS.

Botswana

• To implement the African Youth Alliance(AYA) project, funded by the Bill and MelindaGates Foundation and later integrated into thenational programme, UNFPA entered into adirect, interdenominational agreement withthe Botswana Council of Churches (BCC) asthe main partner, along with the EvangelicalFellowship of Botswana and the Organizationof African Independent Churches. The overallgoal of AYA is to improve the sexual andreproductive health of adolescents, especiallyfocusing on sexually transmitted infections(STIs) and HIV prevention. The objectives areto advocate for the mainstreaming ofreproductive health issues into the teachingsof the church in Sunday school, confirmation,premarital classes, weddings, funerals andregular church services. Moreover, AYAadvocates teaching these issues in seminariesand religious schools. The project employedprogrammatic strategies such as communityand media mobilization, partnership andcapacity-building, and the formation ofcoalitions for the advocacy of adolescentsexual and reproductive health in the church.

• Furthermore, the BCC conducted sensitizationand mobilization campaigns among church

leaders and members of the religiouscommunity, with the active involvement ofyoung people, in support of adolescent sexualand reproductive health programmes, as wellas for the dissemination of information on STIsand HIV prevention. Through project sitevisits, the BCC closely coordinates andmonitors the implementation of the projects.UNFPA monitors the project’s implementationand offers technical support and resources forit, where needed. As a result, the project hasdeveloped a conducive environment forconstructive interventions in the areas ofadolescent sexual and reproductive health.

Burkina Faso

• During a meeting of the country’s principalIslamic organizations, UNFPA worked withreligious leaders to promote family planning.Although the religious leaders did not makeany decisions on the contraception methodsthey would promote, they agreed to take partin activities to sensitize their communitiesregarding the need for family planning andimproved maternal health. The focus is tomake family planning the responsibility ofevery couple.

Burundi

• UNFPA works with Muslim leaders to increaseknowledge of and sensitivity to gender-basedviolence, reproductive health and rights, andgender equality. Focus areas are inheritancelaws and marital rights, and population anddevelopment issues. As a result, UNFPA haswitnessed an increased commitment amongthese religious leaders to adopt and enforcethese laws.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• In an effort to provide support to the elderly andto reduce the morbidity caused by malaria,

CULTURE MATTERS34

UNFPA has given funding to preventiveprogramming. UNFPA partnered with theCatholic congregation of the House of the LittleSisters of the Poor (des Petites Soeurs desPauvres) to reduce elderly morbidity andsensitize the congregation to the quality of lifeamong elderly people in their community.UNFPA also held an open house to advocate forthe sustainable care needed for the elderly. Thiswas also an opportunity to further partnershipswith other United Nations agencies.

Eritrea

• In a project titled “Care and Support for PeopleLiving with HIV and AIDS”, UNFPA collaborateddirectly with the Office of the Mufti, as well asthe Orthodox, Catholic and EvangelicalChurches. UNFPA facilitated a nationalcommittee consisting of representatives fromthese groups in order to create an interfaithplatform to oversee and assess the performanceof the project, which addresses issues ofreproductive health, HIV and AIDS, andmaternal morbidity and mortality.

Ethiopia

• In partnership with the Ethiopian YouthNetwork, UNFPA organized a high-leveladvocacy day targeting FBOs as well asparliamentarians, donors, NGOs, and othersectors. The objective of the day was to drawattention to and support for adolescent andyouth sexual and reproductive health issues,including vulnerability to HIV infection andvarious forms of gender-based violence. Thisevent was part of the comprehensiveadolescent and youth reproductive health(AYRH) strategy developed by the FederalMinistry of Health. The strategy advocates aredistribution of resources and renewedefforts to reach all segments of adolescentsand youth, including the marginalized andmost vulnerable groups.

• The advocacy day provided valuable inputs toenrich the AYRH strategy. UNFPA supportsthe development of an AYRH StrategicImplementation Plan from the current nationalAYRH strategy. One of the key principles ofthe strategy is “segmentation” of informationand services—that is, strategies to deliversexual and reproductive health informationand services that take into account thedifferent characteristics of adolescents andyouth such as age, sex, school attendance,residence (urban/rural) and vulnerability.

• In another example of strategic advocacy,UNFPA supported the government’simplementation of the National PopulationPolicy. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church wasapproached as a partner to change theattitudes of strong opponents of populationpolicies. The mechanism in this advocacy is thecollation of a “Development Bible” as a tool forpriests when they address population issuesamong the church’s 40 million followers.

• The UNFPA country office involved theEthiopian Orthodox Archbishop in blessing amural painted by more than 30 local artists.In blessing the mural, the Archbishoprequested that priests all over Ethiopia ceaseblessing child marriages.

Gambia

• UNFPA partners with the Subcommittee onIslam and Christianity on Population andDevelopment, made up of influential andreligious leaders in each of the fiveadministrative divisions of the country. Thesubcommittee is responsible for educatingcivil society on sexual and reproductive healthissues, as well as encouraging effectiveparticipation in decision-making. The newlycreated FBO has contributed positively tobuilding an enabling environment for thepromotion of reproductive health and rights.

With regard to promoting the advancement ofwomen and gender equality, UNFPA hascontributed to advocacy activities by FBOsand the Subcommittee on Islam andChristianity regarding the importance ofeducation, especially for female children. Arecently formed FBO has benefited fromforums held in Dakar and Zanzibar wheremembers were exposed to innovativestrategies and interventions in theimplementation of the ICPD and the MDGs inIslam and reproductive health rights.

Ghana

• Aimed at building South-South cooperation,initiatives include supporting the participationof a delegation of Ghanaian Muslims in an FBOconference in Abuja, Nigeria. Moreover,UNFPA supported two follow-up workshops toenhance the capacity of religious leaders toestablish networks for population, reproductivehealth and gender issues throughout thecountry. The advocacy of UNFPA amongtraditional and religious leaders on promotingthe rights of women and girls has had apositive impact on development in that it hashelped to improve the discussion and trackingof the impingement of these rights in thecommunity.

• On awareness of fistula, UNFPA collaboratedwith a U.S. Christian philanthropic medicalship (Mercy Ship). The ship provides medicalassistance to women suffering from fistula,particularly those from the northern region of Ghana.

• UNFPA partnered with an NGO calledInternational Needs Ghana on the issues ofgender-based violence, ritual slavery andfemale genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C).International Needs Ghana was able to

implement information, education andcommunication campaigns, together withcapacity-building efforts such as trainingworkshops for community members. Suchorganizations gain entry into the communitiesin which they work by first seeking thepermission of the Chiefs. In addition, publicgatherings are held with the consent ofcommunity leaders such as Chiefs and QueenMothers, who are seen as the custodians ofculture. This serves to legitimize theorganizations’ messages. Since acts ofgender-based violence—ostensibly based onreligious doctrine—are not easy to eradicate,understanding the beliefs of the community inwhich one hopes to bring about social changeis an important first step, and soliciting theparticipation and support of the hostcommunity and its local leaders is critical forefficacy and sustainability. Among thepractices that work are the encouragement ofnetworking among a wide range of civilsociety organizations (including FBOs)working on gender-based violence, andtargeting young people in these campaigns.27

• UNFPA also indirectly collaborated withtraditional and religious leaders from theSupreme Muslim Council and the Catholic andProtestant Churches through its partnershipwith the Planned Parenthood Association ofGhana. In order to address the programme’sreproductive health and population objectives,UNFPA, the Planned Parenthood Associationand its partners further agreed to a number ofstrategies including sensitizing and buildingthe capacities of religious leaders throughtraining and seminars. The interfaithprogramme has attracted people to thereproductive health initiatives of religiousgroups and resulted in a network of religiousorganizations collaborating on reproductivehealth and social issues.


27 The case study titled “Liberating Slaves and Changing Minds” can be found in the UNFPA publication Programming to Address Violence againstWomen (2005).

Kenya

• UNFPA partnered directly with the CatholicArchdiocese of Nairobi, the Catholic Dioceseof Nakuru and the Council of Imams andPreachers in Kenya (CIPK) in the promotionof activities that protect young people fromharmful practices such as female genitalmutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and forced childmarriage. UNFPA is working with bothCatholic and Muslim organizations towardsthe elimination of FGM/C, raising awarenessand sensitizing the communities and religiousleaders to the dangers of the practice. Muslimleaders and followers are made aware thatthe practice is not a religious obligationprescribed in the Holy Qur’an. Muslimorganizations also sensitize religious leadersand communities to the dangers of childmarriage and the value of continuededucation for young girls. Similarly, theCatholic Church conducts initiation camps foryoung boys, where they are trained in lifeskills and provided with information onadolescent and sexual reproductive health.

• UNFPA has also worked on culturallysensitive programming with FBOs on theissue of HIV prevention and AIDS treatmentamong youth. This has included increasingaccess to condoms as well as youth-friendlyinformation and services, among which arevoluntary counselling and testing for youngpeople. Through partnership with UNFPA,FBOs are now strong proponents ofaddressing and improving adolescentreproductive health, and are importantpartners in building awareness, sensitizationand acceptance in the community.

• Working with local community-basedorganizations (CBOs) to eliminate harmfulpractices such as FGM/C has greatly

increased acceptability for change andadoption of alternative rites of passage. InKenya, for example, in an effort to eliminatethe practice of FGM/C, which is a rite ofpassage for many girls, UNFPA was able towork with local community and religiousleaders to come up with alternative rites ofpassage that would allow for age-old wisdomto be passed down in a modern setting, andwould not cause the girls to miss out on theattention, gifts and recognition thataccompany their coming of age. In addition,these alternative rites of passage providedthe opportunity to incorporate transmissionof information on sexual health, HIVprevention, life skills, gender equality andhuman rights.28

• UNFPA has partnered with the Gender andHIV/AIDS Technical Sub-Committee of theNational AIDS Control Council. FBOs areamong the broad range of stakeholders thathave supported and participated in theTechnical Sub-Committee. The group istasked with developing a strategic frameworkfor the integration of gender concerns intothe analyses, formulation, monitoring andevaluation of policies and programmes.

• UNFPA and UNICEF jointly organized ameeting with 19 Muslim scholars fromcommunities that do not practice excision ontheir girls. The meeting resulted in a formalcommitment by the scholars to influence otherscholars from the communities that do engagein this practice so that both groups mightestablish a common stand against FGM/C.

Liberia

• UNFPA supported an Islamic youth group onHIV awareness. This group succeeded inconvincing imams to advocate for condom

CULTURE MATTERS36

28 http://www.unfpa.org/gender/docs/tao_interview.pdf.

use as the only scientifically known methodfor the prevention of HIV, and also as part ofother family planning methods amongMuslim communities. This, in turn, appears tohave facilitated a markedly increased use ofthese methods among Muslim groups toexercise the right of couples to decide freelyon the number and spacing of their children.

Madagascar

• UNFPA partnered with Lutheran and Protestantchurches on sensitizing communities onreproductive health, including adolescentreproductive health and family planning issues.In terms of capacity-building, health staff havebeen trained in HIV and AIDS counselling, andin prenatal services and modern voluntarysurgical interventions that are now beingoffered in some clinics of the Lutheran Church.Contraceptives are distributed in healthcentres, although not made available for youth.

• The work shows that FBOs contribute stronglyto the promotion of reproductive health, sincethe most vulnerable people come to their healthcentres for affordable services. The involvementand motivation of religious leaders in takingpart in reproductive health initiatives hasincreased people’s acceptance of contraceptiveuse, and family planning initiatives haveexpanded in rural areas. Nevertheless, moreadvocacy is needed among some religiousleaders and community members who mightnot be fully aware that family planning allowscouples to determine how many children tohave and how often to have them.

Malawi

• UNFPA partnered with the Scripture Union ofMalawi, the Christian Hospitals Association

of Malawi, the Catholic DevelopmentCommission, the Christian Council of Malawi,and the Fertility Awareness Support Unit ofthe Catholic Church on the issues ofreproductive rights and sexual andreproductive health and HIV prevention andAIDS treatment. FBOs have been on the frontlines of the HIV and AIDS crisis in Malawi fornearly 15 years. Churches are a major sourceof health care and other social services. Inaddition, religious and faith-based institutionsare among the only organizations in Malawithat have the structures capable of reachingmany rural areas. In some cases, however,these institutions have not fully understoodthe complicated nature of the epidemic andthus were unable to promote support forthose living with HIV and AIDS. Thisinadvertently fuelled the stigma anddiscrimination associated with HIV and AIDS.Still, the faith community and traditionalleaders represent a vast, largely untappedresource that must be effectively mobilized ifHIV and AIDS are to be successfullycombated at the grass-roots level. Religious,cultural and faith-based institutions have thetrust and respect of their communities, whichis critical in successfully promoting culturallysensitive behaviour change. Efforts to findcommon ground are urgently needed toaddress the desperate situation in Malawi.One promising approach is the developmentof HIV-sensitive theological training.29

Mauritania

• UNFPA provided training and equipment to theulemma (Islamic scholar) and imamassociations. The sensitization process enabledthe development of a book on Islam andpopulation issues. The objective was to helpsensitize imams and teachers to the challenges


29 The full case study, “Partnering with Religious, Cultural and Faith-based Institutions: An Underutilized Force in the Fight against HIV and AIDS”,can be found in the UNFPA publication Culture Matters: Working with Communities and Faith-based Organizations (2004).

of marriage combined with other sexualpartners, family planning, HIV and AIDS andSTIs, and the education of girls, all of which areconsidered taboo subjects in Mauritania. Thisbook permits religious leaders to speak withknowledge on these issues and counsel theircommunities. Use of this educational guide onpopulation matters by the heads of themadrasahs (religious schools) will enablefuture religious leaders to be sensitized toissues of population. In addition, UNFPAprovided training and equipment to the ulemmaand imam associations, the media network,youth associations and NGOs at national anddistrict levels. In 2006, sensitization andadvocacy activities were fully implemented bythese organizations. Establishing confidencewith religious leaders is vital for the work ofUNFPA. Once obtained, this confidence carriespowerful and influential alliances in society.

Niger

• UNFPA supported the education of 120ulemmas in the teaching and utilization of abilingual (Arabic and French) guide on gender,HIV and AIDS, and sexual and reproductivehealth. This initiative contributed to theharmonization of religious discourse on thequestion of adolescent sexuality. It proved tobe good practice in developing partnershipswith religious leaders to facilitate youngpeople’s access to reproductive health services.

• UNFPA partnered with the Group of IslamicAssociations for Questions of Population andSocial Development (Groupement desAssociations Islamiques pour les Questions dePopulation et de Dèveloppment Social) on theissues of gender equality, sexual andreproductive health, family planning, and HIVand AIDS. Activities included advocacy for afavourable political and socioculturalenvironment in the areas of populationdynamics and reproductive health issues; the

harmonization of the various Islamicassociations’ opinions on issues related topopulation and development, includingmaternal health as well as family planning; thecontribution to the elaboration and adoptionof a national law on reproductive health; andthe elaboration of a concept paper on genderand equality in the legacy of Islam.

• UNFPA collaborated with the Association ofTraditional Chiefs of Niger (Association desChefs Traditionnels du Niger—ACTN) onissues of population and development,reproductive health, family planning and childmarriage. Moreover, UNFPA is in tripartitepartnership with ACTN and the Ministry ofPopulation and Social Reforms for thepromotion of population and developmentissues. Capacity-building activities took theform of a training seminar for traditional chiefsfrom the Maradi, Zinder, Agadez, Tahoua andTillabéry regions on population anddevelopment issues, as well as the training of300 traditional chiefs and chief advisers onthe relationship between population anddevelopment. Advocacy work included thedevelopment of a guide for the traditionalchiefs on population and development issues.Furthermore, the partnership created afavourable environment by reducing the use ofreproductive health services, specifically in theareas of family planning, maternal healthservices, deliveries in medical settings, andpre- and post-birth care.

Nigeria

• In 2008 UNFPA assembled 250 Africantraditional leaders in the Nigerian city ofSokoto to map out a strategy to fightmaternal mortality. In addition, traditionalleaders from several other African countrieswere also present at the assembly. It wasnoted that to reduce maternal mortality andpromote maternal health, traditional and

CULTURE MATTERS38

religious leaders have a critical role to play, asthey have the trust of their communities andare good entry points for effecting change atthe community level.

Senegal

• UNFPA partnered with Muslim and Christianleaders to advocate family planning,prevention of maternal and infant mortality,and prevention of HIV and AIDS. Thereligious leaders have also integrated topicsrelated to gender issues into their sermons.The constructive collaboration betweenUNFPA and these leaders is gauged to havecontributed to declining rates of maternalmortality, increased use of family planningmethods, and HIV and AIDS prevention.

Sierra Leone

• UNFPA worked with religious leaders from theJesus is Lord Ministries and its Faith Clinic, thelargest female-attended Christian church inSierra Leone, to address issues of reproductivehealth and HIV prevention and AIDS treatment.The partnership generated HIV preventioncampaigns, psychosocial counselling andsupport for pregnant women, awareness-raising to prevent maternal mortality, and thepromotion of family planning methods.

• UNFPA consulted with churches, as well asimams, sheikhs and Islamic women’sorganizations, prior to launching an Islamicnetwork for the promotion of reproductivehealth and population. The issues of concern tothe network are reproductive health and rights,family planning, HIV and AIDS, gender equalityand FGM/C. Activities consist of an HIVprevention and AIDS treatment campaign, anda symposium on Islam and its relation towomen’s rights and leadership. Since the

network’s launch in 2005, it has gainedmomentum and created a forum for discussionof sensitive issues such as FGM/C, which havehitherto been taboo among Muslims.

• Rape, abduction and sexual slavery are part ofthe brutal legacy of Sierra Leone’s decade-longcivil war, which has left over half the country’spopulation displaced and destitute. As amatter of survival, both during and after thewar, women (as well as men) have been forcedinto commercial sex work, which leaves themvulnerable to more sexual violence, as well asHIV infection and other, potentially fatal,problems. In response, a faith networksupported by UNFPA is helping girls and youngwomen affected by the war to regain theirhealth and dignity by providing them with thetools to generate alternative livelihoods. Onekey to success is responding to their needsusing a holistic approach. Another is involvingpartners as well as the community insensitization and training activities, andproviding free education to their children.30

South Africa

• UNFPA partnered with the South AfricaCouncil of Churches, which coordinated anumber of consultations with traditional andreligious leaders in five provinces in SouthAfrica on issues of reproductive health, HIVprevention and AIDS treatment, gender-based violence, and population anddevelopment. The aim was to involve maleleaders in improving women’s access toreproductive health services, preventing HIVinfection and reducing gender-basedviolence. The communities have shownstrong commitment to and support for theinitiative, proving that community leaders areextremely effective in removing socio-culturalbarriers and improving service delivery.


30 The case study is from the UNFPA publication Programming to Address Violence against Women (2007).

• In cooperation with Religions for Peace, SouthAfrica, UNFPA co-hosted the FBO Forum:Strengthening Partnerships with Faith-basedOrganizations (FBOs) for the Prevention ofHIV and AIDS and Violence against Women,which emerged with the nucleus of a Pan-African Interfaith Network on Population andDevelopment. The Forum also produced anumber of concrete recommendations andinitiatives to enhance the partnershipsbetween UNFPA and FBOs across the region.

Tanzania and Zanzibar

• UNFPA worked to build the capacity of religiousleaders and organizations to advocate forreproductive health issues and HIV preventionand AIDS treatment. An outcome of one of theworkshops in Zanzibar was that the Council ofUlemmas agreed that condoms could be usedamong discordant couples to prevent infectionand for child spacing by legally married couples.This initiative was fortified by the support of theMosque Council of Tanzania for a workshop forimams, madrasah teachers and women.Moreover, the facilitation of a visit by aSenegalese imam and a Muslim scholar in orderto exchange experiences and expertise withlocal FBOs in Zanzibar further strengthenedsuch capacity-building.

• In 2006, UNFPA launched new efforts toestablish working partnerships with civilsociety organizations to gain support to builda strong network of religious leaders andFBOs around the ICPD agenda, includinggender-based violence. While some religiousleaders have had a change of attitude onissues of reproductive health and genderequality, there is still a tendency to focus onHIV and AIDS rather than on broaderreproductive health and gender equality

initiatives. Moreover, a capacity assessmentby the Zanzibar AIDS Commission revealedthat most of the island’s religiousorganizations, which are predominantlyMuslim, lack knowledge of reproductivehealth and gender and population issues thatcould enable them to make meaningfulinterpretations from a religious perspective.

Uganda

• UNFPA partnered with the Muslim SupremeCouncil on the issues of reproductive healthand rights for adolescents and adults, andgender equality. Careful sensitization ofMuslim leaders in Uganda helped open upthe previously taboo subject of sexual andreproductive health. An important first stepwas to counter the fear that family planningwas a way of reducing Muslim populations byclarifying its importance as a method ofspacing one’s children. With the support ofthe Mufti of Uganda, the highest Islamicreligious leader in the land, reproductivehealth services have been improved and arebeing more widely used by the community. Toensure that these efforts were in line withIslamic thinking, reproductive healthmessages were studied and compared withteachings of the Qur’an and the Prophetictradition. In addition, specific strategies weredesigned to reach women.31

• UNFPA partnered with the Sabiny EldersAssociation, the Kinkizi Diocese Church ofUganda, and the Bunyoro and Toorokingdoms on reproductive health and rights,HIV prevention and AIDS treatment, familyplanning, gender equality and FGM/C. Elders,kings, bishops and imams are opinion leadersin Uganda’s complex cultural environment.UNFPA has successfully reached out to

CULTURE MATTERS40

31 The full case study, “Partnering with Uganda’s Muslim Community for Better Reproductive Health”, can be found in the UNFPA publicationCulture Matters: Working with Communities and Faith-based Organizations (2004).

partner with them in promoting healthierbehaviours and the elimination of harmfulpractices.32

• To foster better understanding among policyand decision makers and religious, culturaland community leaders on theinterrelationship of sociocultural, economicand political factors, and population anddevelopment, reproductive health, adolescentand youth reproductive health (AYRH) andgender, a partnership was established. Itsgoal was to strengthen institutional andtechnical capacity for advocacy at thenational, district and sub-county levels, andamong cultural and religious NGOs andprofessional bodies and institutions. The keycontribution to national capacity-building hasbeen setting up AYRH programmes withincultural and religious institutions, which havea far-reaching impact among the targetedaudiences. Partnerships with policymakersand religious and cultural institutions alsohave contributed to a policy environment thatis conducive to making improvements in theareas of reproductive health, gender equalityand HIV and AIDS.

Zimbabwe

• UNFPA worked with religious communities inZimbabwe by offering technical guidance tothe Musasa Project, an NGO. The projectaimed to build the capacity of partners towork among religious and traditional sects,and to advance male involvement in theprevention and management of gender-basedviolence. It organized workshops that aim toengage male traditional and religious leaders,

and it conducted post-training supportactivities for the men in its communities.

• For decades, member churches of the Unionfor the Development of Apostolic Churchesin Zimbabwe Africa (UDACIZA) had facedcriticism for using the Bible to justifypractices such as wife inheritance, polygamy,forced marriage of girls to elders againsttheir will, and a ban on contraceptives. Thiscriticism became more vocal amid the risingtide of the AIDS pandemic when the Churchcontinued to steadfastly denounce condomuse as a means of HIV prevention. Followingwide consultations among its members, andwith the technical assistance of theZimbabwe AIDS Policy Advocacy Project,UDACIZA produced an HIV and AIDS policydocument that calls on the Apostolic andZionist Churches to “review their practices,internal laws, policies and guidelines toensure that they are in conformity with thereality of HIV and AIDS,” and to translateknowledge about the disease into behaviourchange to reduce its spread. UNFPA, inpartnership with religious leaders, can placereproductive health and rights issuessquarely on a wider agenda so thatdiscussions once considered taboo can moveinto the public arena.

• UNFPA engaged with the congregants of 33Apostolic and Zionist churches in and aroundBuhera, members of UDACIZA and Apostolicreligious sects for the promotion of women’srights, especially reproductive health andrights. UDACIZA then hosted a worldpopulation day commemoration with“Equality” as the theme.


32 The full case study, “Winning Support from Some of Uganda’s Custodians of Culture: Elders, Bishops and Kings”, can be found in the UNFPApublication Culture Matters: Working with Communities and Faith-based Organizations (2004).

Arab States, Eastern Europeand Central Asia OverviewThe cultural settings within the Arab States,Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ASECA) arevery different. According to a UNFPA study,religion in the Arab States is, in general, seen as apositive influence on reproductive health.However, cultural attitudes towards genderequality have a more negative influence. CertainIslamic beliefs and advocacy and awareness-raising on the part of religious leaders and groupswere cited as positive cultural factors that couldleverage change.33 In the same study, the impactof religion in Eastern Europe and Central Asiawere perceived as having less impact. Here, thegreatest challenges to meeting the reproductivehealth needs of men and women are traditionalpatriarchal social structures and attitudes, taboossurrounding discussion of sexuality, traditionalvalues, and stigmatization of people living withHIV or AIDS.34

It is noteworthy that in these regions, thediscourse of politics is becoming increasinglyinfluenced by religious dynamics, and viceversa. The Arab region is witnessing anenhanced social and economic role played byreligious NGOs, and a subsequent increase inpopular political support for some of theorganizations also vying for political power. InEastern Europe, the role of migrants in general,and some religious minorities among them inparticular, features more prominently in politicaldiscussions and electioneering. Some CentralAsian states are also negotiating the status ofreligious discourse and groups in their midst. Allof these form critical backdrops for both thegeneral role of FBOs in development, andespecially for the implications regarding gender

relations, reproductive health and populationdynamics—that is, key UNFPA areas ofengagement.

Population and reproductive health issues varyimmensely among the Arab States, EasternEurope and Central Asia. The Arab States havehad the highest population growth rates in theworld. Fertility declined significantly in the1990s, but the growth rate is still high—about2 per cent, compared with 1.4 per cent for theless developed countries as a whole. Use ofmodern contraception has become morewidespread. Nevertheless, because of its hugeyouth population, the region faces enormousgrowth in the coming years. In contrast,Eastern Europe faces significant populationreduction due to population ageing anddeclining fertility rates, which have beenexacerbated by high migration rates.

Eastern Europe has one of the fastest-growingHIV rates in the world. The number of peopleliving with HIV reached an estimated 1.4 millionby the end of 2004, more than a ninefoldincrease in less than 10 years. Women accountfor about a third of those with the virus, but theymake up an increasing share of newlydiagnosed cases. The vast majority of peopleliving with HIV are young adults, whichhighlights the need for a more vigorous andcomprehensive response targeted to this sector.Denial, stigma, and the institutional challengesof providing services to marginalized andvulnerable sub-populations jeopardizesprogress in preventing the further spread of HIVin this region.35 In contrast, HIV prevalenceappears to be fairly low in the Arab countries,making this an opportune time for publicawareness campaigns to keep the virus from

CULTURE MATTERS42

33 UNFPA, Culture in the Context of UNFPA Programming: ICPD+10 Survey Results on Culture and Religion (2005).


35 http://www.unfpa.org/europe_asia/overview.cfm.

gaining a foothold. Some Arab countries arenow addressing HIV prevention among youngpeople through training, educational materialsand the establishment of youth networks.36

The Arab region has made progress on closingthe gender gap in early education, one of thetargets of the MDGs. However, illiteracy andinequity persist. Some 10 million children,mostly girls, do not attend primary school. Andalthough women’s access to education hastripled since 1970, more than half of all adultwomen are illiterate. There is a growingacknowledgement of gender equality inconstitutions, legislation and policies.Nevertheless, cultural, social and economicfactors, as well as lack of political will,undermine their full implementation.37 InEastern Europe, gender inequities have risen inthe past decade. Women’s participation ineconomic and political life has decreased,income disparities have increased, and girls’school enrolment has slowly fallen. Gender-based violence in the region—including a risein human trafficking, which primarily affectswomen and girls—constitutes a severe humanrights and public-health problem. It isestimated that more than a fourth of all womenand girls who fall victim to trafficking are fromCentral and Eastern Europe.38

Annual maternal mortality rates are high inparts of these regions—for example, 570 inYemen and 590 in Sudan, versus 86 inTajikistan and only 41 in Jordan. Infant mortalityrates, calculated in deaths per 100,000 livebirths, range from 12 and 14 in Bosnia andOman, respectively, to 66 in Sudan and 73 inAzerbaijan.39 Of all births each year, those by

adolescent girls aged 15-19 range from less than1 per cent in Algeria to nearly 9 per cent inYemen. HIV and AIDS percentages of thepopulation are either not included or are verylow—in Sudan, for example, 1.4 per cent of menand 1.8 per cent of women.

In the ASECA, the recurrent issues werereproductive rights and sexual and reproductivehealth (including those specifically foradolescents), gender equality, AIDS, familyplanning, gender-based violence, female genitalmutilation/cutting (FGM/C), and population anddemographic issues. The groups targeted wereyouth, women, religious leaders, communities,NGO workers and government representatives.In the area of advocacy, activities includedproviding spaces for dialogue, such as seminarsand workshops for communities. Capacity-building initiatives included training, sensitizationand awareness-raising among professionalpersonnel, government representatives andNGOs, as well as mobilization of religiousleaders. Women’s FBOs, such as Mutakalim inKyrgyzstan, should be further engaged toadvocate for improvements in reproductivehealth care, family planning, and HIV preventionand AIDS treatment among Muslimcommunities. To this end, the capacity of nationalreligious communities should be strengthened,the access to information and education shouldbe improved, and the knowledge and skills ofwomen in Muslim society should be increased. Inthese regions, UNFPA partnered with FBOs such asWorld Vision Armenia, Mutakalim (Kyrgyzstan),Al-Azhar University, the International IslamicCentre for Population Studies and Research(Egypt) and the World Islamic Council forAdvocacy and Rescue (Yemen).


36 http://www.unfpa.org/arabstates/overview.cfm.

37 http://www.unfpa.org/arabstates/overview.cfm.

38 http://www.unfpa.org/europe_asia/overview.cfm.

39 UNFPA, State of the World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth (2007).

CULTURE MATTERS44

Algeria ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Egypt ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Jordan ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Occupied Palestinian Territories ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Somalia ✓ ✓ ✓

Sudan ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Syria ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Yemen ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Armenia ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Bosnia and Herzegovina ✓ ✓ ✓

Georgia ✓ ✓ ✓

Kosovo ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Azerbaijan ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Kyrgyzstan ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Tajikistan ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Isla

m

Chr

istia

nity

Zor

oast

rian

ism

Inte

rfai

th

Relig

ious

lead

ers

Faith

-bas

ed o

rgan

izat

ions

Adv

ocac

y w

ith c

omm

unity

-bas

edor

gani

zatio

ns

Cap

acity

bui

ldin

g w

ith

relig

ious

lead

ers

HIV

/AID

S an

d se

xual

ly

tran

smitt

ed in

fect

ions

Repr

oduc

tive

righ

ts a

nd s

exua

l an

d re

prod

uctiv

e he

alth

Ado

lesc

ent

repr

oduc

tive

righ

ts

and

sexu

al a

nd r

epro

duct

ive

heal

th

Fam

ily p

lann

ing

Mat

erna

l and

infa

nt m

orta

lity

Gen

der

equa

lity

Fem

ale

geni

tal m

utila

tion/

cutt

ing

Gen

der-

base

d vi

olen

ce

Popu

latio

n

Table 2:

At a Glance: UNFPA-FBOPartnerships in the Arab States, Eastern Europe andCentral Asia



Arab States, EasternEurope and CentralAsia Insights

Arab States

Algeria

• UNFPA worked with imams through theMinistry of Religious Affairs. A trainingworkshop for imams on the issue of HIVprevention and AIDS treatment was convened,and this led to the development and validationof a guide on these issues, to be used byimams in their speeches and by the Ministryof Religious Affairs.

Egypt

• UNFPA partnered directly withthe International Islamic Centrefor Population Studies andResearch at Al-Azhar University,with the overall goal ofcontributing to the reduction ofpoverty (MDG 1). This entailed a focus onmaternal mortality reduction, HIV preventionand AIDS treatment, women’s empowerment,and girls’ education. One of the partnership’smain goals was to support the government ofEgypt in achieving its population policy. Thispioneer initiative linked the ICPD goals with theMDGs and presented this connection from abalanced Islamic perspective for young scholars.The objectives included involving young religiousleaders in advocacy programmes for achievingthe ICPD goals and the MDGs.

• A project was thus organized in which 14travelling seminars for young religiousscholars were conducted. One component ofthe project was the distribution of materials

such as posters, booklets, flyers and CDs thatincluded interviews with eminent religiousleaders expressing the position of Islam. Theinformation materials were prepared andintensively reviewed by a team of Al-AzharUniversity’s eminent religious leaders, so thatthey could be an effective tool for thedissemination of information on reproductivehealth for young Islamic scholars.

• An expert group of Muslim scholars at Al-Azhar University finalized a researchproject on the links between the MDGs anddevelopment issues within the framework of religion. A manual was produced, titledIslam and Development, that was a result of the analysis made by scholars in the

fields of theology, sociology,medicine, economics andreproductive health. Themanual establishes that thebasis of the MDGs is anintegral part of Islam. It has thereby attracted thecommitment of Egyptianreligious leaders towards theadoption of these goals.

Moreover, verses of the Qur’an and Hadithincluded in the manual have been further usedto develop pamphlets and posters. As a result,Al-Azhar’s religious leaders are qualified andsensitized to carry the message of the MDGsand the ICPD to other stakeholders in Muslimcommunities in Egypt and beyond.

• The materials linking the MDGs to Islamicconcepts were used for advocacy activitiessuch as the series of travelling seminars to thevarious governorates of Egypt (noted above).Policymakers and programme designers wereinvited to attend these seminars alongsidereligious leaders and civil society members soas to rally their commitment to the ICPDagenda and the MDGs.

“Given that religious leaders

are crucial gatekeepers to

engaging communities, their

involvement on the issue of

adolescent reproductive health

is necessary.”

• Involving religious leaders in the process ofdeveloping information, education andcommunication (IEC) materials ensures theirsupport of the messages. Moreover, thepresence of credible Muslim leaders at theseseminars was the best way to ensure theacceptance of their messages. An extensiverevision of the choices of verses andquotations religious leaders use for theirmessages is a necessary step to prevent anyactual or potential misinterpretations of theholy text, the faith and the practices.

• UNFPA assisted in the effective training ofNGOs on mobilization of the community forthe promotion of adolescent reproductivehealth. The NGOs collaborated with religiousleaders, schools and parents to ensure apositive and healthy environment for youngpeople. Training sessions were held and acurriculum was provided in several villages.Muslim and Christian religious leaders hadthe opportunity to gather and discuss how toestablish common ground in communicatingwith young people on reproductive healthissues. Given that religious leaders are crucialgatekeepers to engaging communities, theirinvolvement on the issue of adolescentreproductive health is necessary.

Jordan

• UNFPA collaborated with religious leaderson issues of reproductive health, familyplanning and gender equality. It sponsoredfamily planning study tours for religiousleaders to Egypt. By providing relevantscientific information, UNFPA also supportedlectures on gender equality given inmosques, and facilitated a workshop onreproductive health for religious leaders.

• UNFPA staff undertook cultural sensitivitytraining among United Nations Country Team(UNCT) staff in Jordan.

Occupied Palestinian Territories

• UNFPA partnered with the Department ofFamily Counselling and Reconciliation insharia courts on the issues of gender equality,gender-based violence, and reproductivehealth and rights. A four-day training coursewas conducted for 31 participants, mostlyheads of the Department of FamilyCounselling and Reconciliation. The issuesaddressed in the training course were basedon the participants’ needs, with the aim ofassisting them in providing better familycounselling and sensitizing them to theconcept of reproductive health and rights.Furthermore, the training focused on theissue of domestic violence and its impact onthe family and society, and also exploredways in which individuals and society at largecan help victims of such violence.

• Experience indicated that the trainers involvedwith the FBOs would do well to have a strongbackground in religious issues. At the sametime, sensitizing individuals on issues ofreproductive health and rights is a gradualprocess, so overnight changes of opinionsshould not be anticipated. Religious leadersplay a significant role in facilitating positivechanges of behaviour among communities,and partnerships with their organizationsremain important areas of engagement.

Somalia

• UNFPA collaborated with the United NationsDevelopment Fund for Women (UNIFEM) andthe United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) to work with the government sectorsresponsible for gender in initiating a project forthe development of a national gender policyframework as well as advocacy for gendermainstreaming at the administration level.Specifically, to mobilize support againstFGM/C and to advocate for eradication of the

CULTURE MATTERS46


practice, UNFPA collaborated with the relevantministries to facilitate a series of round-tablediscussions involving experts, community andreligious leaders, activists, and authorities.Going forward, the aim is to further developthese strong advocacy partnerships intosustainable political strategies and changes inbehaviour and attitude among culturalgatekeepers in Somali communities.

Sudan

• UNFPA collaborated with Muslim andChristian religious leaders on HIV preventionand AIDS treatment, gender equality andgender-based violence, and assisted in theorganization of a National Symposium onAIDS and Religion, which involved prominentmembers of the Muslim and Christiancommunities in the Sudan.

• UNFPA focused on increasing the number offemale service providers and trainees in orderto expand women’s access to health services.This increase was made possible primarily bythe involvement of the community (includingmale community and religious leaders) in theselection processes of trainees.

• In collaboration with other partners, UNFPAtrained religious leaders, Ministry of Healthservice providers, NGOs and communityworkers on UNFPA mandate areas, includingHIV prevention and AIDS treatment and thecare and clinical management of rape survivors.

Syria

• UNFPA partnered with the Ministry of Awqaf40

and religious leaders on issues of reproductivehealth, family planning and gender equality. Itsupported the Ministry of Awqaf in producing abooklet titled Islamic Perspectives of Family

Planning, based on discussions and questionsraised during training workshops for imams andreligious men on reproductive health and familyplanning issues. In addition, meetings were heldwith imams to increase their knowledge andgain their support regarding reproductivehealth and the empowerment of women. Theworkshops were aimed at establishing a stronggroup of advocates for the ICPD agenda.

• Another UNFPA initiative supported theMinistry of Awqaf in conducting a series oflive television programmes that discussedreproductive health and gender issuesthrough an Islamic lens.

Yemen

• Yemen has one of the highest total fertilityrates in the world (more than 6 births perwoman). UNFPA worked with the Ministry ofAwqaf in the areas of sexual and reproductivehealth for adults and adolescents, familyplanning, and HIV prevention and AIDStreatment. Activities included engaging thecommunity and the media, mobilizingreligious leaders and resources, and trainingimams to give sermons in the mosques thatwould focus on reproductive health andfamily planning. UNFPA collaborated with theSeminar for Islamic Youth and the WorldIslamic Council for Advocacy and Rescue onthe issues of sexual and reproductive health,family planning, gender-based violence,FGM/C and AIDS.

• UNFPA and various Yemeni ministriesresumed their training of religious leaders todiscuss family planning in their Fridaysermons; going forward, however, theirsermons will address the commonmisconceptions about reproductive health.Sixty-eight participants, including imams and

40 Although a Ministry of Awqaf usually refers to a Ministry of Religious Endowment, it can also refer to a Ministry of Islamic Religious Affairs andReligious Guidance.

morshidat (female religious guidancecounsellors), as well as members of theMinistry of Endowments and the Ministry ofPublic Health and Population, met to discussscaling up their ongoing work to educateYemenis nationwide about the benefits offamily planning. The group discussedsensitive and potentially confusing issues,and how they can be addressed from anIslamic perspective. The religious leaders andministerial staff identified a few keymisconceptions about reproductive health,mostly surrounding the use of contraception.

• UNFPA held a number of discussion groupsfocused on the risks and consequences of child marriage and pregnancy,the harmful consequences of gender-based violence and FGM/C, and the benefitsof girls’ education and familyplanning. These discussionshelped to mitigate some neg-ative sociocultural constraintsto improving reproductivehealth and women’s rights.

• UNFPA, in a joint effort with the Ministry ofEndowments and Guidance, the Ministry ofPublic Health and Population, and the NationalPopulation Council, is providing reproductivehealth and family planning services in Yemen,where there is currently an estimated 50 per cent unmet need for such services.

Eastern Europe

Armenia

• UNFPA collaborated directly with WorldVision Armenia, a Christian FBO and theprincipal recipient of the Global Fund-supported National Program to Prevent HIV

and AIDS in Armenia, to improve thereproductive health of the generalpopulation. The project serves as an entrypoint for working together on other projectsand initiatives, which are being explored.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

• UNFPA partnered directly with diverse FBOs aspart of the Country Coordination Mechanismfor the National Response to HIV and AIDS—which also includes other United Nationsagencies, government representatives,international organizations and local NGOs—on broad population issues, including youthdynamics, ageing, and care for the elderly. TheFBOs represent the diverse religious heritage of

the country, and the engagementwith them also reflects thechallenges and success of thelegacy of conflict in the society.

Georgia

• In partnership with UNFPA,the First Lady of Georgiaestablished the Reproductive

Health National Council as part of the Ministry of Labour, Health and SocialProtection to address reproductive healthneeds. Religious leaders are included asmembers of the Council, which aims tostrengthen coordination among the Ministry,donors, implementing partners and civilsociety in the area of reproductive health.

Kosovo

• UNFPA and UNICEF supported the Ministryof Health in conducting a workshop forMuslim and Catholic leaders in November2005 to deliberate a draft law on thetermination of pregnancy. In discussing thecountry’s widespread cases of pregnancytermination, the gathered leaders agreed that

CULTURE MATTERS48

“At times, there is more

room for constructive

dialogue with religious

leaders when it is done

discreetly and away from

media attention.”


it was critical to provide necessary care forthe health and life of the mother. At times,there is more room for constructive dialoguewith religious leaders when it is donediscreetly and away from media attention.

Central Asia

Azerbaijan

• UNFPA partnered with UNDP to organizeAIDS awareness-raising projects for religiousleaders. The initiative made the government(representatives of ministries) and religiouscommunities aware of the importance ofcollaboration with civil society on HIVprevention and AIDS treatment.

• UNFPA conducted a study ongender equality by comparingthe Convention on theElimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination against Women(CEDAW) with some widelyrecognized Islamic referencesand books. The result reflectedthe parallels between CEDAWand the just spirit of the Islamicfaith. Specific issues wereshowcased, including violenceagainst women, child marriage,respect for the dignity of women,and equality in the economic and politicalparticipation of women. Afterward, the studywas used to produce training materials gearedtowards religious leaders. Furthermore, aninformation booklet on gender equality inIslam was developed for use as a publicadvocacy tool.

Kyrgyzstan

• UNFPA partnered with Muslim religiousleaders, the Clerical Department of Muslimsof Kyrgyzstan, the women’s FBO Mutakalim,

and the State Commission on Religious Affairson issues of reproductive health, familyplanning, gender equality, and HIV preventionand AIDS treatment. UNFPA helped organizeseveral national conferences and round tablesfor religious leaders and other stakeholders onthe promotion of reproductive health andrights and family planning throughout thecountry. As a result of the discussions thatarose from the national conferences and roundtables, an official appeal was issued to addressthe importance of reproductive health, familyplanning, and HIV prevention and AIDStreatment among adolescents and adults.

• With the support of UNFPA, a book titledFamily Planning in the Legacy of Islam, based onthe research of Islamic theologians, was

produced in two languages. Thebook is used in seminars andtrainings for religious leaders,women’s FBOs and other NGOs,as well as for the localadministrations of the Ministry ofHealth. The book was then revisedand adapted in the context ofCentral Asia with the collaborationof the Clerical Department ofMuslims of Kyrgyzstan andMutakalim. The book is to bedistributed further by the Councilof Ulemmas in madrasahs

(religious schools) and Islamic universities aspart of a training curriculum.

• In joint collaboration with Mutakalim and theState Commission on Religious Affairs,additional round-table meetings andworkshops were held in the northern regionsfor medical workers and religious andcommunity leaders. The issues addressedwere male involvement in reproductivehealth, family planning, and HIV and AIDSand STI prevention. The discussionsmaintained an Islamic perspective, and the

“Religious leaders are

the most trusted and

direct channels for

increasing knowledge

about reproductive

health, family planning,

HIV prevention and AIDS

treatment among

rural populations.”

book Family Planning in the Legacy of Islamwas distributed during the round tables.

• In terms of initiatives for promoting genderequality and women’s empowerment, UNFPAprovided information brochures and booklets,and conducted seminars for religious leaderson reproductive health and family planningissues. The focus was on changing attitudestowards women.

• Among the lessons learned from partneringwith FBOs and religious leaders in Kyrgyzstanwas that religious leaders arethe most trusted and directchannels for increasingknowledge about reproductivehealth, family planning, andHIV prevention and AIDStreatment among the Muslimrural population. One of theissues raised during theseminars for religious leaderswas the promotion ofreproductive health and familyplanning, not only for women but also for menand adolescents. The involvement of men onthese issues is crucial for decreasingunwanted pregnancies, abortion, and theprevalence and incidence of HIV and AIDSand other sexually transmitted infections.

Tajikistan

• The UNFPA Country Office supported summitagreements closely linked to the ICPD agendato promote gender equality, eliminate poverty,and implement a number of activities toincrease the capacity of adults and adolescents to protect themselves from HIV infection.UNFPA was able to implement the activitiesthrough the development of partnerships withthe Ministry of Health, the Committee onReligious Affairs, the National Commission onPopulation and Development and the State

Statistics Agency, as well as civil societyorganizations and the private sector, includingthe mass media.

• More than 150 parliamentarians andparliamentary-group officials from Asia andthe Pacific, as well as from Central Asia,attended the 8th General Assembly AsianForum of Parliamentarians on Populationand Development in Jakarta, Indonesia. Thetheme of the assembly was “Religion andCulture Matters”. Tajikistan wasrepresented by Olim Salimov, Member of

Parliament of Tajikistan.

• Religious leaders were involvedin advocacy for reproductivehealth issues among populationand youth. These leaders wereinstrumental in advocating for the benefits of access to and use of reproductive healthservices, especially in areaswhere religion has stronginfluence over people’sattitudes and behaviour.

• The UNFPA Country Office has partneredwith the government’s Religious Affairs Committee which is dealing with localreligious leaders. The objective of thepartnership is to monitor the implementationof the legal minimum age for marriage, and toidentify how religious leaders could besystematically involved in these efforts.

• UNFPA also worked with the government’sReligious Affairs Committee in coordinatingworkshops for NGOs, with the aim ofincreasing their capacity in the areas of familyplanning and gender dynamics in an Islamicsetting. Working with the Committee indesignating Friday as the day for advocatingfamily planning—within the context of theQur’an and the Friday sermons, geared

CULTURE MATTERS50

“The involvement of men on

these issues is crucial for

decreasing unwanted

pregnancies, abortion,

and the prevalence and

incidence of HIV and AIDS

and other sexually

transmitted infections.”


particularly towards men—was found to be aneffective and culturally sensitive outreach tool.

• UNFPA collaborated directly with the IslamicUniversity of Tajikistan, the government’sReligious Affairs Committee and the SafeMotherhood NGO for training onreproductive health and rights for adults andadolescents, family planning, gender equalityand HIV and AIDS. UNFPA organized a studytour to Tunisia for the Rector of the IslamicUniversity and the Director of SafeMotherhood with the objectives of gatheringbest practices from other Islamic teachinginstitutions on information campaigns and

counselling sessions for reproductive health;viewing and collecting relevant materials onreproductive health and Islam that would aidin developing a curriculum for the IslamicUniversity; and learning about cooperationwith civil-society and religious institutions.

• Following the tour, the Islamic University’scurriculum was expanded to incorporateissues of family planning, HIV prevention andAIDS treatment, and gender equality. Theuniversity also developed a booklet titledIslam and Family Planning, which has beenwidely distributed.

Asia and the Pacific Overview

Asia—vast, culturally diverse, and home to 60per cent of the world’s population—has madeenormous progress both socially andeconomically over the past two decades. Thedevelopment has been spurred by the ICPDProgramme of Action and the MDGs. Mostcountries in the region have signed or ratifiedthe United Nations Convention on theElimination of All Forms of Discriminationagainst Women (CEDAW). However, not allensure equal rights for women in their ownconstitutions. Among the most pressing issuesare gender-based violence, which remainswidespread, and in some countries a strongpreference for sons, leading to prenatal sexselection or neglect of infant girls, with theresult that at least 60 million girls are “missing”in Asia.41

Culturally, the main constraints toimprovements in reproductive health andgender equality in Asia are patriarchy,manifested in purdah (seclusion of women),dowries, son preference and child marriage.However, it is also the case that numerousreligious traditions—including Buddhism,Hinduism and Islam—can and do contribute toreproductive rights discourse and thereby alsoto improvements in reproductive health. Forexample, a 2005 UNFPA study showed how

some customary laws in Buddhist culturescontribute to gender equity and equality andwomen’s empowerment.42

High rates of maternal and infant mortality insome countries underscore extreme inequitiesin health care across the region: In Afghanistan,Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Lao PDR, Nepal,Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, maternalmortality ratios exceed 400 per 100,000 livebirths. These countries, as well as Myanmar,Pakistan and the Philippines, also have a largeunmet need in the areas of family planning andreproductive health services. Until recently, HIVprevalence in most countries in the region hadbeen restricted to high-risk groups involved ininjection-drug use and/or sex work. There isnow a serious threat of the virus quicklyspreading to the general population.43

In Asia, the significant issues tackled by UNFPAprogrammes are reproductive rights and sexualand reproductive health, gender equality dynamics,AIDS, sex selection, gender-based violence, andpopulation and demographic issues. Activitiesinclude forums, research, major training, healthclinic establishment and resource mobilization.UNFPA has successfully collaborated with severalfaith-based organizations (FBOs), including the Artof Living Foundation, the Pacific Council ofChurches and Caritas Dili, to address these issues.

CULTURE MATTERS52

41 http://www.unfpa.org/asiapacific/overview.cfm (18 January 2008).


43 http://www.unfpa.org/asiapacific/overview.cfm (18 January 2008).


Afghanistan ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Bangladesh ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Cambodia ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

India ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Indonesia ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Iran ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Malaysia ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Maldives ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Nepal ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Pacific Island Countries ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Pakistan ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Papua New Guinea ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Philippines ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Sri Lanka ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Timor-Leste ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Thailand ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Table 3:

At a Glance:UNFPA-FBOPartnershipsin Asia andthe Pacific

Isla

m

Chr

istia

nity

Hin

duis

m

Budd

hism

Jain

ism

Sikh

ism

Inte

rfai

th

Relig

ious

lead

ers

Faith

-bas

ed o

rgan

izat

ions


Adv

ocac

y w

ith c

omm

unity

-bas

edor

gani

zatio

nsC

apac

ity b

uild

ing

with

re

ligio

us le

ader

sH

IV/A

IDS

and

sexu

ally

tr

ansm

itted

infe

ctio

ns

Repr

oduc

tive

righ

ts a

nd s

exua

lan

d re

prod

uctiv

e he

alth

Ado

lesc

ent

repr

oduc

tive

right

s an

d se

xual

and

repr

oduc

tive

heal

thFa

mily

pla

nnin

gM

ater

nal a

nd in

fant

mor

talit

yG

ende

r eq

ualit

yG

ende

r-ba

sed

viol

ence

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CULTURE MATTERS54

Asia and the PacificInsights

Afghanistan

• UNFPA collaborated indirectly with religiousleaders and community developmentcounsellors through the Ministry of Women’sAffairs, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and theAsia Foundation. The partnership focused onfamily planning, gender-based violence andconflict management. UNFPA supported a massadvocacy campaign to eliminate domesticviolence under the culturally sensitive banner of“healthy family relations” on the occasion of theInternational Day for the Elimination of Violenceagainst Women. The one-time campaignconsisted of distribution of posters, brochuresand a book to imams and communitydevelopment counsellors.

• All the messages in the distributed book wereinformed by the Qur’an and Hadith. It includesa section on topics such as conflictmanagement, and a reference section onpractical ways for mullahs to use the book.Through the liaison of the Ministry of ReligiousAffairs, the mullahs were then asked todisseminate the messages in the book to theirconstituents in prayer sessions and communitymeetings. The campaign was monitored by aCommunity Development Council and has yetto be assessed in terms of lessons learned. It isanticipated that this project will be scaled up totrain mullahs, who will then be asked to preachto, sensitize and train their constituents onissues related to the ICPD mandate.

Bangladesh

• UNFPA has collaborated with Muslim, Hinduand Buddhist religious leaders through itscontinued partnership with the Ministry of

Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Womenand Children Affairs (MOWCA). The UNFPACountry Programme, which began in 2006, isincreasing its efforts to work withstakeholders such as religious leaders,members of law enforcement agencies, mediarepresentatives and members of Parliament toadvocate for the reduction of gender-basedviolence. The capacity of the Directorate ofWomen’s Affairs, under MOWCA, has beenstrengthened to mainstream gender issues.Specific interventions to create awarenessamong women about their legal and religiousrights have been initiated at the communitylevel. UNFPA has supported the Ministries intraining 35,000 imams and more than 3,000Hindu and 300 Buddhist religious leaders onissues of reproductive health and rights, AIDS,and gender equality.

• Through the Ministry of Religious Affairs,UNFPA has also collaborated with leaders fromthe Islamic Foundation and the Hindu, Buddhistand Christian Welfare Trust. The major issuesdealt with have been family planning, childmarriage, dowry, safe motherhood, violenceagainst women, and HIV and AIDS.

• UNFPA has worked with religious women’sgroups, particularly on the status of women inreligion. The target groups are youth of bothsexes, men and women, and religious leadersand institutions, as well as communities andprofessional health personnel. The activitiesinclude mobilizing religious leaders, creatingspaces for dialogue in communities, andcollaborating with educational institutionsand supporting media platforms.

• Working with FBOs has contributed to acommon understanding of the unity in diversitywith respect to culture and the status of womenin Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism.Due to the country’s vast population, UNFPAplans to scale up its interventions to cover alarger segment of religious leaders. By the end

of 2005, only 10 per cent of the total imamshad been trained, but 99 per cent of thosetrained claimed they had been disseminatingthe messages they received during training.

• FBOs have facilitated the process wherebymothers make use of and feel comfortable withthe institutional facilities provided. The trainingof religious leaders has also transformed thoseleaders into active supporters and educators inthe population programme on issues such assafe motherhood, the elimination of dowries,AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).To properly implement the programme directedtowards improvement of the overall status ofwomen, subdistrict women’sdevelopment officers havebeen trained on issues relatedto promoting and protectingthe rights of women and girls.This has substantiallyenhanced the officers’capacity, and has alsosensitized them to genderissues. Members of lawenforcement agencies arebeing continuously trained torespect women and girls, and to be proactive insecuring their legal rights. Religious andcommunity youth leaders, along with electedrepresentatives, are increasingly involved ineffecting positive change regarding the rights ofwomen and the value of female children.

• Child marriage and the giving and receiving ofdowries are major factors in the continuationof domestic violence in Bangladesh. Laws havebeen passed that criminalize both practices,but they are difficult to enforce—especially inrural areas, where custom and tradition tendsto govern social life. An advocacy projectsupported by UNFPA has worked at the grass-roots level to change the cultural beliefs and

practices through which violence againstwomen persists. A host of community groups,made up of civic and political leaders, religiousleaders, village elders, schoolteachers,mothers-in-law, young people and others, arechallenging age-old practices and proving thatculture is anything but static.44

• One key lesson learned is how religious leadersare important agents of change. Theirinterventions are, by definition, culturally andreligiously sensitive, and can transformadversaries into advocates while managing notto alienate any powerful groups in society.Religious leaders can influence government

policies as well as help todevelop positive attitudes andcommitment among politicalleaders. To expedite theprocess of people’s behaviouralchange, religious leaders mustconstantly counsel theircommunities. For instance,following the training offered inthis programme, six villageswere declared dowry-free.

Cambodia

• Through a joint initiative with the EuropeanCommission, UNFPA collaborated withBuddhist monks and nuns on issues ofreproductive health and HIV prevention andAIDS treatment, targeting adolescents. Theinitiative’s two main partners were theinternational NGOs Save the Children andPharmaciens sans Frontières. In turn, thoseNGOs have worked through local partnersOperation Enfants de Battambang and theWomen’s Organization for Modern Economyand Nursing. The programme has offeredimproved access for adolescents and youth toreproductive health information, education,


“Religious leaders’ interventions

are, by definition, culturally and

religiously sensitive, and can

transform adversaries into

advocates while managing not

to alienate any powerful groups

in society.”

44 The full case study can be found in the UNFPA publication Programming to Address Violence against Women (2007).

counselling and youth-friendly services. Itinvolves training monks and nuns inpreventing the spread of AIDS throughinformation and education campaigns insideand outside the monasteries; providing careand support to orphans and people living withHIV and AIDS; training monks to dealeffectively with young people on the subjectof HIV and AIDS; and eliminating the stigmaof HIV and AIDS through Buddhist teachingsof compassion.

• Moreover, the UNFPA Country Officefacilitated South-South cooperation bysending two staff members from theReproductive Health unit to share theCambodian case study and ideas at aworkshop in Ghana on improved birthattendance and FBO engagement with HIVand AIDS. Work has included strengtheningthe role of nuns in Buddhist religious orders byhaving them reach out to women and girls onreproductive health and gender-basedviolence issues, facilitating dialogues andconducting training. Study tours abroad forthe exchange of ideas with monks have beenamong the other activities undertaken toexpand knowledge and encourage positiveattitudes in the areas of sexuality andreproductive health.

India

• UNFPA partnered with the Art of LivingFoundation (AOLF), an interfaith organizationunder the spiritual leadership of Sri Sri RaviShankar. UNFPA mobilized funds for AOLF toorganize an interreligious meeting titled“India’s Missing Daughters: Faith for ActionAgainst Sex Selection”, which engagedrepresentatives from the Hindu, Muslim, Sikhand Jain faiths to advocate against prenatalsex selection. At this meeting, 35 religiousand spiritual leaders were invited to addressthe issue of sex selection in their discourses,

motivate their constituents to abstain fromharmful practices, make a collective pledge tosecure equal rights for female children, andappeal to medical professionals to stop thepractice of sex selection. UNFPA undertookcomprehensive advocacy with keyconstituents such as the media, politicalleaders, NGOs and FBOs, especially AOLF, inaffecting local and national policy on thisissue. Furthermore, UNFPA provided funds, atthe specific request of the Government ofIndia, for padayatra (advocacy walks) by theHindu leader Swami Agenivesh, whopreaches secularism and is active on anumber of development issues.

• UNFPA plans to continue the partnership bysupporting padayatras to draw attention to this sensitive issue. Religious leaders willparticipate in these walks along with theirdisciples and the general public. The walks willbe piloted in two states, with the potential to be implemented in other states depending on their success. Practically speaking, non-conventional partners may not be awareof the UNFPA protocol with regard tocontractual and grant agreements. UNFPAneeds to find ways to avoid conflict in this areaduring the implementation process.

Indonesia

• UNFPA established partnerships with pesantren(Islamic boarding schools) in an effort toimprove prevention and management ofgender-based violence. Two pesantren-basedcrisis centres for survivors of violence havebeen established. Moreover, materials tomainstream issues of women’s empowerment,gender equality and gender-based violencehave been introduced through the religiousschools. The women’s crisis centres in thepesantren are successful because these schoolsare perceived and accepted by the communityas traditional sanctuaries for women.

CULTURE MATTERS56

• South-South cooperation was facilitated bydeveloping a regional proposal together withBadan Koordinasi Keluarga BerencanaNasional (a coordinating body of familyplanning movements) on revitalizing thecommitment and support of Muslim leadersand Islamic institutions for population,reproductive health and gender equalityissues. The project gathers religious leadersfrom Indonesia, Bangladesh and Iran, threehigh-population Muslim countries, toincrease their involvement and strengthentheir capacity to engage in advocacy,community mobilization and behaviourchange regarding reproductive health andgender. Furthermore, it is a clear strategy forUNFPA to partner with religious leaders whoare progressive and well-educated, and whohave strong leadership and influence at thecommunity level.

• UNFPA also supported the visit of an Indonesiandelegation to the Indonesian provinces of WestKalimantan and Papua to share effectivecommunity response to HIV prevention andAIDS treatment with local stakeholders such asreligious and community leaders.

• UNFPA developed modules, includingreligious perspectives on the prevention ofviolence against women in conflict and post-conflict situations, that were used in religioussettings. In addition, UNFPA supported thetraining of community members on sensitivitycounselling in accord with religious values,and the training of religious institutions ongender equality and women’s empowerment.

• Finally, the Gender, Human Rights and CultureBranch of UNFPA headquarters sponsoredtwo Indonesian case studies on gender-basedviolence with the assistance of the

International Centre for Islam and Pluralism,and Jurnal Perempuan, a network of mediapractitioners promoting women’s rights.

Iran

• In Iran, recognition of the negative impact ofrapid population growth by the government,along with concerted advocacy efforts andone of the best primary health systems in theregion, has reduced fertility rates by more thanhalf in the past decade. Moreover, the countryhas exceeded the targets laid out at the 1994ICPD through the implementation of severalprogrammes: two on reproductive health, oneon literacy and one on women’s rights.

• Provincial medical universities conducted aninitial assessment of the attitudes of religiousleaders towards reproductive health.Subsequently, a workshop for local authoritieswas held to develop an advocacy plan forreproductive health and family planning.

• In addition, a systematic review of public-domain data on gender-based violence andinformation on how it had been addressedby religious and civil law was initiated.UNFPA supported the creation of a taskforce composed of a network of keystakeholders to collaborate on thedevelopment of evidence-based advocacystrategies regarding gender-based violence.This task force includes both governmentorganizations (GOs) and NGOs. Thecampaign addresses gender-based violenceand develops methods of intervention thatare in accordance with Islamic principles.The Iranian experience underlines theimportance of factoring in culturallysensitive issues, and patiently seekingresolution of such issues at the outset.45


45 The full case study, “Moving the ICPD Programme of Action Forward in the Islamic Republic of Iran through Patience and an EnablingEnvironment”, can be found in the UNFPA publication Culture Matters: Working with Communities and Faith-based Organizations (2004).

Malaysia

• UNFPA partnered indirectly with theDepartment of Islamic DevelopmentMalaysia (JAKIM) a local FBO, through theFederation of Family Planning Associations,Malaysia (FFPAM), an implementing NGOpartner, on adolescent sexual andreproductive health. Faced with the need formore user-friendly materials on these issues,UNFPA assisted in the implementation of aproject that actively engaged young people inthe development of a comprehensive module,thereby ensuring a sense of agency andcollectivity in the process. A steeringcommittee and technical working groupswere established, and JAKIM was invited tobe an authoritative member playing a crucialrole in the development of the manual’sIslamic perspective. The module onadolescent sexual and reproductive healthhas been widely used by both governmentand NGOs as a training and advocacy tool. Inaddition to providing invaluable, religiouslysensitive inputs to the module, JAKIMfacilitated its wider dissemination.

• UNFPA hosted an FBO forum titled“Strengthening Partnerships with Faith-basedOrganizations (FBOs) in Addressing ICPD”,which emerged with the nucleus of a Pan-Asian Interfaith Network on Populationand Development. The forum also produced anumber of concrete recommendations andinitiatives to enhance the partnershipsbetween UNFPA and FBOs across the region.

Maldives

• In light of rising religious conservatism in theMaldives, UNFPA has moved to establishofficial mechanisms to engage with FBOs in itsnew Country Programme (2008-2010).Under this programme, UNFPA works withFBOs to promote reproductive health and

rights. This includes, for example, theprovision of information and services tounmarried adolescents, which is a challengingendeavour. The activities will be launched inpartnership with the ministries coveringhealth, gender, family, youth, sports, educationand justice. These new partnerships will aimto build awareness, further advocacy and buildcapacity on reproductive health issues amongFBOs. UNFPA is supporting the generationand sustainability of high-level politicalcommitment to addressing gender-basedviolence with the establishment of a familyprotection unit in Male, the capital city.

• UNFPA recognizes the capacity of FBOs to build constructive alliances to promotereproductive rights and provide reproductivehealth services to all individuals in order to contribute to the attainment of the ICPD mandate and the MDGs. When advocacyand partnership with religious and communityleaders in programme implementation isstrengthened, these groups act as advocates forthe UNFPA mandate and counter conservativemisconceptions. Constraining factors includecultural (often religious) sensitivities thatsurround the delivery of adolescent sexual andreproductive health information and services, aswell as limited technical expertise.

Nepal

• UNFPA has partnered with the DistrictDevelopment Committees in three UNFPA-focused districts—Kapilvastu, Mahottari andRautahat—to work with faith-based leaders onreproductive health and gender issues. Thepartnership is focused primarily on Muslimleaders in Nepal. In Kapilvastu, UNFPAcollaborates closely with the DistrictDevelopment Committee and District HealthOffice to facilitate the training and sensitizationof faith-based leaders on these issues. Thetraining sessions also serve to initiate

CULTURE MATTERS58

partnerships with these leaders in order toreach out to communities and communicateways to improve reproductive health.

• Overall, the training sessions for the faith-based leaders have been beneficial in engagingthem in discussion about reproductive health,family planning and gender issues in thecontext of religious discourse. After a three-year training period that engaged these leadersin reproductive health awareness programmes,a network of religious leaders was formed inKapilvastu district. Based on the success of theinitiative, the District Development Committeehas allocated funds for similar trainingprogrammes in its regular budget.Furthermore, health facilitiesin some areas have reportedthe increased acceptance offamily planning methods atthe community level. UNFPAis now replicating thetraining programme in thedistricts of Mahottari andRautahat.

Pacific Island Countries

At present, UNFPA has a presence only in Fiji,and relies on its partnership with the PacificConference of Churches (PCC) to implementprojects on adolescent health developmentcoordination in other Pacific Island Countries(PICs). Nevertheless, UNFPA aims to increaseand better systematize its collaboration withFBOs in the future. It also hopes to extendpartnerships to FBOs from the Hindu andMuslim traditions, in addition to the Christiangroups with which UNFPA is alreadypartnering. Most Christian FBOs are verysupportive of UNFPA work on HIV and AIDSadvocacy, and they are active in creatingawareness and empowering their members byproviding them with accurate information onHIV and AIDS.

UNFPA has learned to maintain a balancedapproach, starting from the issue of abstinenceand gradually sensitizing faith-based partnersto provide other options through referrals to theappropriate outlets. Partner FBOs have differingopinions on family planning and condom usage.UNFPA partners both directly and indirectlywith the PCC, which consists of representativesfrom different Christian denominations in thePacific. UNFPA offers direct technical,programmatic and logistical support to its FBOpartners on issues of HIV prevention and AIDStreatment, adolescent sexual and reproductivehealth, and gender equality.

• Funding for the PCC has been indirectlyprovided through the regionalAdolescent Health andDevelopment Project, whichwas implemented by theSecretariat of the PacificCommunity. While the PCCremains the primary point of contact for UNFPA, additional contacts have beenestablished and severalrequests for support received.

• A number of adolescent health anddevelopment coordinators work under thisregional project at a country level in 10countries, and collaborate with FBOs toadvocate for adolescent sexual andreproductive health and provide relatedinformation and services to young people.For example, through the work of the adolescent health coordinator in Samoa, sexuality education sessions wereincluded as part of a Christian school’sextracurricular activities. Coordinators offersimilar services in other schools andthrough clinics that raise awareness onfamily planning, HIV prevention and AIDStreatment, teenage pregnancy, and accessto reproductive health services.


“When advocacy and

partnership with religious and

community leaders in programme

implementation is strengthened,

these groups act as advocates for

the UNFPA mandate and counter

conservative misconceptions.”

• In 2005, as a follow-up to World Population Day,UNFPA mobilized funds for a series of seminarson marriage preparation and gender equality forreligious leaders in the region that was organizedby the Fiji Council for Social Services.

• In 2006, UNFPA offered some funding andtechnical assistance to the PCC for a “Womenand HIV and AIDS” workshop,attended mostly by pastors andtheir wives. Other trainingworkshops have been developedsince, to help ensure that churchcounsellors (mainly pastors)provide correct information andsupport to those who come tothem for assistance, and to helpcounsellors gain the support of theircommunities in embracing HIV-positiveindividuals and others who are in need of care.

• In 2007, the UNFPA mobilized funds for its“Youth, Women, and HIV and AIDS” regionalworkshop. This workshop included participantsof different religious traditions, mostly Christian,from various countries, who were encouragedto put together an action plan for FBOs on HIVprevention and AIDS treatment for a three-yearperiod (2008-2010) by seeking theendorsement of the National Council ofChurches in their respective countries.

• Apart from providing funds for the workshop,UNFPA offered extensive assistance throughits HIV/STI Adviser, Regional CommunicationsOfficer and other programme staff in deliveringpresentations and helping participants createtheir action plans. Information, education andcommunication (IEC) materials and CD-ROMsof relevant workshop documents were madeavailable to each participant.

• In addition, UNFPA funded travel for two womenfrom the YWCA (Young Women’s ChristianAssociation) of Fiji to attend the World YWCA

Council and International Women’s Summitheld in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2007.

Pakistan

UNFPA partners with Islamic FBOs, religiousleaders and schools through implementingpartners such as the Ministry of Population

Welfare, the Ministry ofWomen’s Development and theFamily Planning Association ofPakistan. UNFPA seeks toengage with a wide spectrum ofFBOs and leaders from Muslimcountries in order to decreasepopulation growth and overcomechallenges to family planning

that are framed in religious discourse. Thepartnerships UNFPA maintains cover reproductivehealth for adolescents and adults, family planning,HIV prevention and AIDS treatment, genderequality, and gender-based violence.

One specific lesson learned in working withFBOs is that partnerships should be based onmutual learning as a regular, long-termendeavour. Moreover, because religious issuesoften provoke tense exchanges and disputes, itis important to lay down conditions fordiscussions that take place during workshops orsensitization sessions. Likewise, it is importantto prepare curricula well in advance through aconsultative and inclusive process. Curriculathat are prepared in collaboration with partnersmay pre-empt any potential conflicting ideasthat could block the entire process. The UNFPACountry Office has developed a checklist ofpotentially sensitive issues that must bediscussed internally with the implementingpartners and resource persons prior to thetraining or orientation sessions.

• Through implementing NGOs, a collaborationbetween UNFPA and religious leaders andteachers started with the Reproductive Health

CULTURE MATTERS60

“One specific lesson learned

in working with FBOs is

that partnerships should be

based on mutual learning as

a regular, long-term

endeavour.”

Initiative for Youth in Asia. The collaborationfocused on raising awareness for youth healthand empowerment, maternal health, genderequality, HIV prevention and AIDS treatment,and providing health and educationalinformation and services to young boys andgirls. While the programme ended in 2006,many of these interventions have continued.Health education sessions were organized forgirls studying in a Lahore madrasah (religiousschool). The collaboration with FBOs andreligious leaders has been absolutely essentialin addressing issues related to reproductivehealth and young people in Pakistan. Somebeneficial practices have been documentedunder the Reproductive Health Initiative forYouth in Asia (RHIYA) programme; furtherinformation is available at www.rhiya.org.

• In 2005, UNFPA hosted an FBO leadershipconsultation titled “International UlemmaConference on Population and Development”,which addressed family planning and genderissues in partnership with the Ministry ofPopulation Welfare. The Ulemma Conferencewas a milestone for giving clear direction topolicymakers on reproductive health and thepromotion of human rights. Addressingpopulation and reproductive health issuesfrom an Islamic perspective has proved to bea successful advocacy strategy.

• As a follow-up to the conference, a trainingprogramme for local ulemmas (Islamicscholars) is under way. The involvement ofcommunities—with attention to religiousleaders, particularly in conservative areas—has proved to be successful for promotingand increasing demand for reproductivehealth services at the grass-roots level.

• In 2006, UNFPA and the Ministry ofWomen’s Development conducted a series ofgender orientation sessions in Pakistan’s four provinces, with participants from 10

districts. Religious leaders were invited tothese sessions as resource persons andparticipants. The collaboration aimed towiden the scope of gender-related issues toinclude controversial matters such as honourkillings and other customs harmful to womenpropagated by jirgas (committees of elders).UNFPA also worked with the Ministry ofWomen’s Development to design its annualplan for 2007.

• UNFPA worked with the Family PlanningAssociation of Pakistan to deliver gendersensitization workshops in the four provincialcapitals. Local nazims (mayors) attendedthese orientation sessions. Idara-e-saqafatIslam, an Islamic FBO, was invited as aresource partner, and through them,materials on gender and youth issues for theUNFPA RHYA project were published.

Papua New Guinea

• Under the Adolescent Sexual and ReproductiveHealth (ASRH) project in Papua New Guinea,UNFPA works with partners such as theYWCA, the National Council of Women, theCatholic and Anglican Churches, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Salvation Army.Among the activities is the promotion of discipline and responsibility among young people, usually through resourcemobilization and technical assistance. Churchrepresentatives trained through the ASRHproject have organized their own trainings fortheir congregations during religious events.The churches themselves are graduallyaccepting and incorporating the teachings onreproductive health in discussions with theircommunities and organizing such trainings invarious settlements.

• UNFPA partners with the NGO Marie StopesInternational Australia (MSIA) to implementcomponents of the ASRH project. The


interventive components address issuessuch as population and development;adolescent sexual and reproductive health;family planning; the prevention of STIs, HIVand AIDS; and gender equality. Projectsinclude knowledge-sharing on these issues,as well as targeting behavioural changesthrough drama performances, peercounselling on prevention of HIV and STIs,family-life education among in-school andout-of school youth, capacity-building tostrengthen youth-friendly reproductivehealth services, vocational skills training andadvocacy for youth-friendly policies, and theimplementation of adolescent reproductivehealth programmes.

• MSIA provided technical support for thetraining of student peer educators at theUniversity of Papua New Guinea to facilitateinteraction with and counselling of their peersin sexual and reproductive health and HIVprevention and AIDS treatment. MSIA alsoprovided technical assistance to the YWCA in training church representatives to becometrainers themselves and to interact with theirrespective congregations about reproductivehealth, gender, and HIV and AIDS issues.

• With the YWCA as the implementingpartner, UNFPA has sponsored a radio seriescalled “Tok Street” aimed at increasingawareness and knowledge about populationand reproductive health issues through guestpanellists such as government officials andNGO workers, who then encourage membersof the general public to call in and exchangeinformation with them. “Tok Street” hasgenerated much interactivity among theyouth and general public, and has contributedto increased knowledge and awareness aboutpopulation and reproductive health issues.

• UNFPA also assisted the National Council ofWomen in implementing the Role Models

project, which provides assistance to in-school youth through the school visits ofmentors who encourage the youth to leadresponsible lives. Following this initiative,churches have expressed interest incollaborating with UNFPA on youth andadolescent programmes, as well as on men’sinvolvement in gender issues. The RoleModels project in Papua New Guinea wasprominent in encouraging young people toemulate the lives of their role models,resulting in the rate of early pregnanciesamong female students dropping in many ofthe targeted communities.

• UNFPA recently sponsored the YWCA inproviding alternative vocational skills trainingfor a number of sex workers. The YWCAundertook vocational skills training to makethese individuals economically self-sufficientenough to leave the streets. Increased effortswill be made in the next Country Programmeto work closely with and monitor the activitiesof the FBOs to ensure that the necessaryimpact is achieved.

Philippines

• UNFPA connects indirectly with an interfaithnetwork of FBOs and religious leaders throughthe Philippine Legislators’ Committee onPopulation and Development Foundation(PLCPD), which is one of its implementingpartners under the UNFPA CountryProgramme. UNFPA provides financialassistance to the PLCPD to implementactivities with the FBOs on issues relating toreproductive rights and sexual andreproductive health (in the context of Islam, forsome case studies), family planning, genderequality, and population and development.Although the partners of UNFPA categoricallyreject abortion, they believe that women whobecome victims of sex crimes should becounselled and treated humanely.

CULTURE MATTERS62

• In 2003, the PLCPD initiated several activitiesthat led to the organization of the First InterfaithConference on Responsible Parenthood andReproductive Health. Theconference was attended byvarious FBOs and resulted inthe formation of the InterfaithPartnership for the Promotionof Reproductive Health andFamily Planning Programmesat the national level, whichcomprised about 15 FBOs.Among these were Iglesia niCristo, mainline Protestantchurches, Evangelical churches, the Office ofMuslim Affairs, the Regional Commission onBangsamoro Women, the Islamic Women’sNGO and the National Committee on the Roleof Filipino Women. Since then, the PLCPD hasprovided secretariat support to the InterfaithPartnership. The collaboration between UNFPAand these partners includes coordinatingconferences (for example, on gender in thecontext of Islam), developing guidelines for itsmembers on how to set up family planning andreproductive health services, and developing aRights Literacy module with an Islamicperspective to protect and promote the rights ofwomen and girls and advance gender equity.

• The organization of the interfaith partnershipsat the local provincial and municipal levels hasa growing need for technical assistance. As thesecretariat and implementer in the 10 UNFPApilot provinces, the PLCPD has discussed thisneed with stakeholders, specifically askingthem for assistance in forming an interfaithorganization in their localities. Thus far, theisland region of Leyte and Samar and theregion of Bicol have organized various forms ofinterfaith coordination.

• Under the UNFPA 6th Country Programme, theinterfaith partnership was registered with theSecurities and Exchange Commission and

conducted organizational consolidation througha series of meetings with leaders in the network,person-to-person consultations with interfaith

leaders, a project developmentand design workshop to addressthe partnership’s sustainabilityissues, and the employment of aCoordinator/Operations Officerfor the partnership. The interfaithpartnership continues to supportreproductive health andpopulation and developmentissues for the passage of theResponsible Parenthood and

Population Management Act and other similarpolicy proposals.

• Among Evangelicals and other faith-basedgroups, there is a high level of acceptance of integrating responsible parenthood,reproductive health, and family planning in their programmes and ministry.Nevertheless, the interfaith partnership is stillin its formative stages. As yet, thepartnership is focusing on its sustainability byorganizationally preparing its memberchurches in the programmatic integration ofresponsible parenthood, reproductive health,and family planning.

Sri Lanka

• UNFPA indirectly supports Muslim, Hindu andChristian FBOs and religious leaders throughits implementing partner Sarvodaya (a nationalNGO) on issues of reproductive health andrights, gender equality, gender-based violence,male responsibilities and participation, socio-economic support to various groups,prevention of HIV and STIs, and the impact ofmigration at family and community levels. TheCountry Office notes that while hierarchicalstructures exist in some religions, such as inthe Protestant. and Catholic churches, suchstrict hierarchy does not exist in Hinduism and


“Sensitively shared,

evidence-based information and

participatory approaches are

successful means of mobilizing

religious leaders who have

reservations about addressing

reproductive health.”

Buddhism. The selection of animplementing organizationsuch as Sarvodaya, which isrespected by all religions andhas a wide network among thecommunities, has worked well.Sarvodaya was able to involve the mainreligious representatives in Sri Lanka toaddress reproductive health and gender issues.

• The project has also triggered Sarvodaya tostrengthen the engagement of religiousleaders on HIV and AIDS. Joint consultationsand training have proven that religious leadersfrom different faiths can work together, learnfrom each other and share best practices.Some religious leaders have even participatedin reproductive health programmes arrangedby other religious leaders from different faiths.

• Armed with sensitive, evidence-based andparticipatory approaches, Sarvodaya wassuccessful in mobilizing religious leaders whoinitially had reservations about addressingreproductive health and gender issues. Theeffective implementation of Sarvodaya’sprogramme at community and village levels,as well as at the national level, proves thatthis outreach can have far-reaching results.The lesson learned is that it is not alwaysnecessary to commence advocacyprogrammes at the highest national level.

• Furthermore, the religious leaders haveaddressed reproductive health and genderrelations in religious sermons, public meetings,Sunday schools for adolescents and youth,school visits, and media and religiouspublications. In addition, reproductive health and gender-related publications have beenintroduced into libraries of Buddhistmonasteries. A joint international study tour wasarranged for two representatives from eachreligious organization. This programme waseffective in building a common ground for

advocacy and motivating religiousleaders to be proactive inaddressing reproductive health andgender issues. With regard to thedissemination of reproductivehealth information, Buddhist

temples have requested relevant publications fortheir libraries, which would be made available foryoung people following dharma classes.

• In some villages, religious leaders, police,and health and community-basedorganization (CBO) leaders have establishedcommittees to monitor reproductive healthand gender-related problems, which includespromoting a community-based approach toresolve such problems.

Thailand

• A UNFPA pilot project among the SouthernMuslim communities of the Pattani Provinceof Thailand promotes adolescent health andreproductive rights. Initiated by PlannedParenthood Association of Thailand (PPAT),with the support of UNFPA, the projectfocuses on out-of-school Muslim youth, anduses peer educators. The project has alsoenlisted the cooperation of religious leadersand, by taking an Islamic perspective onissues related to reproductive health andmale responsibility, has helped sensitize theinfluential local Islamic Council on theimportance of reproductive health education.

• Through youth health centres, managed by young men and women living in the communities, the project providesreproductive health and family planninginformation and services to young marriedcouples, as well as single young people. Becausemen are often the family decision-makers in thecommunity, PPAT encouraged their participationin youth centre activities. The project employeda three-pronged approach of advocacy,

CULTURE MATTERS64

“It is not always necessary

to commence advocacy

programmes at the

highest level.”

communication, and reproductive health servicedelivery to reach adolescents and males.

Timor-Leste

UNFPA is in direct partnershipwith the Catholic Churchthrough the Catholic FBOCaritas Dili. Through thatFBO, the Church is inpartnership with the Ministry of Health, withfinancial support from the UNFPA CountryOffice, on issues of family planning, maternaland child mortality and morbidity, adolescentreproductive health, and prevention of HIV and STIs. In some districts, local medicaldoctors and other health personnel are activelyinvolved in the provision of reproductive healthinformation and counselling for new couples as part of pre-marriage courses conducted inevery parish.

One of the lessons learned is that it is extremelyimportant to strengthen existing institutions atthe community level in collaboration with parishpriests, nuns, and local health authorities. Thematerial that is currently used requires constantupdating by health professionals in order toincorporate other issues such as family planningand HIV prevention and AIDS treatment.Discussions are ongoing with local healthauthorities and members of religious groups.

• The programme assisted in the provision oftraining in family planning for health providersto give them counselling skills in natural familyplanning methods and birth spacing as a meansof decreasing maternal and child mortality andmorbidity. In terms of advocacy with religiousleaders, several meetings were conducted withCatholic Church leaders to raise awareness andunderstanding on issues related to reproductivehealth as well as population and developmentas part of the ICPD agenda. Key members of the church were invited to attend national

and international events on sexual and reproductive health and other population issues.

With regard to the family planningprogramme, training and IEC materialswere provided to Catholic clinic healthpersonnel. These personnel were also invited to attend the ongoingfamily planning training for Ministry ofHealth providers.

• In the area of adolescent reproductive health,the Salesian priests are providing sexualeducation to Don Bosco Secondary Schoolstudents. The Carmelite sisters occasionallyoffer sexuality orientation to groups of teenagegirls. Because of successful advocacy with theCatholic Church during the past two years,there is no longer aversion to the inclusion ofadolescent sexual and reproductive health inschool curricula; in fact, the Catholic Church isnow supporting the idea.

• A project on adolescent sexual andreproductive health with both the Ministry ofHealth and the Ministry of Education is beingplanned for the future. As they play animportant role in the area of adolescentreproductive health, the Salesian priests andthe Carmelite sisters are essential incontributing to initial consultation meetings,planning and implementation. Moreover, theCatholic Church is now promoting naturalfamily planning and, significantly, notexhibiting opposition to modern methods.

• During the crisis in 2006, UNFPA supported aCaritas Dili project in providing healthsupport, house supplies and hygiene kits tointernally displaced people at religiousinstitutions in Dili and two other neighbouringdistricts. The initial draft agreement betweenCaritas Dili, the Ministry of Health and UNFPAneeds to be expanded by incorporating familyplanning, adolescent reproductive health andpre-marriage courses for couples.


“Because of successful

advocacy with the Catholic

Church…[it] is now

supporting the idea of

adolescent reproductive

health in school curricula.”

Latin America and theCaribbean OverviewIn Latin America, many countries are laggingin their efforts to meet the poverty reductiontargets laid out in the MDGs for 2015. Theregion is also falling behind in meeting theMDGs for HIV prevention and maternalmortality. Improved access to qualityreproductive health services can contributesubstantially to reducing poverty andproviding social services more equitably andefficiently. More equitable access caneliminate the barrier of out-of-pocketexpenses that keep many poor householdsfrom receiving treatment for obstetriccomplications and sexually transmittedinfections (STIs), including HIV.46

As a predominantly Catholic continent,reproductive health and family planning policiesoften meet strong resistance from the Catholicchurch. In the Caribbean, patriarchy is sometimesstrong, but some matriarchal social structuresand cultural practices elevate the status ofwomen.47 Specific reproductive health issues donot always receive enough attention in socialpolicies and programmes. Often there is areluctance to deal with reproductive health, andlegislation on reproductive health is usuallystrongly contested. There are those, for example,who equate giving young people access toreproductive health services or sexualityeducation with promoting early and irresponsiblesexual activity. However, with adolescent fertilityrates still high and HIV prevalence rising amongthe region’s youth, the need to address theseissues is clear and demands sincere and open

dialogue with young people about sexuality,reproductive health and gender.48

Population indicators vary immensely bycountry. In Bolivia, maternal and infant mortalityrates are the highest in the region, at 420 and47, respectively, per 100,000 live births. Incomparison, the rates in Mexico are 83 and 17,respectively. In Nicaragua, more than 11 per centof adolescent girls aged 15-19 are mothers,compared with 6 per cent in Mexico.

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), themost predominant issues addressed by UNFPA inits partnerships have been reproductive rightsand sexual and reproductive health (includingthose specifically for adolescents), familyplanning and gender equality. The projects havetargeted youth, women and girls, religiousleaders, institutions and communities, indigenouscommunities, and teachers. UNFPA partnersinclude faith-based organizations (FBOs) such asPastoral da Criança (Brazil), Alianza Evangélicade Guatemala, Fe y Alegría (Nicaragua), ConsejoLatinoamericano de Iglesias (Latin AmericanCouncil of Churches) and Ayuda y Solidaridadcon las Niñas de la Calle (Mexico). Activitiesinclude advocacy through forums, seminars andworkshops for communities, as well as supportfor media platforms and informationdissemination. Capacity-building efforts involvetraining, sensitization and awareness-raisingamong professional personnel, governmentrepresentatives and NGOs. Also included areprogrammes designed to secure the mobilizationof religious leaders as well as the establishmentof health clinics.

CULTURE MATTERS66

46 http://www.unfpa.org/latinamerica/overview.cfm.


48 http://www.unfpa.org/latinamerica/overview.cfm.


Table 4:

At a Glance: UNFPA-FBOPartnerships in Latin America andthe Caribbean

Cat

holic

ism

Evan

gelic

al

Oth

er p

rote

stan

t de

nom

inat

ions

Inte

rden

omin

atio

nal

Relig

ious

lead

ers

Faith

-bas

ed o

rgan

izat

ions

Adv

ocac

y w

ith c

omm

unity

-bas

edor

gani

zatio

ns

Cap

acity

bui

ldin

g w

ith

relig

ious

lead

ers

HIV

/AID

S an

d se

xual

ly

tran

smitt

ed in

fect

ions

Repr

oduc

tive

righ

ts a

nd s

exua

lan

d re

prod

uctiv

e he

alth

Ado

lesc

ent

repr

oduc

tive

righ

ts

and

sexu

al a

nd r

epro

duct

ive

heal

th

Fam

ily p

lann

ing

Mat

erna

l and

infa

nt m

orta

lity

Gen

der

equa

lity

Gen

der-

base

d vi

olen

ce

Mig

ratio

n


Brazil ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Colombia ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Ecuador ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Guatemala ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Honduras ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Jamaica ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Mexico ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Nicaragua ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Latin America andthe CaribbeanInsights

Brazil

• UNFPA, along with the United NationsDevelopment Fund for Women (UNIFEM) andthe International Women’s Health Coalition,funded a 2005 campaign by Catholics for a FreeChoice titled Amigas das Católicas (Friends ofCatholics). The campaign mobilized resourcesfor the printing costs of its publication—a leafleton women’s rights—as well as the continuity ofits advocacy activities. With UNFPA support,the leaflet was printed in three languages andused as a funding mechanism. It explained thata “Friend of Catholics for a Free Choice” is onewho believes in a fair and equal society, as wellas in women’s ethical and moral ability to maketheir own decisions about their bodies and lives.Although the UNFPA contribution to theCatholics for a Free Choice initiative waslimited, it was well appreciated and marked thestarting point of a close partnership with thisFBO. The partnership led to a joint projectproposal to foster interreligious dialogue andFBO contributions to reproductive health andthe prevention of gender-based violence in theLAC region. As a result of the campaign, Amigasdas Católicas and Catholics for a Free Choicewere able to increase their visibility in themedia, raise funds to ensure their organizations’financial stability, and expand the scope of theiradvocacy activities.

• In its ongoing attempts to innovate itsapproaches regarding gender-based violence,the Brazil UNFPA office expanded itspartnership base to include FBOs. Thisenhanced the outreach capacity and keymessaging related to prevention.

• In conjunction with the United NationsProgramme on AIDS (UNAIDS) Secretariatand the Government of Brazil, UNFPA hosteda global technical consultation on HIV andAIDS and sex work in Rio de Janeiro in 2006.UNFPA invited participants from othergovernments, other United Nations agencies,donors, and civil society organizations,including FBOs and sex worker networks.

Colombia

• UNFPA partners with the Catholic Churchthrough the Corporación de Desarrolo y Pazpara el Magdalena Medio (CDPMM—Development and Peace Corporation forMagdalena Medio), the implementing NGO,on issues of gender equality, reproductiverights and sexual and reproductive health, and maternal morbidity and mortality. Theproject is geared towards the promotion of reproductive rights and sexual andreproductive health in a region that ischaracterized by an extended period of armedconflict. Conflict and a culture of machismolend themselves to victimization anddominance of women and youth, as well as theviolation of human rights. From thisperspective, the project has focused on twoimportant strategies: the development of acommon language for public policyformulation on reproductive health and humanrights, and a strategy to reject stereotypes thatlead to inequality and gender-based violence.

• The project targets civil society organizations,service providers, and civil servants ininstitutions responsible for sexual andreproductive health in the region, as well asthe population most affected by the armedconflict. The latter includes the displaced andthose at risk of displacement, female heads ofhouseholds, youth, and communities madeinvisible by poverty and violence. TheHumanitarian Response Unit of UNFPA at

CULTURE MATTERS68

headquarters provided the Magdalena Medioregion with emergency kits to supportoutreach activities in isolated areas wherepoor people are displaced by armed conflict.Project outcomes include an increasedcapacity of local leaders and organizations tomobilize and participate in promoting anddefending reproductive rights and sexual andreproductive health and gender equity.Moreover, the project has enhanced thecapacity to design and implement behaviourchange communication by promoting healthypractices and preventing sexual violence. Inaddition, the project has increased the abilityof health service providers to delivercomprehensive, quality sexual andreproductive health services.This includes prevention ofAIDS and gender-basedviolence, especially amongyouth. The Magdalena Medioproject has raised awarenessamong community leaders tothe extent that the CDPMMwould like to implementsimilar projects for all itspersonnel. Thus, the NGO hasasked for UNFPA assistance inmainstreaming the focus ofgender and human rights in allthe projects it implements inthe Magdalena Medio region.

• Two additional development and peaceprogrammes on sexual and reproductivehealth are being implemented in Montes de María and Oriente Atiqueño. Theseprojects have increased the politicalcommitment of local administrations for theimplementation of the national policy onsexual and reproductive health. They havepromoted mechanisms for intersectoralcoordination that guarantee reproductiverights and sexual and reproductive health aswell as gender equality.

• UNFPA has provided the Catholic Churchwith the technical knowledge and thenecessary resources to create awarenessabout problems related to sexual andreproductive health in order to carry outeffective activities that meet the needs of itsparishioners. The partnership betweenUNFPA and the local Catholic Church hasbeen enabled through finding commonground and goals, such as striving for arespect for life, for the dignity and freedom ofpeople, and for the education of the young inthe practice of safe and responsible sexuality.

• The core shared principles are the declarationof human rights and the conviction that there

is an urgent need to create abasis for peace by means ofdeveloping an awareness ofindividual rights. In the case ofarmed groups, such groups arethreatened by human rightsadvocacy, but not on issues ofsexual and reproductive health,since they view the right of achild to be born or the right ofhealth to be logical. Armedgroups thus see the benefits ofthe debates on these issuesand often participate inworkshops that they are

monitoring. This situation has allowed for anopportunity to open the debate on humanrights from the starting point of reproductiverights and sexual and reproductive health .

• UNFPA recognizes the important role of theJesuits in this region of the country, which ispredominantly Catholic, and sees theirpotential as catalysts for cultural reformation.The Development and Peace project is alsoimportant in promoting change in a regionthat is immersed in armed conflict andpoverty. Working in such a difficult zone, inwhich trust-building was not easy for an


“The partnership between

UNFPA and the local Catholic

Church has been enabled

through finding common

ground and goals, such as

striving for a respect for life,

for the dignity and freedom of

people, and for the education

of the young in the practice of

safe and responsible sexuality.”

institution like UNFPA, was enabled due tothe support provided by partnerships with theCatholic Church. From thebeginning and throughoutthe process, the Jesuitcommunity that has led andcarried out this project hasbeen faced with moraldilemmas and political risks,which it has discussedopenly with UNFPA. Thisatmosphere of constant dialogue and mutualrespect has made it possible to find solutionsand alternatives to deal with divisive issues.

• UNFPA let religious leaders make decisionsand define the scope of their political vision,since they know the risks they face if theydefend principles that are not approved by theecclesiastical hierarchy. This has allowedreligious leaders to respectfully manage theirrelationship with the Church, as well as to havea clear focus on project results. In thisrelationship, the Catholic Church respects thestandards of basic care services for sexual andreproductive health; however, it does notdistribute supplies for family planning itself, butinstead designates health workers todisseminate the contraceptive supplies directly.The participation of the Catholic Church in theestablishment of sexual and reproductivehealth projects for peace and development inMontes de María and Magdalena Medioresulted in greater cultural sensitivity insupporting interventions, and helped toaddress social beliefs and myths in this area.This partnership also generated credibility andincreased coordination and social participation.

• In targeting displaced youth in areas affectedby internal conflict, art and communicationactivities proved to be empowering for theseyoung people. Moreover, such activitiescreated a space for reflection on human rights,equality, and the development of safe and

responsible sexual and reproductivebehaviour. Specifically, the use of theatre

provided youth with a channelfor expression and re-evaluation of their beliefs. Italso allowed them to claimrights and autonomy over theirown bodies. The technicalcapacity of UNFPA to work onthe settlement of displacedpopulations increased with the

collaboration of local NGOs and other UnitedNations agencies.

• Since 2006, a new partnership has beendeveloped in the Montes de María region.The Fundación Red Desarrollo y Paz de losMontes de María (Network Development andPeace Foundation of Montes de María—FRDPMMa), an alliance between the Catholic and Mennonite Churches, is theimplementing NGO. Such partnerships withFBOs are focused on reproductive rights andsexual and reproductive health (including,specifically, those for adolescents and youth),gender equality and gender- based violence.Issues related to sexual and reproductivehealth have been adopted by thesecounterparts. FRDPMMa is experienced withcommunitarian work. UNFPA collaborateswith specialized partnerships—such as withuniversities and professional associations—with the aim of carrying out the developmentof institutional capacity. FRDPMMa hasadequate capacity to operate at all levelsrequired by the project.

Ecuador

• In response to the priority areas established inthe UNFPA Country Programme 2004-2008,the Country Office in Ecuador began acollaborative initiative with the Centro Integralde la Familia (CIF), a local ecumenical NGObased in Quito. Consisting of evangelical

CULTURE MATTERS70

“Working in a zone immersed in

armed conflict and poverty was

enabled due to the support of

UNFPA provided by partnerships

with the Catholic Church.”

leaders and with strong leadership from theLutheran Church, CIF aims to create awarenessand provide guidance among evangelicalleaders, academics and young people on issuesrelated to reproductive rights and sexual andreproductive health from a theological andpublic-health perspective. Furthermore, CIF, inturn, works closely with the Latin AmericanCouncil of Churches by providing technicalsupport in matters related to its mandate. Thepartnership between UNFPA and these mixedProtestant denominations addresses issues ofreproductive rights and sexual andreproductive health as well as gender equality.The main objective of UNFPA in thepartnership is to advocate the agenda of theICPD and MDGs among evangelical leaders toestablish a better environment for reproductivehealth issues.

• Through a rapid assessment methodology,UNFPA has built evidence on knowledge,assumptions and attitudes about sexual andreproductive health in the specific context ofEcuador. Among the lessons learned is thatthe partnership between UNFPA and CIF hasprovided a significant opportunity to developnew partnerships by expanding its mandateto additional geographical areas. FBOs areimportant allies in reaching out to localcommunities and educational institutions,and for positioning sexual and reproductivehealth within a human rights framework. Byfinding a common understanding onreproductive rights, UNFPA and FBOs canmutually enhance their respective mandates.

• As in many other areas in Latin America,FBOs in Ecuador are well positioned at thepolitical level and are growing in influenceamong indigenous leaders, communities andother relevant institutions. Their opinions oncontroversial topics within the debate of thenew Constitution, such as the declaration ofEcuador as a lay state, could ease extreme

radical influences. FBOs often perceive theUnited Nations system to be inaccessible, butUNFPA has worked to change this view byfostering dialogue between FBOs and otherUnited Nations agencies under theframework of the MDGs to see wheremandates can intersect and expand.

Guatemala

• UNFPA engaged the Episcopal Conference andthe Catholic and Evangelical Churches, as wellas the private business sector and theCoordinating Committee of Agricultural,Commercial, Industrial and FinancialAssociations. The partnerships centred aroundthe issues of reproductive health, maternal andinfant mortality, and population anddemographics. Activities focused onmobilization of religious leaders throughknowledge sharing, as well as capacity-building and trainings designed for advocacy,skills and resource mobilization.

• With regard to some new arguments forreproductive health and rights, UNFPA wasable to find common ground with the beliefsof the Evangelical churches. Through thestrong infrastructure and credibility of theAlianza Evangelica de Guatemala amongrural and indigenous communities, thepartnership has allowed UNFPA to reach themost remote and impoverished families andincrease the demands for reproductivehealth services. Evangelical leaderspotentially hold great influence in theircongregations’ decision-making process.Furthermore, the information from religiousleaders, in turn, lends confidence andcredibility to the community membersdisseminating reproductive health messages.

• UNFPA works directly with the AlianzaEvangelica, which represents approximately85 per cent of the Evangelical churches and


about 45 per cent of the Guatemalanpopulation. The Alianza partners with UNFPAto develop and spread reproductive healthmessages to its constituencies at thecommunity and national levels. The mainfocus groups are church leaders, women, andyouth leaders of the Evangelical churches. Inits reproductive health initiatives, UNFPA alsocollaborates with the Ministry of Health. Theproject began with baseline research aboutthe knowledge, attitudes and desires aroundreproductive health in the Evangelicalcommunities. Both men and women (500 ofeach) were interviewed in various churchesaround the country in order to develop high-impact strategies to reach them. The datagathered then contributed to thedevelopment of a methodological trainingguide for use by the Alianza Evangelica.

• UNFPA then worked with the Alianza ontraining its leaders in five areas of reproductivehealth to increase the demand for reproductivehealth services: prenatal care; clean and safedelivery; organization of the community foremergency obstetric situations; pregnancyspacing and the prevention of adolescentpregnancies; responsible parenting; andinterpersonal communication techniques.

• A two-day workshop for pastors and churchleaders was held. Trainers and traineesdeveloped interpersonal communication skillsand knowledge of the themes of the project.These teams disseminate the messages theyhave learned to their respective congregations.People who wish to use reproductive healthservices are referred to the health centres andhospitals of the Ministry of Health. In thetraining workshops of the project, it wasessential to showcase significant behaviours ofsolidarity to build community.

• UNFPA has expanded its collaboration with theAlianza Evangelica by extending training to

youth leaders and partnering with the PopulationCouncil in order to reach indigenous young girls.The training and interpersonal activitiesdeveloped by the trainers and trainees werereinforced by local radio messages addressingthe reproductive health themes of the project.Fifty local radio stations communicate 10 dailymessages and reach an estimated audience ofmore than 50,000 people. The Alianza alsotakes advantage of their information networks tobroadcast messages through local radio stations,which, in addition to informing the community,also promote the use of reproductive healthservices. With regard to gender, UNFPA hasexerted efforts to mainstream this perspective inreproductive health projects through the trainingof trainers and the work of its partners, such asthe Ministry of Health, the Alianza and the othersupporting NGOs. Furthermore, UNFPA hascommenced work on the prevention of gender-based violence. Through the project, a largenumber of adolescents are receiving informationabout reproductive health for the first time.

Honduras

• Based on the previous efforts of the Ministry ofHealth, UNFPA created the Inter-ecclesiasticalCommittee on HIV and AIDS Prevention. Thiscommittee co-coordinates with the Ministry ofHealth and allows for the Ministry’s directpartnership with representatives of theCatholic, Evangelical, Episcopal and AdventistChurches, as well as the TheologicalCommunity of Honduras, an ecumenicalacademic institution. UNFPA distributes agrant to each FBO partner for HIV-preventionactivities such as educational seminars andyouth peer educational workshops.

• Since 2004, the Inter-ecclesiastical Committeeon HIV and AIDS Prevention has organizedfour Inter-ecclesiastical Forums on HIVPrevention and AIDS Treatment throughout thecountry. More than 100 leaders and

CULTURE MATTERS72


representatives of the Catholic, Evangelical,Episcopalian and Adventist Churches haveparticipated in each of these daylongworkshops. The overall objective of theseforums has been to generate a process ofanalysis to identify common visions, strategiesand elements to approach HIV prevention andAIDS treatment from a religious perspective.The panels have included topics on sexualityand human rights, gender equality, andintergenerational communication. Workinggroups also have been held, highlighting theneed to address gender equality morethoroughly in churches, the needto provide accurate andthorough information aboutsexuality and sexual andreproductive health to youngpeople, and the importance offrank communication withinfamilies. Based on theconclusions presented by theworking groups at the Inter-ecclesiasticalForums, it is apparent that the various churchesacknowledge their responsibility in HIVprevention and AIDS treatment, and in caringfor those living with HIV or AIDS.

• In addition, the working groups identifiedpossibilities and constraints for theirchurches to work in HIV prevention. Thepossibilities are that churches are structurallyorganized and have the capacity to gatherand garner the attention of a large segmentof the population; religious leaders have thecapacity to convince and guide substantialsegments of the community; and youngpeople are particularly interested in thesubject matter (underscoring the need toprovide accurate and through information onsexual and reproductive health). Theconstraints are that sexuality and HIV are stilltaboo topics in many churches, and somechurches still lack the knowledge andcapacity to deal with these topics effectively.

• One of the lessons learned from theseprogrammes is that candid, respectfuldialogue can go a long way in achievingcommon ground between UNFPA and FBOs.Efforts such as bringing in experts who speakthe language of FBOs (e.g., theologicalarguments for the respect for life and humanrights) and building arguments based onfacts (such as providing nationalepidemiological data on HIV) are successful.

• Lack of knowledge on how to address HIVprevention in churches provides a good

opportunity for capacity-buildingby UNFPA. Representative groupsshould be included even if theirperspectives are not initiallycompatible with that of UNFPA. FBOs recognize the needto address gender equality morethoroughly. Moreover, FBOs areaware of the need for home-based

• care services and health facilities for AIDS-afflicted parents and their children.

• Due to the formation of strategic allianceswith several churches in the country,specifically around the area of AIDS, UNFPAhas experienced increased support from abroad network of partners. The threat fromconservative religious groups in the countrythat oppose the ICPD agenda (and, in somecases, have influence over high-levelofficials) remains, and makes it important tocontinue strengthening advocacy throughcommunity mobilization, the mass mediaand decision makers.

• In 2005, the UNFPA Honduras Country Officefacilitated South-South cooperation betweenoffices in the region by supporting theEcumenical Committee on HIV and AIDS inclose collaboration with the Costa Rica office,which sent experts and religious leaders toHonduras to support the process. The exchange

“As opinion leaders, FBOs

feel a commitment and

responsibility to their

respective communities to

help prevent HIV.”

CULTURE MATTERS74

was positive, as Costa Rica had already madeimportant advances in HIV prevention andAIDS treatment.

• The national Inter-ecclesiastical Committeehas, in the meantime, created three localcommittees. It also worked with FBOs oncapacity-building, forums and activitiesregarding HIV prevention and human rightsadvocacy, based on epidemiological datagathered in Honduras on HIV. The Inter-ecclesiastical Committee continues to meetregularly to continue projects and activities inHonduras. The forums were successful, withparticipants setting aside their differencesand seeking common ground. As opinionleaders, they felt a commitment andresponsibility to their respective communitiesto help prevent HIV and AIDS.

Jamaica

• Through the United Theological College ofthe West Indies in Jamaica, UNFPAcollaborated indirectly with the JamaicanCouncil of Churches, which representsseveral Christian denominations. Thepartnership also included the Ministry ofHealth and the Women’s Centre Foundationof Jamaica, an NGO, which worked on issuesof HIV prevention and AIDS treatment, sexualand reproductive health for adults andadolescents, and gender-based violence.

• UNFPA partially funded an HIV and AIDSawareness project with FBOs, also organizedby the United Theological College of theWest Indies in Jamaica, targeting youth,religious leaders and the general community.This resulted in an increased awareness ofHIV and AIDS among several denominations,the training of many laypeople and ministers,and an expansion of institutional links withthe Ministry of Health and other agencies.Nevertheless, in spite of the increased

dialogue on reproductive health, a backlashfrom religious conservatives occasionallyoccurs, which underscores the importance ofcontinued advocacy and FBO partnerships.

Mexico

• UNFPA partnered directly with the LatinAmerican Council of Churches on issues ofpopulation and reproductive health andrights. The Latin American Council ofChurches is an organization of Evangelicalchurches in the region with headquarters inQuito, Ecuador. In 1998, UNFPA held alandmark seminar and produced a publicationof the presentations and proceedings, whichcontinues to be used.

• In cooperation with the State Secretary ofHealth and in coordination with the StateCouncil on Population, UNFPA maintains anongoing dialogue with the religious leaders ofthe Lutheran Church of Mexico aroundreproductive health issues.

• UNFPA collaborates indirectly with theCatholic Church through the NGO Ayuda ySolidaridad con las Niñas de la Calle (Shelterand Solidarity with the Girls of the Street),whose board members are connected to theChurch. The project offers sexualityeducation for girls who have been rescuedfrom the streets, and provides for them in asafe house until they are 16 years old. Thisproject was successful enough to warrantmedia attention, and efforts are under way toscale up activities.

Nicaragua

• UNFPA partnered directly with the CatholicFBO Fe y Alegría on the issue of sexual andreproductive health. The FBO promoteseducation and social development in LatinAmerica’s poorest areas in order to build

sustainable human development and ademocratic society. In Nicaragua, Fe y Alegríacomprises 22 Catholic schools, some of whichare managed by religious congregations, with353 teachers.

• In 2004, 277 teachersparticipated in one of nineUNFPA-sponsored basicworkshops focusing onsexuality education. Fe yAlegría perceives thiseducation to be a keycomponent in buildingprivate, family and social relationships. Innegotiating with directors and teachers,UNFPA was able to facilitate the developmentof the first phase of the project in 2004. Dueto the participation of directors in thesexuality education workshops, schoolsopened dialogue to address sexuality withstudents in extracurricular activities.

• In 2006, UNFPA coordinated a secondphase of the project that aimed to create acritical mass of specialized teachers to

facilitate sexuality education in their ownschools and communities, as well as tointroduce the contents and methodologiesof sexuality education to the RuralEducative Nucleus of La Asunción, which ishome to the only teacher training school in

Nicaragua. The nucleusconsists of 58 teachers,eight primary schools, onesecondary school and onerural teacher training school.Furthermore, UNFPA workedto enhance a SexualityEducation Comprehensive

Programme that included training, tracking,evaluation and systematization of activitiesdeveloped with the involvement ofstudents, teachers and families. The view ofthe religious congregation managing theRural Educative Nucleus of La Asunciónconstituted an opportunity to introducesexuality education into the curricula. By keeping a low profile on the project,UNFPA was able to deliver actions withoutthe interference of conservative religiousgroups.


“By keeping some of the

preliminary work with supportive

FBOs low-profile, many activities

were achieved without a

conservative backlash.”

IV Epilogue: Policy Considerations forEngaging Agents of Change

CULTURE MATTERS76

The case for engaging FBOs in development isno longer a matter of discussion, but rather oneof considered, systematic and deliberateengagement of like-minded partners. For a longtime, international development has been a fielddominated by, for lack of a better word, the“secular” agents of development—those with apreference for keeping faith and faith-relatedmatters strictly in the so-called private domains.At the same time, many scholars, human rightsactivists and, indeed, development actors haveargued persuasively that the dividing linebetween “public” and “private” is increasinglyblurred. In a rapidly globalizing world, whereinformation technology leaveslittle to the imagination, this iseven more apparent.

Moreover, there is clearly animportant parallel faith-baseduniverse of development. At atime when basic needs arebecoming increasingly harder toprovide for more than half of theworld’s population, we can nolonger avoid acknowledgingthese parallel faith-based actions anddevelopment interventions that reach so manyand provide so much. These are critical pools ofoutreach and service delivery.

The world of faith-based developmentorganizations should not be painted all thesame colour. Indeed, the diversity of theirmandates, missions, expertise, services andmodality of work, among other things, is vast.Among this world are friends of the MDGs andthe ICPD. And it is to these friends—with alegacy of engagement and service provision—

that the international development world turns,as was the case more than a quarter of acentury ago with other civil societyorganizations.

An important realization from the mappingshared in this document is that even whereheadquarters of United Nations and developmentagencies were themselves too hesitant to engagewith the faith-based sectors, some of the countryor field-based offices did anyway. This was anatural evolution not necessarily alwaysmandated by policy, but in most instancesbecause the realities on the ground required it,

and it was strategic to realizetheir objectives.

The legacy of engaging FBOs ascultural agents, complementedby recent initiatives, providesimportant opportunities toreflect on and formulate thelessons learned by UNFPA andrespective policy considerationsaround engaging FBOs, as partof the overall UNFPA strategy to

create a supportive sociocultural environment.While planning for more in-depth consultationsand deliberations (both within UNFPA and at theUnited Nations interagency level) on theselessons and policy implications, UNFPA developedthe following five policy considerations:

1. Strategic issue-based alliances. Such alliancesmust focus on the common ground that allowsengagement and joint efforts to achieve theultimate objectives captured in the UNFPAmission statement, and must do so by targetingspecific issues. This common ground is a critical

“At a time when basic needs are

becoming increasingly harder to

provide for more than half of

the world’s population, we can

no longer avoid acknowledging

the parallel faith-based develop-

ment universe that reaches so

many and provides so much.”

building block of these partnerships. UNFPA hasfound that leaders of faith- and interfaith-basedorganizations are open to discussingreproductive health if issues are addressed withcare and sensitivity. It is clear that women’sequal rights, and reproductive rights inparticular, are not usually the issues thatgenerate consensus among religious leaders—and especially not publicly—yet UNFPArecognizes the importance of rallying thosewithin the faith-based communities who arealready supportive of the common goals andtargets embodied in the ICPD and reflected inand re-endorsed by the MDGs, and who havehave ongoing programmes to that effect. Oneeffective approach is to use objectiveevidence—on issues such as infant andmaternal mortality, violence against women,and HIV and AIDS prevalence—to tap intoethical positions.

2. A level playing field. While UNFPArecognizes the differences between itsmandate and approach and those of FBOs,it nevertheless seeks cooperation as equalpartners, depending on each other’scomparative advantage and respectivestrengths. In addition, as equal partners,neither side is utilized or perceived as ameans, and instead both are relevant agentsof action based on their different, respectiveand, often, complementary strengths. Whilethe partnerships sought within the FBOcommunity are expected to share theobjectives of the ICPD-linked MDGs,UNFPA respects their reaching theseobjectives differently—using their ownlanguage, networks and modus operandi.

3. Diversity of outreach. UNFPA ensures that itsoutreach is multi-faith and balanced, accordingto the religious diversity within communities,nations and the world. This is often madeexplicit in the terms of reference of theprogrammes. One of the lessons learned is

that this multi-faith outreach approach cannotbe implicit. UNFPA also recognizes that inorder to identify like-minded partners andcontinuously enhance the working modalityand programme delivery, teaming withestablished multi-faith organizations andcommunities that already work on an inter-and intrafaith basis is critical.

4. Clarity, accountability and consistency. Aswith any other partnership, UNFPA clearlysets out (in Memorandums of Understanding,joint proposals and other project documents)the concrete outcomes expected of the jointendeavour. From the perspective of UNFPA,how the partnership falls within theparameters of the strategic plan (and itsglobal and regional programmes) defines jointmechanisms of accountability, monitoringand evalution, which are then discussed andon which agreement is reached. Moreover,the engagement with FBOs needs to beintentional and consistent, not a one-off,event-oriented alliance. An engagement thatis intended and designed to be long-term,with mutual investment in time and effort, isalso one that can bear fruit. Together, clarity,accountability and consistency are essentialfor building the trust necessary to establish alegacy of sustainable partnerships.

5. Multi-dimensionality. Throughout thesepartnerships, UNFPA maintains importantdimensions and targets of its commitmentthat significantly enrich the experience andinform the policy considerations:

• South-South engagement: Within each region,and among its five regions (Africa, ArabStates, Asia and Pacific, Eastern Europe andCentral Asia, and Latin America and theCarribean), the scope is wide for knowledgesharing, creation of knowledge networks andstrengthening of alliances. Indeed, severalUNFPA Country Offices have expressed an


interest in learning from other experiences ofengaging FBOs and in strengthening theirown networks of faith-based partners.

• Global perspectives, comparsisons andcontinuity: There is much to be said for acontinuous feedback loop in which theregional, national and global/internationalenrich one another. In several cases,regional and national efforts at engagementhave been informed by organizations that,at the global level, advocate against someaspects of the ICPD Programme of Action.

Yet in other instances, some FBOs areactually finding very creative means ofproviding ICPD-relevant services at the fieldlevels, mandated by circumstances andneeds. Such knowledge and comparison ofengagements at the regional, national andinternational levels enables betterappreciation of FBO interventions, as well asgrounding and sustainability of thepartnerships formed.

We conclude with a Mandinka proverb: “Do athing at its time, and peace follows it.”

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V Select Further Reading, Resources andReferences


This section of resources is divided into thefollowing subsections:

Overview and Magazine ArticlesContains journal articles about particularinitiatives and specific areas of interventionsuch as HIV and AIDS or country experiences,and overview articles on concepts of culture.

Books and ReportsIncludes a variety of academic books as well asreports from international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on a broadvariety of subjects pertaining to faith, religion,politics, development, culture and economics.

Case StudiesContains case studies from internationalorganizations, FBOs and NGOs dealing with theintegration of faith/religion in specific programmesand projects. The case studies are from everyregion and cover a range of health anddevelopment topics.

United Nations Initiatives, Conferences andProgrammesCovers United Nations-based initiatives,conferences, workshops and programmes thatinclude faith, religion or culture as a majorcomponent. The articles range from overviewarticles on development-related topics tospeeches given at conferences.

Reviewed ArticlesContains select reviewed articles from scholarlyjournals. This subsection covers specific topicsas well as overviews of cultural perspectives ondevelopment.

ToolkitsContains practical toolkits for working withFBOs, and for integrating culture and religioninto programme planning. The integration ofFBOs in HIV and AIDS programmes, forexample, is included in two toolkits.

Overview and MagazineArticlesBaha’i International Community. 1996.Women from China and the West find common challenges. One Country 8 (1). This article is based on the proceedings from aconvention on “Women and the Welfare ofHumanity” held in Geneva. The conventiondiscussed women’s roles in careers and familyin a modern society. Similarities were foundamong European, North American and Chinesewomen, as they all faced challenges living inmale-dominant societies.

Link: http://www.onecountry.org/oc81/oc8108as.html

Baha’i International Community. 2000. InTanzania, a school with a mission: To upliftgirls and promote spiritual values. OneCountry 12 (3). This article reviews a girls’ school in Tanzania thatpromotes patience, diligence, courtesy,trustworthiness, compassion and justice. RuahaSecondary School also has programmes that trainstudents to develop skills in agriculturaltechniques, computer literacy and basiccommerce that will help them enter the jobmarket. The school was started by the Baha’icommunity of Tanzania, and it continues topromote spiritual values among the community’sstudents, in addition to offering them job training.

Link: http://www.onecountry.org/e123/e123- 04as_Ruaha_School.htm

Development Gateway Foundation. 2003.From Burkina Faso to Bolivia: Traditional culture protects food and diet.This article describes projects that safeguard localtradition and assure cultural survival. Many grass-roots organizations and communities areimplementing projects designed to revitalize age-old practices of food production and use. Theyrange from projects aimed at promotingconsumption of wild vegetables in Burkina Faso, to

utilizing oral traditions to transmit ancestral farminglessons in Benin, to reviving raised agricultural fieldsto produce potatoes and cacao in Bolivia.

Link: http://topics.developmentgateway.org/culture/highlights/viewHighlight.do~activeHighlightId=7188

Development Gateway Foundation. 2004.Gender and literacy: Narrowing the gap withcultural strategies for women and girls. This article illustrates how culture can be incorporated into development projects. Focusingon the issue of literacy for young women, the articlediscusses some creative ways to use traditionand cultural expression. Examples showcasedrange from using poetry and other oral traditionsin Yemen, to tying literacy to everyday traditionalskills such as making chicha, a corn drink, in Peru.


Development Gateway Foundation. 2004.Innovation on culture-based HIV and AIDSprograms.This article showcases cultural practices that arehelping HIV and AIDS victims cope with thevirus. Expressive arts are found to be extremelywell suited for transmitting practical messagesregarding prevention and care, especially toyouth. In a Kenyan example, HIV and AIDSorphans are connected to family and local historyby a program that enables sick or dying parentsto record narratives in order to share theirpersonal stories and wisdom with their children.


Development Gateway Foundation. 2005.AIDS donors and culture: How understandinga country’s culture promotes aid effectiveness.This article illustrates how incorporating local cultural practices in the implementation of development projects can improve their effectiveness.

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Development Gateway Foundation. 2006.Cultural development by reforming old practices that are harmful to women.Traditional practices that are harmful to womenrange from female genital mutilation/cutting(FGM/C) to forced marriage and sexual abuse,which are part of long-standing traditionsdefended by local leaders. This articleillustrates how awareness raising is a veryeffective way to fight for policy reforms andprotection of women.

Link: http://topics.developmentgateway.org/culture/highlights/viewHighlight.do~active-HighlightId=110327?activeHighlightId=110327&activeHighlightId=110327&activeHighlightId=110327

Fabrizio, Claude. 1996. Reflections: Culturefirst. UNESCO Courier, October.This article focuses on the UNESCO culturaldimension of development. It argues that theeconomical development programmesimplemented in the 1960s and 1970s did nottake into account the cultural dimension ofsocial development. Instead of helping theSouth, development projects that fail to takeculture into account tend to hinder thosesocieties working to eradicate poverty. Only bythe 1980s did the dimension of culture indevelopment emerge in programme planning.

Link: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1310/is_1996_Oct/ai_18826833

Giusti, Daniele, Peter Lochoro, Everd Maniple,and John Odaga. 2004. Pro-poor health services: The Catholic health network inUganda. The World Bank Group.This article examines the experience of thehealth network in Uganda in providing healthservices to the most economically vulnerablepopulations.

Link: http://www1.worldbank.org/devoutreach/march04/textonly.asp?id=237#top

Isar, Raj. 1996. Our creative diversity.UNESCO Courier, September. This is an interview with Javier Pérez De Cuéllarformer Secretary-General of the United Nationsand head of the independent WorldCommission on Culture and Development,which spent three years (1993-1995) rethinkingthe notions of development and culture and therelationship between them. Here, he outlinesthe Commission’s approach to its task and sumsup some of the conclusions it reached.

Link: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001044/104497eb.pdf?bcsi_scan_A8AA4F79F19141A2=0&bcsi_scan_filename=104497eb.pdf

Moncrieffe, Joy M. 2004. The role of culturein development. Prepared for the Commission for Africa, thispaper argues that culture is gradually gainingpresence in development discourse aspolicymakers acknowledge that the social andcultural norms people observe often influencetheir attitudes and choices, and that people neednot—and in many societies often do not—actindependently of cultural norms. While there isno consensus on exactly how culture matters orwhat its implications are for policy, this papersuggests that fixed definitions (such as those inwhich culture is depicted as consistentlyirrational and inimical to development) tend tooverlook or underestimate the very importantand myriad ways in which culture positivelyinfluences development.

Link: http://213.225.140.43/english/report/background/montcrieffe_background.pdf

Sen, Amartya. 1996. A matter of choice: Isculture merely an adjunct to development?UNESCO Courier, September.This article explores the different views ondevelopment planning and its implication for the


people who benefit from development projects. Itargues that such economic measures as grossnational product (GNP) alone cannot account forthe success of development projects. By explainingthe role culture plays in development, the authorposits that a paradigm shift can take place in orderto go from a purely economic view of developmentto one that is more culturally sensitive.

Link: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1310/is_1996_Sept/ai_18798914

Sen, Amartya. 2000. Culture & development.International development banks cannot workto eradicate poverty without the help of culture.The author explores the benefits of interactionbetween culture and development, and presentsthe example of Japan and its rapidtransformation to argue that culture stronglyinfluences behaviours. Sen concludes bywarning against generalizations and simpledevelopment theories that fail to take localcultures into account.

Link: http://www.gdnet.org/pdf2/gdn_library/annual_conferences/second_annual_conference/sen.pdf

Tibetan Women’s Association, CentralExecutive Committee. 1996. A state-ownedwomb: Violations of Tibetan women’s reproductive rights. Dharamsala. India. This report examines the fundamental rights ofwomen that have been impeded by the Chinesegovernment. These include a woman’s rights toher reproductive health, the number of childrena woman can bear, and access to safe abortionand various family planning methods. The rightof women to practice their own religion is alsoviolated by the Chinese government, which iscontrary to the United Nations Declaration ofHuman Rights.

Link: http://www.tibet.com/Women/twwomb.html

The World Bank. 2007. Building bridgesthrough faith: The role of faith-based

organizations in youth development. Children& Youth, February.The World Bank, through its Faith andDevelopment programme, recently produced anarticle on the ways in which the youth communityhas been actively involved in interfaith activities,such as the organization of World Youth Day.

Link: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTDEVDIALOGUE/Resources/BuildingBridgesthroughFaithFeb2007.pdf?resourceurlname=BuildingBridgesthroughFaithFeb2007.pdf

Books and ReportsAlexander, Kanjirathara Chandy, and K.P.Kumaran. 1992. Culture and Development:Cultural Patterns in Areas of UnevenDevelopment. New Delhi: Sage Publications.The authors of this book argue that culturalvalues form an important component of anydevelopment strategy. To demonstrate this,their study investigates cultural patterns inregions that have experienced different degreesof development. It concludes that injectingmoney into development projects is important,but that taking the time to understand thecultures in which these projects take place is theonly way to guarantee their sustainability.

Alkire, Sabina. 2006. Religion and development. In The Elgar Companion toDevelopment Studies, by Edward Elgar.Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.In The Elgar Companion to Development Studies, areference book that examines various aspects ofculture and development, the chapter onreligion provides a brief exploration of howreligion can play an important role in socialservices and post-conflict reconstruction.

Bayes, Jane H., and Nayereh Tohidi, eds.2001. Globalization, Gender and Religion: ThePolitics of Women’s Rights in Catholic andMuslim contexts. New York: Pelgreve.

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Accompanying the current wave of globalizationsince the 1970s, conservative nationalistreligious movements have used religion tooppose non-democratic, Western-orientedregimes. Reasserting patriarchal genderrelations, presumed to be rooted in religion, hasbeen central to these movements. At the FourthUnited Nations Congress on Women, held inBeijing in 1995, Muslim and Catholic delegationsfrom diverse countries united to opposeprovisions on sexuality, reproductive rights,women’s health, and women’s rights as humanrights. Scholars from eight different Muslim andCatholic communities analyze the politicalstrategies that women are employing whenliving in these conditions, ranging fromacceptance of traditional doctrines to variousforms of resistance that are centred on religiousreinterpretation, innovation, and political actiontowards change and equal rights.

Belshaw, Deryke, Robert Calderisi, and ChrisSugden, eds. 2001. Faith in Development:Partnership between the World Bank andChurches in Africa. Oxford: Regnum BooksInternational. The authors argue that while the World Bank isa secular institution, it recognizes that itsattempts at economic and social reform are invain if they do not reflect the reality of thesocieties in which it works. The book reports ona meeting that took place in Nairobi in 2000between the World Bank and the Council ofAnglican Provinces of Africa that aimed atstrengthening the partnerships with grass-rootsorganizations and exploring ways to work moreeffectively with them. Issues of gender, post-conflict reconstruction and poverty reductionwere discussed throughout the meeting.

Black, Jan Knippers. 1991. Development inTheory and in Practice: Bridging the Gap.Boulder, CO: West View Press. This book examines the various developmenttheories that have emerged since the end of the

cold war. The author argues that none of themis appropriate, and analyzes new forms ofdevelopment thinking in which he introducesthe idea of culture in development.

Buchanan, Constance H. 1997. Choosing toLead: Women and the Crisis of AmericanValues. Boston: Beacon Press.The author argues against portrayals of unwedteenage mothers as breeding “illegitimacy”, andas welfare mothers who are compelled to get jobson the one hand, or as employed mothersneglecting their children and families on theother. Women and mothers are everywhere in thedebate about the crisis of American values today,except as speakers and shapers of the debate.Choosing to Lead analyzes the barriers that keepwomen from full participation in the publicsphere by tracing the history of religious ideasthat restrict women’s authority to domesticconcerns, and explores how these ideas continueto shape our modern “secular” values.

Burket, Mary K. 2006. AdvancingReproductive Health and Family Planningthrough Religious Leaders and Faith-basedOrganizations. Pathfinder International.This publication explores the long-standingengagement between the NGO PathfinderInternational and FBOs. Over the years, theyhave joined forces to improve maternal healthand provide family planning methods topopulations around the world.

Link: http://www.pathfind.org/site/PageServer?JServSessionIdr007=4ks4bj70w2.app- 7b&pagename=Pubs

Buykx, Michael, and Georges Tiendrebeogo.2004. Faith-Based Organizations andHIV/AIDS Prevention and Impact Mitigation inAfrica. Royal Tropical Institute.This study, conducted by the Royal TropicalInstitute (KIT), reviews articles anddocumentation on the role of FBOs in Africanstrategies for HIV prevention and AIDS


treatment. Christian and Islamic religiousprinciples have been studied, and FBOinvolvement and ideologies regarding HIV andAIDS are presented.

Link: http://www.kit.nl/net/KIT_Publicaties_output/ShowFile2.aspx?e=603

Centre for the Study of Faith in Society. 2004.Faith and development: Practice and theoryforum. St. Edmund’s College, Cambridge.This paper argues that approaches to developmentare very similar among many FBOs and seculardevelopment agencies. Notions of solidarity,freedom, respect and collective responsibility areall incorporated into development programmes byboth sets of stakeholders.

Link: http://www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/vhi/fis/backgroundprogram.pdf

Chandiramani, Radhika, and Geetanjali Misra,eds. 2005. Sexuality, Gender and Rights:Exploring Theory and Practice in South andSoutheast Asia. New Delhi: Sage Publications. Chapter 8 of this book, Raising Sexuality as aPolitical Issue in the Catholic Philippines, discusseshow the women’s rights NGO Likhaan is targetedby both the Catholic Church and the CommunistParty because it promotes reproductive rights.

Cooper, Frederick, and Randall Packard. 1997.International Development and the SocialSciences: Essays on the History and the Politicsof Knowledge. Berkeley: University ofCalifornia Press. This book examines the production,transmission and implementation of ideas ondevelopment within historical, political andintellectual contexts over the past 50 years.

Coward, Howard. 1998. Peace, Developmentand Culture: Comparative Studies in India andCanada, Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute.Calgary, Alberta: University of Calgary. This report, from a conference organized by theShastri Indo-Canadian Institute in celebration of its 20th anniversary, explores official

governmental relations between Canada andIndia. One chapter is dedicated to culture anddevelopment. For example, the report presents acase study of a farm called the AmulCooperative that was able to increase milkproduction while handling its own marketing andproduction. It is argued that grass-rootsorganizations can successfully engage withgovernments while adopting a more holistic andculturally sensitive approach.

Danish International Development Assistance(Danida). 2002. Culture and Development:Strategies and Guidelines.This publication argues that culture needs to bea key element in all development partnerships,and, for development partnerships to succeed,they must incorporate a cultural component atall stages.

Link: http://www.um.dk/Publikationer/Danida/English/DanishDevelopmentCooperation/CultureAndDevelopment/index.asp

Drogus, Carol Ann. 1997. Women, Religion andSocial Change in Brazil’s Popular Church. NotreDame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.This book analyzes the attempts of liberationtheology to mobilize the Brazilian poor forpolitical and social change. Drogus illustratesthe successes and failures of this movement,and shows how religious personality and genderhave affected the way the urban poor of SãoPaulo respond to the liberationist message.

Eade, Deborah. 2002. Development & Culture:Selected Essays. London: OXFAM. Published in association with the World FaithsDevelopment Dialogue, this book is a collection ofpapers on culture as a dimension of development.

Eck, Diana L. 2003. Encountering God: ASpiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras.Boston: Beacon Press.The author focuses on how it is increasinglyimportant, in our ever-changing communities,to help people of different faiths negotiate ways

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of living together peacefully. Dialogue betweenpeople of different faiths is crucial in aninterdependent globalized world. Eck revealshow her own encounters with other religionshave shaped and enhanced her Christian faithtoward a bold new Christian pluralism.

Ertürk, Yakin. 2007. Special Rapporteur onViolence against Women: Intersections betweenCulture and Violence against Women. This report addresses the dominant, culture-based paradigms that justify or explain theviolations of women’s rights, reducing violenceagainst women to a cultural problem. It tracesthe trends in the development of theinternational normative framework on violenceagainst women in relation to a culture thatculminated in the recognition of the primacy ofwomen’s right to live a life free of gender-basedviolence over any cultural considerations.

Link: http://www.crin.org/violence/search/closeup.asp?infoID=12449

Gaztambide-Géigel, Antonio, and RafaelHernández. 2003. Cultura, Sociedad yCooperación: Ensayos Sobre la Sociedad Civildel Gran Caribe. Havana: CIDCC. This book argues that culture and civil societyorganizations are important factors in planningdevelopment projects in the Caribbean. Theanalysis discusses the role of NGOs indevelopment programmes. Case studies arepresented in the last part of the book, includinga piece titled “Towards a ComprehensiveUnderstanding of the Sexual and ReproductiveHealth of Caribbean Women”.

The Global Fund. 2007. Report on theInvolvement of Faith-Based Organizations in theGlobal Fund.Recognizing the important role of FBOs as partnersin its work, the Global Fund has been workingclosely with this community since its creation in2002. This report looks at the relationshipbetween the Global Fund and FBOs since that time.The analysis shows that FBOs administer grants in

many countries, and are an essential part of the governance of the Global Fund programmes in most countries through their involvement in the Global Fund’s Country CoordinatingMechanisms (CCMs). The report also shows thatin 2006, nine FBOs received funds from the GlobalFund as principal recipients, and an additional 488were sub-recipients. Furthermore, 94 out of 120 CCMs with active Global Fund grants had atleast one FBO representative. The Global Fund hasalso engaged in a number of activities toencourage the full participation of all members ofcivil society, including FBOs. This includesdeveloping and implementing requirements todiversify the composition of CCMs and otherworkshops and materials to educate FBOs andother members of civil society on how to bestengage with the Global Fund.

Link: http://www.theglobalfund.org/documents/publications/other/FBOReport/GlobalFund_FBO_Report_en.pdf

Hoodfar, Homa. 2000. Iranian women and theintersection of citizenship and the family code:The perils of Islamic criteria. In Gender andCitizenship in the Middle East, by Suad Joseph,ed. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press.Women in Iran are attempting to break the malemonopoly on interpreting Islamic holy texts, andhave reinterpreted traditional understandings ofIslamic text to advocate reform. Hoodfarprovides accounts of successful lobbying byIranian feminists to change the constitution toimprove marriage contracts and family law.

Human Rights Watch. 2004. Divorced fromJustice: Women’s Unequal Access to Divorce inEgypt.This report summarizes the status of womenand the role religion plays in the social andeconomic development process of women inEgypt. It illustrates how sharia law and a lack offemale lawyers and judges make it difficult forwomen to initiate or obtain a divorce.

Link: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/egypt1204/


Human Rights Watch. 2004. “PoliticalShari’a”? Human Rights and Islamic Law inNorthern Nigeria.This report documents human rights violationssince sharia law was introduced to covercriminal law in 12 states in Northern Nigeria.

Link: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/nigeria0904/

Human Rights Watch. 2006. A Question ofSecurity: Violence against Palestinian Womenand Girls. This report covers violence against Palestinianwomen and the obstacles of the Palestinianwomen’s movement. Political factions andIslamist groups have attacked the movementat various junctures, accusing it of being partof a Western conspiracy to destroy Islamicfamily and social values, and questioning itscommitment to the national cause. At thesame time, the sharia court system that localjudges follow does not provide real justice forwomen and suppresses their rights. Thesereligious, cultural and family perceptionsrestrict women’s rights, and ultimately slowthe process of economic development acrossPalestinian society.

Link: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/opt1106/

Human Rights Watch. 2007. Over Their DeadBodies: Denial of Access to EmergencyObstetric Care and Therapeutic Abortion inNicaragua.This report discusses the ban on abortion inNicaragua, which includes therapeuticabortion. The ban provides no exceptions,even when the pregnant woman’s life is atstake. The anti-abortion law was passed bypolitical parties in Nicaragua to ensure andmaintain political support from the RomanCatholic Church and the Evangelical Church.

Link: http://hrw.org/reports/2007/nicaragua1007/

Jenkins, Carol, and Holly Buchanan-Aruwafu.2007. Cultures and Context Matters:Understanding and Prevention of HIV and AIDSin the Pacific. Manila: Asian Development Bank.This publication provides information on culturediversity in the Asia-Pacific region. The authorsargue that a better understanding of thetraditions in this region is crucial to successfullyexpand HIV treatment and health services.

Link: http://www.hivpolicy.org/Library/HPP001294.pdf

Juschka, Darlene, ed. 2001. Feminism in theStudy of Religion. New York: Continuum.This book includes various short articles onissues related to feminist analysis and itsapplication to the study of religion. Writersshow the intersection and development offeminism in the study of religion.

Karam, Azza, ed. 2002. A Woman’s Place:Religious Women as Public Actors. New York:WCRP/Religions for Peace. This is a compilation of 11 essays by womenrepresenting a wide variety of religious traditions—specifically, African traditional spirituality, Bahaism,Buddhism, Chinese traditional religion, Christianity,Hinduism, Islam and Judaism. The essays seek todocument the achievements of ordinary womenwithin their respective religious communities, andalso to demonstrate that religious women are“capable, articulate, active, aware, and totallycommitted.” The essays vary greatly in their stylesand approaches; some put forward a largelyhistoric overview of the role of women in theirreligious communities, while others draw heavilyon scripture, offering a reinterpretation thatupholds a wider role for women.

Landry, Charles. 2006. The Role of Culture inSocial and Economic Development: Lessonsfrom the Swiss Cultural Programme. This publication is the outcome of an independentstudy commissioned by Pro Helvetia and the

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Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.It shows how cultural work plays a key role in thesocial development of transition countries.

Link: http://www.deza.admin.ch/index.php ?navID=26465&itemID=65217&langID=1&userhash=939c3f673b8ebb72eae46bbecaf0c032

Madan, T.N. 1983. Culture and Development.New York: Oxford University Press. The author argues that so far, the relationshipbetween culture and development has beenstudied only from a strong Eurocentricstandpoint. It is further argued that in the lastpart of the 20th century, there was areformulation of the relationship betweenculture and development. However, the bookwarns that many policies are still rooted in theold ways of excluding culture from developmentplanning, and that has yet to be changed.

Marshall, Katherine, and Richard Marsh, eds.2003. Millennium Challenges for Faith andDevelopment Leaders. Washington, DC: TheWorld Bank.Based on a meeting at which 40 faith anddevelopment leaders met to examine what needsto be done in order to move the MDGs forward,this book explores the challenges for the faithcommunity in achieving the MDGs. It also presentssome very short case studies that illustrate currentcollaborations between FBOs and developmentagencies towards achieving the MDGs.

Marshall, Katherine, and Marisa Van Saanen.2007. Development and Faith: Where Mind,Heart, and Soul Work Together. Washington,DC: The World Bank. Poverty and social injustice demand a vigorousresponse, yet the challenges are vast and theactors many, including complex bureaucracies,limited infrastructure, and constraints on humanand organizational capacity. To successfullyaddress the huge challenges of development,not only careful planning and analysis are

needed, but also the concerted efforts of all thestakeholders to focus on results andinstitutional collaboration.

Moghadam, Valentine M. 2003. ModernizingWomen: Gender and Social Change in theMiddle East. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.The author focuses on major changes in genderdynamics and social progress in the Middle East,including a shift in development strategy andpopulation policy. She also discusses sharia lawand its implementation in patriarchal societies.

Mukherjee, Ramkrishna. 1991. Society, Cultureand Development. New Delhi: SagePublications. This theoretical book defines the concepts ofsociety, economic growth, culture anddevelopment through anthropological analysis.The author argues that not one of these terms isstatic and independent of each other. In thissense, development cannot be perceived as avery specialized instrument for economicgrowth because it is too restricted. Rather,development is successful when it freelyinteracts within culture and society.

Nandy, Ashis. 1989. The Intimate Enemy: Lossand Recovery of Self under Colonialism. NewDelhi: Oxford University Press. This book looks at the effects of colonialism onIndian culture, which remained even afterBritish rule ended.

Okkenhaug, Inger Marie, and IngvildFlaskerud, eds. 2005. Gender, Religion andChange in the Middle East. New York: BergPublishers.This book is a compilation of articles on the nexusbetween women and religion in the Middle East.It looks at Muslim, Jewish and Christian womenin the region, and the influences that colonialism,post-colonialism and Western imperialism havehad. Contributions include:


“Justice without Drama: Observations fromGaza City Shari’a Court”, by Nahda YounisShehada. This article explores the justicesystem at a court in Gaza City. The authorargues that even though Arab States have usedpersonal status codes to govern family affairs,the application of sharia is flexible. Shehadabelieves that women’s rights have not sufferedin contemporary Palestinian society followingthe codification of law.

“The Paradox of the New Islamic Woman inTurkey”, by Jenny B. White. In the social andpolitical mobilization of large numbers ofconservative women in Turkey, women’sactivism was crucial in bringing various Islamistpolitical parties to power.

Parry, Sue. 2003. Responses of the Faith-BasedOrganisations to HIV/AIDS in Sub Saharan Africa. This report by Dr. Sue Parry, Southern AfricaRegional Coordinator for the World Council ofChurches, reviews the contributions made byFBOs in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Thepublication is unique in that it is written fromthe standpoint of the South and not from aninternational organization or NGO.

Link: http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/mission/fba-hiv-aids.pdf

Perm, Carpal, ed. 1994. Culture andDevelopment. New Delhi: Her-AnanPublications. The premise of this book is that culture in Indiais in crisis. The contributors explore differentreasons for this, including the fragmentation oflife as individuals become increasinglyspecialized and dependent on technology. Thebook also argues that cultural cooperationamong nations is important because it createsbridges of understanding, based on harmony,creativity and fraternity. Interculturalknowledge is needed, and culture is beingneglected in development plans, which areoften designed by economists.

Philpot-Almeida, Raphine. 1994. A Profile ofthe Roles of Women as Economic Producers andFamily Supporters in the Gambia. This book looks at social factors contributing tothe lack of education of women in the Gambia.

Pieterse, Jan Nederveen. 1992. Culture andDevelopment. New York: Berg Publishers.The author examines the activities of Christianchurches in developing countries. For example,in Southern countries, an increase in thenumber of Evangelical churches has beennoted. Pieterse argues that while Evangelicalchurches claim to be politically neutral, someof their activities are perceived to have anAmerican political agenda included in theirprogrammes. This book is a collection ofessays that portray the role (active or not) theEvangelical Church has taken in recentpolitical history in the South. As an exampleduring apartheid in South Africa, theEvangelical church tried to stop local churchesfrom joining the liberation movement.

Qurush, Mahmud Shah. 1983. Culture andDevelopment. Bangladesh: National BookCentre. At the request of the United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),the author compiled a collection of essays tobetter inform foreigners on aspects of the culturaland intellectual history of Bangladesh. Amongother perspectives, the book examines the role ofMuslims during the “Bengal Renaissance”, andthe perspective of folk religion.

Radcliffe, Sarah. 2006. Culture and Developmentin a Globalizing World: Geographies, Actors andParadigms. New York: Rutledge. This book offers a theoretical and empiricalcritique of development discourse and practice. Itargues that culture is a tool for development thatmust be taken into consideration when designingprojects, and examines how culture plays out indevelopment programmes. The author provides

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examples (such as the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP) and UNESCO)and case studies to illustrate her arguments.

Rao, Vijayendra, and Michael Walton, eds.2004. Culture and Public Action: A Cross-Disciplinary Dialogue on Development Policy.Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. The anthropologists and economistscontributing to this volume defend culture ascentral to development, and argue that culturecan be a source of profound social andeconomic change.

Reese, Laura A., and Raymond A. Rosenfeld.2002. The Civic Culture of Local EconomicDevelopment. Thousand Oaks, CA: SagePublications.The authors challenge the idea in economicdevelopment discourse that “one model fits all”when trying to achieve economic growth. Theycriticize the paradigm, rooted in economics, thatall societies are governed by similarinfrastructures and regimes and therefore canbe treated the same from a public policyperspective. The authors argue that somesocieties do not have political and economicalstructures as rigid and solid as those in theUnited States or the European Union. Incontrast, in these societies, local structure isoften held together by civic organizations, inwhich NGOs play an important role within localpolitics and the social arena. Furthermore,development agencies must engage as much aspossible with local authorities, including NGOs.

Schech, Susanne, and Jane Haggis. 2000.Culture and Development: A CriticalIntroduction. Oxford: Blackwell. This book examines the historical backgroundof the terms “culture” and “development”, andargues that an understanding of the culturalcontext in which development programmestake place is fundamental to their success.Culture in development improves

understanding of globalization, and is a usefultool for nation-building and achievinginternational human rights standards.

Serageldin, Ismael, and June Taboroff, eds.1992. Culture and Development in Africa:Proceedings of an International ConferenceHeld at The World Bank, Washington, DC,April 1992.This publication is a report from a conferencesponsored by the World Bank, UNESCO and theUnited Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) onculture and development. The conference wasframed by the question, “How can we betterincorporate culture into development in Africa?”The three sessions were titled “Cultural Theoryand Development Practice”, “Culture and CivicSociety” and “Economic Development: Cultureas a Cause or Consequence”. Included is aUNESCO appendix titled “Towards DevelopingTools for Integrating the Cultural Dimensioninto Development”.

Smock, David. 2001. Special Report No. 76:Faith-Based NGOs and International Peace-building. Washington, DC: UnitedStates Institute of Peace.This article analyzes the participation of FBOs inpeace-building efforts, exploring ways in whichFBOs work in comparison to secularorganizations’ efforts in the same field. It arguesthat FBO participation has an impact becauseFBOs benefit from having established the trustof their communities.

Link: http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr76.html

UNAIDS (United Nations Programme onAIDS). 1998. NGO Perspectives on Access toHIV-Related Drugs in 13 Latin American andCaribbean Countries. UNAIDS collected information from 13 LatinAmerican and Caribbean countries to betterunderstand the activities aimed at improvingaccess to HIV- and AIDS-related services and


access to pharmaceutical drugs. In thesection titled “Church Relationships withNGOs and Institutions”, the authors illustratethe importance of considering theparticipation of FBOs and how they facilitateaccess to HIV-related services.

Link: http://data.unaids.org/Publications/IRC-pub01/JC100-NGO-Perspectives_en.pdf

UNDP (United Nations DevelopmentProgramme). 2003. Culture and Developmentin Viet Nam. UNDP is making an effort to introduce culture indevelopment planning. This book analyzes sixcase studies from Viet Nam and illustrates howa cultural approach can be included inprogramme planning.

Link: http://www.un.org.vn/undocs/vanhoa/culture.pdf

UNDP. 2004. Human Development Report:Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse World.In this report, UNDP argues that to reach theMDGs and ultimately eradicate poverty, thechallenges of how to build inclusive, culturallydiverse societies must be met.

Link: http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2004/

UNESCO (United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization). 1995.National Seminar on Culture and Development:Report. New Delhi: Centre for CulturalResources and Training.Since the beginning of the UNESCO WorldDecade on Cultural Development, the Centrefor Cultural Resources and Training has beenorganizing annual seminars on the decade’stheme. In 1995, the Centre put together ameeting on culture and development with thehighlighted question, “How can culture berestored to its rightful place at the core of socialdevelopment?” The meeting providedrecommendations, and this publication portraysa short summary of the findings.

Link: http://ccrtindia.gov.in/productcatalogue.htm#pb

UNESCO. 1996. Our Creative Diversity: Reportof the World Commission on Culture andDevelopment. Established by UNESCO and the UnitedNations in December 1992, the WorldCommission on Culture and Developmentprepared a policy-oriented report on theinteractions between culture and development.

Link: http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=33067&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html))

UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund).2007. Ending Violence against Women.This is an online exhibition and a book of casestudies on how to end violence against women.The exhibition includes case studies fromBangladesh and Sierra Leone, where FBOs playa crucial role.

Link: http://www.unfpa.org/endingviolence/home.html

UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund).2003. Activities Report: The Church andUNICEF: Latin America and the Caribbean.This publication highlights a 20-year-oldpartnership between UNICEF and the LatinAmerican Episcopal Conference. Some of theissues addressed are education, HIV and AIDSand health.

Link: http://www.unicef.org/media/files/celamactivitiesreportUNICEFandCatholicChurch.pdf?bcsi_scan_A8AA4F79F19141A2=0&bcsi_scan_filename=celamactivitiesreportUNICEFandCatholicChurch.pdf

UNICEF. 2004. Study of the Response by Faith-Based Organizations to Orphans and VulnerableChildren. This study was conducted in six South Africancountries by UNICEF and the World Conferenceof Religions for Peace. The organizations joined

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efforts to document what has been done byFBOs to help orphans and vulnerable youth whoare infected with HIV or AIDS. The publicationincludes appendices on religious affiliation andcongregation by country, and orphanages andshelters established by FBOs.

Link: http://www.wcrp.org/files/RPT-ovc.pdf

Verhelst, Thierry V. 1990. No Life WithoutRoots: Culture and Development. London: ZedBooks.This book presents a history of developmentand presents culture as the “missing link” indevelopment project success. It explores newways of conducting participatorydevelopment projects in which culture istaken into account during implementation.The book uses examples from FBOs andUNDP, and includes case studies oncustodians of traditional culture.

Vohra, N.N., ed. 2001. Culture, Democracy andDevelopment in South Asia. New Delhi: NewDelhi: Shipra Publications. This book examines cultural diversity as ameans of re-examining existing economicdevelopment theory. The writers explore thevibrant multicultural and pluralistic societythat exists in South Asia. Religions such asHinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism were bornin this region, and others, such as Islam andChristianity, were imported here from otherparts of the world. The writers argue that thishas resulted in a pluralistic society, albeit onethat is not always at peace. Yet in this context,culture and development have not beentreated as interlocking and interdependentterms, resulting in the failure of manydevelopment methods in the past. However,somewhat of a paradigm shift in developmenthas occurred recently, towards engagingFBOs, and South Asia can play an importantrole by highlighting the benefits of apluralistic society and the success of itsinterfaith movement.

Warren, Michael, L., Jan Slikkerveer, andDavid Brokensha, eds. 1995. The CulturalDimension of Development: IndigenousKnowledge Systems. London: IntermediateTechnology Publications. This book is a collection of various developmentprojects that benefited from local culturalknowledge. It includes a section devoted tointernational organizations that use localknowledge when designing developmentprojects.

The World Bank. 2001. Faith in Development:A Partnership between the World Bank and theChurches of Africa. Based on an international conference held inNairobi in 2000, organized by the World Bank andthe Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa, thisbook explores the practicalities and details of thepartnership between the World Bank and FBOs,with a special focus on grass-roots organizations.

World Faiths Development Dialogue. 2001.Cultures, Spirituality and Development. In this publication, the authors explore ways inwhich culture and spirituality can be taken intoconsideration when planning developmentprojects. They argue that stressing theseconcepts will ensure the effectiveness andsuccess of such projects.

Link: http://www.wfdd.org.uk/documents/publications/CutureSp_Dev.pdf

World Health Organization (WHO). 2008.Building from Common Foundations: The WorldHealth Organization and Faith-BasedOrganizations in Primary Healthcare.The key findings in this report, prepared byWHO in collaboration with Geneva Global, arethat: FBOs are major health providers indeveloping countries whose efforts often gounrecognized because they usually operateoutside government planning processes; FBOs’core values lead them to offer compassionate


care to people in need; FBO responses to HIVand AIDS demonstrates that they havedelivered a range of treatment, care andprevention activities; with attention toaccountability and monitoring, governmentscan work with FBOs on the basis that suchpartnerships will deliver public value andnarrow gaps in national health planningsystems; and local interest in participativeplanning is strong, according to WHOexercises in community mapping. Engineeringa network of FBOs and other community assetscould open new possibilities for comprehensivehealth systems.

Case StudiesBurghart, Richard. 1984. The Tisiyaki Klinik:A Nepalese medical centre in an interculturalfield of relations. Social Science and Medicine18: 589-98. This case focuses on a medical centre thatadministers treatment to patients using methodsthat vary according to the patients’ religiousbeliefs. In this alternative health-care facility,exorcism, Brahman traditions and Westernmedicine are all being practiced. The authorargues that this clinic is a good example of howdifferent cultures and religions can work side byside harmoniously.

Chan, Shun-hing. 2005. Regulating Faith-based Organizations by Government Funding: ACase Study of the Methodist Church in HongKong. Presented at the annual meeting of theAmerican Sociological Association,Philadelphia, PA. By analyzing the Yang Memorial MethodistSocial Service Agency, a Protestant-basedmedical organization, this paper argues that theProtestant churches in Hong Kong havemaintained a social function as a third sector,building social capital in their communities.

Link: http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p21600_index.html

Danish Centre for Cultural Development.2006. Culture Strategy in Vietnam: A NewCulture Programme and Culture Fund inVietnam. The Danish Embassy in Hanoi has prepared anew culture programme with inputs fromDCCD.

Link: http://www.dccd.dk/dccd/cku.nsf/doc/kulturstrategiwietnam?OpenDocument

Munguti, Nzaya, Moses Mokua, Rick Homan,and Harriet Birungi. 2006. Cost Analysis ofReproductive Health Services in PCEA ChogoriaHospital, Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya: FRONTIERSPopulation Council; Chogoria, Kenya: PCEAChogoria Hospital; Research Triangle Park,NC: Family Health International.The Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA)Chogoria Hospital is an FBO that providesnumerous health services to the community.Because of challenges to the survival of PCEA, ateam from the hospital attended a workshop inGhana on financial sustainability. Within thescope of this workshop, the team designed aproject to determine the cost of certainreproductive health services.

Link: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADG649.pdf

Nikolov, Boris. 2002. Religious Social Servicesin Lebanon and Egypt. Paper prepared for theWorld Bank. This paper is an overview of religious socialservices in Lebanon and Egypt, the legalframework within which FBOs operate, and therelationship between civil society and thegovernment. Following this overview, the authoruses a case study of social services provided byFBOs in Egypt to illustrate his point.

Link: https://repository.berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/RD-20020804-WorldBank-RelSocServ.pdf

Otolok-Tanga, Erasmus, Lynn Atuyambe,Colleen K. Murphy, Karin E. Ringheim, and

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Sara Woldehanna. 2007. Examining theactions of faith-based organizations and theirinfluence on HIV/AIDS-related stigma: A casestudy of Uganda. African Health Sciences7 (1): 55-60. This study explores the perceptions, held byUganda’s political decision-making community,of the role of FBOs in combating the stigmaattached to people living with HIV and AIDS.

Peuraca, Branka. 2003. Special Report No.103: Can Faith-Based NGOs Advance InterfaithReconciliation? The Case of Bosnia andHerzegovina. Washington, DC: United StatesInstitute of Peace. In post-conflict regions, religious reconciliationcan be difficult. This article presents a casestudy from Bosnia and Herzegovina, whereinterfaith organizations have been able toprovide social services, food, shelter andclothes. Interfaith partnerships also help toovercome the problems that have led, or canlead, to armed conflict situations.

Link: http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr103.html

Reach Out Mbuya Parish HIV/AIDS Initiative.(2001). Kampala, Uganda.Reach Out began in a Christian community andfor its first four years carried out services fromwithin Our Lady of Africa Mbuya Catholic Church.Over time, donor funding has allowed Reach Outto increase operations of its holistic model of care.Reach Out Mbuya Parish HIV/AIDS Initiativeserves the poor community of the Mbuya Parish,a suburb of Kampala, Uganda, providing holisticcare to more than 2,700 people living with HIVand AIDS. The holistic approach to care andtreatment has enabled many clients who werewithout hope of receiving care to return to anormal, healthy life. Each of the six villages withinthe Reach Out catchment area is headed by acommunity supervisor who works with a team ofcommunity workers. The community workers areexemplary clients who receive training in home-

based care and subsequently serve theircommunity and act as a relay between theircommunity and the organization.

Link: http://www.reachoutmbuya.org

Saraswati, Baidyanath, ed. 1997. Integration ofEndogenous Cultural Dimension intoDevelopment. New Delhi: D.K. Printworld. This book contains case studies on localreligious and traditional healing practicesamong indigenous minority groups in Indonesia.The book argues that development projects canbe viable only if all the complex elements thatconstitute a culture are understood. The authorshows the importance of local traditions andreligions in health service provisions inKalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya.

Shrestha, Ramesh. 1980. Faith Healers: AForce for Change. Kathmandu, Nepal:Educational Enterprises. This book explores a study conducted in Nepalillustrating that, many traditional faith healersworking across the country play an important rolein distributing reproductive health informationand services to assist in family planning becausethey are in daily contact with the rural population.

Tanenbaum Center for InterreligiousUnderstanding. 2007. Peacemakers in Action:Profiles of Religion in Conflict Resolution. Ed.by David Little. New York: CambridgeUniversity Press.This publication is a collection of case studiesof projects conducted in various parts of theworld on interreligious cooperation forconflict resolution.

Tyndale, Wendy. 2006. Visions ofDevelopment: Faith-based Initiatives.Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing.This publication is a collection of case studies thatshow the role non-economic social groups, suchas FBOs, are playing in assuring socio-economicdevelopment. The book also argues that spiritual


development can sometimes lead to materialdevelopment, and that a more holistic approach todevelopment incorporates all actors and cultureswhen designing projects, producing greaterbenefits and outcomes for everyone involved.

UNAIDS. 2001. Reaching Out, Scaling Up:Eight Case Studies of Home and CommunityCare for and by People with HIV/AIDS. This publication explores case studies on local,grass-roots organizations successfullyimplementing initiatives in the fight against HIVand AIDS. Two of the case studies illustrateexamples of FBO initiatives: the Kariobangicommunity-based home-care and home-basedAIDS care programme that was established in1986 by the Medical Mission Sisters; and theCentre for Socio-medical Assistance (CASM), aclinic established in 1991 by HOPE, aninternational FBO that provides services topeople living with HIV and AIDS.

Link: http://data.unaids.org/publications/irc-pub02/jc915-reachout_en.pdf

UNAIDS. 2005. HIV-Related Stigma,Discrimination and Human Rights Violations:Case Studies of Successful Programmes. This publication illustrates initiatives aimed atreducing the stigma related to HIV and AIDS inorder to improve the rights of people living withthe disease. Case studies include AIDS-integrated programmes undertaken by theCatholic Diocese of Ndola, Zambia; and CatholicAIDS Action, in Namibia. An important part ofthe conclusion points to the benefits of workingwith faith-based leaders in development.

Link: http://data.unaids.org/publications/irc-pub06/JC999-HumRightsViol_en.pdf

UNAIDS. 2006. Collaborating with TraditionalHealers for HIV Prevention and Care in sub-Saharan Africa: Suggestions for ProgrammeManagers and Field Workers. This paper aims to educate health authorities,governments, NGOs and local communities on

both traditional and conventional healthsystems. It shows ways in which traditionalhealers can help in the prevention of HIV andcare for AIDS patients.

Link: http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2006/jc0967-tradhealers_en.pdf

UNAIDS. 2006. A Faith-Based Response toHIV in Southern Africa: The Choose to CareInitiative.This case study shows how the Catholic Churchin South Africa has been providing services toanswer needs related to HIV and AIDS. TheChurch’s programme is implemented on a smallscale and is rooted in local communities’practices and traditions.

Link: http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2006/JC1281_Choose_To_Care_en.pdf

UNESCO. 2003. Women and Peace in Africa:Case Studies on Traditional Conflict ResolutionPractices.This is a compilation of case studies—fromBurundi, Cameroon, the Central AfricanRepublic, Namibia, Somalia and Tanzania—onwomen’s roles in conflict and peace. In all of thecase studies, women use traditional culturalpractices to keep peace and resolve conflict.

Link: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001332/133274e.pdf

UNICEF. Date N/A. Working for the Children:Some Stories about Our Joint Efforts in LatinAmerica. Produced by UNICEF in collaboration with theLatin American Episcopal Conference, thispublication showcases some examples of thework these two organizations haveaccomplished together across Latin America.Some of the case studies included reflectissues relevant to the MDGs as well as theICPD, such as universal education, maternalhealth, and HIV and AIDS.

Link: http://www.unicef.org/media/files/5historias.pdf

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Young, Greg. 2003. Cultural Mapping in aGlobal World. Speech delivered at the ASEAN[Association of Southeast Asian Nations]Committee on Culture and Information.Australia.The author defines cultural mapping as anethical tool for mainstreaming culture in socialand economic development. He advocates forwider public engagement and more respect forcultural diversity. Included are case studies fromdevelopment programmes aimed at indigenouscommunities in Australia.

Link: http://plt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/7/1/71

United Nations Initiatives,Conferences and ProgrammesMarazzi, M.C., G. Guidotti, G. Liotta, and L.Palombi. 2005. DREAM: An Integrated Faith-based Initiative to Treat HIV/AIDS inMozambique. Geneva: WHO.Drug Resources Enhancement against AIDS andMalnutrition (DREAM) is a programme createdby the Community of Sant’Egidio to fight AIDSin sub-Saharan Africa. The main objective of theprogramme is to enable Mozambique to expandits HIV and AIDS treatment and care andmalnutrition-related services.

Link: http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/casestudies/mozambiquedream.pdf

Tyndale, Wendy. 2004. Religions and theMillennium Development Goals: Whose agenda? Speech delivered at the Conferenceof Religion and Development, The Hague,Netherlands. Poverty and wealth are intertwined. Tyndaleargues that for the MDGs to be achieved, a re-examination of the relationship betweeninternational development agencies andreligious leaders must take place.Development agencies cannot provide onlyfinancial support for FBOs to carry out

Western agendas. Religious leaders need tore-examine their relationship to power andgender. The Jubilee 2000 movement and itsinfluence on the call to cancel the internationaldebts of the most highly indebted nations is agood example of what FBOs and religiousleaders can accomplish when they collaborate.

Link:http://religiondatabases.georgetown.edu/berkley/religiondev.php?sortColumn=Date&direction=DESC#tag1814))

UNAIDS. 2005. A Report of a TheologicalWorkshop Focusing on HIV- and AIDS-RelatedStigma. In December 2003, UNAIDS supported thisworkshop in Windhoek, Namibia, in which 62academic Christian theologians participated.The outcomes of the workshop provide themesfor further theological reflection on HIV- andAIDS-related stigma.

Link: http://data.unaids.org/Publications/IRC-pub06/JC1119-Theological_en.pdf

UNAIDS. 2008. Working Group on Religionand FBOs. Geneva.UNAIDS, in collaboration with UNFPA, WHO,the International Labour Organization (ILO)and UNDP, brought together a working groupof partnership officers from across theUNAIDS Secretariat as well as co-sponsoringorganizations and FBO representatives tooutline a strategy for future work with FBOs onAIDS issues. The meeting, which took place 9-11 April 2008 in Geneva, aimed to establisha strategy for a more coordinated response topartnership work among all stakeholdersinvolved in the AIDS response. Participants atthis meeting analyzed how to work the mosteffectively with the wide range of FBOsfocusing on AIDS, discussing the opportunitiesand challenges they offer. The working groupproduced a three- to five-year strategy thatwill guide UNAIDS and its co-sponsors’ effortsto consolidate a response to AIDS incoordination with the faith community.


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UNESCO. 2004. Workshops on the CulturalDiversity Programming Lens.In order to better implement the cultural diversitylens, the culture sector of UNESCO Bangkokorganized workshops to raise awareness andtrain programme officers in the use of the culturaldiversity programming lens. The workshopsincluded “Introduction to Cultural ResourceManagement”, “Cultural Mapping Principles”,“Cultural Mapping Applications” and “CulturalHeritage Impact Assessment”.

Link: http://www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=2529

UNESCO. Bangkok Country Team.The Bangkok office of UNESCO is active in thefield of culture and development, and hasworked to incorporate a cultural dimension intoits development programmes. Its websiteprovides information on the various activities inwhich this country team is involved.

Link: http://www.unescobkk.org

UNESCO. Chairs in Interfaith Studies. The UNESCO Chairs on Intercultural andInterreligious Dialogue have been created inacademic centres of acknowledged experience inthe field, bringing together teachers andresearchers who specialize in the multidisciplinaryaspects of the history of religions, and who arecommitted to the promotion of interreligiousdialogue. This network aims to foster educationalexchanges among students and researchers,including those considering undertaking areligious vocation, providing them with a secular,multireligious and intercultural education.

Link: http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29403&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html#2

UNESCO. Interreligious Dialogue.The UNESCO Interreligious Dialogueprogramme aims to promote dialogue amongdifferent religions and spiritual and humanistictraditions, as world conflicts are increasingly

being associated with religious belonging. Itstresses the reciprocal interactions andinfluences among religions and spiritual andhumanistic traditions on the one hand, and theneed to promote understanding among them inorder to challenge prejudice and foster mutualrespect on the other.

Link: http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=11680&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

UNESCO. UNESCO Courier.Created in 1947, this magazine covers currentconcerns in the UNESCO agenda. It has beenavailable online since March 2006, issued everytwo months in all six official United Nationslanguages.

Link: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=42213&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

UNICEF. 2007. Fifth International Congresson Culture and Development.This conference in Havana, Cuba, organized byUNESCO and UNICEF, was attended by nearly800 intellectuals, artists and spokespeoplefrom 64 countries. The theme was “Defense ofCultural Diversity in a Globalized World”. Itserved as a forum for open debate and freeexchange of ideas about multiculturalism anddiversity in development projects.

Link: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/cuba_40125.html

UNRISD (United Nations Research Institutefor Social Development). 2007-2009.Religion, Politics and Gender Equality.The prediction that secularism would sweep theworld has been confounded in recent years asreligion has left the place assigned to it (bytheories of modernity) in the private sphere andthrust itself into the public arena. This researchproject seeks to examine the social and politicalimplications of religion assuming such prominentand contested public and political roles. Some


observers, including many feminists, seeincompatibilities among democracy, human rightsand gender equality on the one hand, and a worldin which religious issues and organizations havean active presence in public affairs on the other.Others, however, argue that religion (at its best)can act as a significant counterweight to theotherwise hegemonic institutions of the state andthe market, revitalizing public debate on theirmoral underpinnings and their social outcomes.The task of this research, therefore, is to developanalytical and normative criteria to differentiateamong the various forms of public religion andtheir social and political consequences, includingthe implications for gender equality.

Link: http://www.unrisd.org/unrisd/website/projects.nsf/(httpProjectsForProgrammeAreaen)/3F3D45E0F8567920C12572B9004180C5?OpenDocument

UNRISD. 2008-2010. Religion, Identity andBusiness.This research project explores the resurgenceof religious movements in various regions ofthe world, which has been linked to thecollapse of secular ideologies andmovements; long-running economic, socialand political crises associated with globaleconomic change; and problems of war andlarge-scale migration. These developmentsraise questions about the relationship amongreligious identity, socio-economic change andconflict. Religious movements, including newrevivalist movements, seek to address a rangeof issues relating to spirituality, morality, well-being, community development and politicalchange. They often fill a void in socialprovisioning and protection associated withstate failure and marginalization.

Link: httpProjectsForResearchHomeen)/D207052B7F422966C12571C60046B0AE?OpenDocument&panel=team

Woolcock, Michael. 2002. Culture anddevelopment: Rethinking implications for

policy research. Comments delivered at theWorld Bank “Culture and Public Action”Conference. This speech examines what culture is, what it isnot, and how it plays out in development policyresearch. Woolcock argues that whenpolicymakers study culture and development,they need to keep an open mind, be flexible tonew ideas, and work to integrate qualitative andquantitative methods and data in their work.

Link: http://www.cultureandpublicaction.org/pdf/Woolcock.pdf

The World Bank. Date N/A. Culture andDevelopment.In its programmes and projects designed for theLatin American and Caribbean community, theWorld Bank has identified culture anddevelopment as a thematic area of socialdevelopment. To ensure that developmentprojects and policies are feasible and effective,it is essential to understand the social, culturaland institutional contexts in which they arecarried out. The areas identified as having afocus on culture and development are:

• Support for the identity and culture ofindigenous peoples and Afro-descendants.Projects include the Peru Indigenous Peopleand Afro-Peruvian Development Project; theIndigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian PeoplesDevelopment Project (PRODEPINE); theIndigenous Peoples Development Project inBolivia; and the Indigenous CommunityDevelopment Project in Argentina

• The New Cultural Heritage programmes, withprojects such as Profuturo, the HondurasInteractive Environmental Learning andScience Promotion; and the RegionalDevelopment in the Copan Valley Project

• Culture and education policies, such as theUniversalization of Basic Education Project inGuatemala.

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Link: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/LACEXT/EXTLACREGTOPSOCDEV/0,,contentMDK:20547292~menuPK:1308760~pagePK:34004173~piPK:34003707~theSitePK:847655,00.html

The World Bank. 2005. Dialogue Between theWorlds of Faith and Development.The Development Dialogue on Values and Ethicsis a unit within the Human Development NetworkVice-Presidency. It is primarily responsible forengaging with faith institutions arounddevelopment issues, and working with otherinstitutions and leaders who are addressing thecomplex ethical issues around globalization.

Link: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/ORGANIZATION/EXTPRESIDENT2007/EXTPASTPRESIDENTS/PRESIDENTEXTERNAL/0,,contentMDK:20091872~menuPK:232057~pagePK:139877~piPK:199692~theSitePK:227585,00.html

Reviewed ArticlesBergendorff, Steen. 2007. Cultural complexityand development policy. European Journal ofDevelopment Research 19 (2): 195-209. This article examines the UNESCO report OurCreative Diversity and investigates the assertionthat culture matters in development. The authorconcludes that instead of creating new roles orintroducing democracy, development policiesshould address the nature of local interactionand the rules upon which it is based.

Link: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a779217086~tab=send

Boehle, Josef. 2007. Religions, civil societyand the UN system. Studies in InterreligiousDialogue 17 (1): 20. The author of this article explores how civilsociety organizations—in particular, religiousNGOs or FBOs—can better interact with theUnited Nations system. He argues that intoday’s globalized world, societies have to movepast the religion-versus-state dichotomy.

Bradley, Tamsin. 2007. The RelationshipsBetween Religion and Development: Views fromAnthropology. Working Paper 5. The author of this paper conducted a review ofliterature on religion and development, andconcluded that very little literature actuallyexists on the work that FBOs and NGOs aredoing to improve their communities.

Link: http://www.rad.bham.ac.uk/files/resourcesmodule/@random45c8b732cd96d/1186738047_WP5.pdf

Brijnath, Bianca. 2007. It’s about TIME:Engendering AIDS in Africa. Culture, Healthand Sexuality 9 (4): 371-386. This paper analyzes how TIME magazinerepresents sub-Saharan African women in itscoverage of HIV and AIDS. As rates of infectionescalate across the continent, researchersincreasingly are emphasizing the need tounderstand the socioeconomic and culturalcontexts that make women particularlyvulnerable to infection.

Carranza, Jose. 2002. Culture anddevelopment: Some considerations fordebate. Latin American Perspective 29 (4): 31-46. This article examines the concepts of cultureand development as defined by UNESCO. Itdoes not provide case studies.

Elyachar, Julia. 2002. Empowerment money:The World Bank, non-governmentalorganizations, and the value of culture inEgypt. Public Culture 14 (3): 493-513. Financing for development has taken a new turnsince the mobilizations and protests at the 1998World Trade Organization (WTO) meetings.Microfinancing is becoming the new way tofinance development. While this may seem amore just way of financing, compared with moremainstream development projects, it does notincorporate culture. The author illustrates herpoint with the case of Egypt and themicrofinance industry.


Griffin, Keith. 1997. Culture, HumanDevelopment and Economic Growth(UNRISD/UNESCO Occasional Paper Serieson Culture and Development).This paper aims to contribute to and facilitatethe debate on culture and development on the eve of the release of the World CultureReport, published by the World Commission on Culture and Development. Its main themeis that culture is an important component of development but is often overlooked by development planners. However, the author believes that the World Culture Report will ignite a new debate that will haveimportant consequences in futuredevelopment programming.

Link: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001241/124175eo.pdf

Ibhawoh, Bonny. 2000. Between culture andconstitution: Evaluating the culturallegitimacy of human rights in the Africanstates. Human Rights Quarterly 22 (3): 838-860. Examining a dilemma confronting many Africanstates, this article explores ways in whichculture, through adaptation and modification,can serve to complement rather than constrainspecific national human rights aspirations.

Lewis, David. 2003. NGOs, organizationalculture, and institutional sustainability.Annals of the American Academy of Politicaland Social Sciences 590 (1): 212-226. This paper draws on qualitative research on asericulture (silk farming) project inBangladesh to explore the ways in which theconcept of organizational culture can provideunderstanding of the complex root ofsustainability problems within multi-agencyrural development projects.

Marshall, Katherine. 2001. Development andreligion: A different lens on developmentdebates. Peabody Journal of Education 76:3&4:339-375.

In this article, the author explores the historyof the partnership between the World Bankand FBOs and highlights lessons learned. Sheportrays this engagement in terms of threecategories: first, the political dimension ofFBOs; second, the oppositional dimensionwhereby FBOs pursue different agendas ondevelopment than that of the World Bank; andthird, in terms of the relevance of religion in amodern society.

Link: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a785830223~db=all

Pieterse, Jan Nederveen. 1995. The culturalturn in development: A question of power?European Journal of Development Research 7(1): 176-192. The author contests economic globalization andits ethnocentrism in terms of culture, andargues that globalization renders ethnocentrisminviable. The ideological shift, since the end ofthe cold war, forces the West to make a placefor religion and ethnic movements whendesigning development projects. The authoragrees with the UNESCO discourse on pluralismand local cultures.

Rouhana, Hoda. 2003. On feminism andnational identity: The experience ofPalestinian women in Israel and Muslimwomen in India. Critical Half 1 (1): 4-9. This article explores the double oppressionfaced by Muslim women in India and Palestinianwomen in Israel because of their gender andtheir religion.

Link: http://www.womenforwomen.org/downloads/CHJournalv1.pdf

Sachedina, Abdulaziz. 2003. Globalization,religion, and women. Critical Half 1 (1): 10-13. Sachedina perceives globalization as a new typeof domination and universal ideology. Thisideology presents new challenges for women’shuman rights due to the use of women as acheap source of labour, the exploitation ofwomen by multinational companies, and male

CULTURE MATTERS100

domination in patriarchal societies. The writerproposes “religious globalization”.


Salbi, Zainab. 2003. Why might womensupport religious fundamentalism?” CriticalHalf 1 (1): 14-19. This article focuses on Middle Eastern womenwho seek to advance their own interests throughthe revival of religious traditions. Religion touchesupon the private spheres, which traditionallyencompass the women’s sphere. Increasedpoverty, unemployment and economic insecuritygenerate interest in returning to traditionalIslamic society with predefined gender roles.


Selinger, Leah. 2004. The forgotten factor:The uneasy relationship between religion anddevelopment. Social Compass 51 (4): 523. The author argues that religion is a definingforce within culture. By exploring the roots ofdevelopment and its historical avoidance ofreligion, the article seeks to determine a courseof action that incorporates the socialsignificance of religion, to be recognized andhandled in a constructive manner.

Sered, Susan Starr. 1990. Women, religionand modernization: Tradition andtransformation among elderly Jews in Israel.American Anthropologist (New Series)92 (2):306-318. The author states in this article thatmodernization has affected the lives of womenby increasing women’s involvement in society.

Tomalin, Emma. 2007. Gender StudiesApproaches to the Relationships betweenReligion and Development. Working Paper 8. This is a literature review of the impact ofreligion on social differences between the sexes.The main themes are religion portrayed as an

impediment to improving women’s lives andreproductive health, and eliminating femalegenital mutilation and HIV and AIDS.

Link: http://www.rad.bham.ac.uk/files/resourcesmodule/@random45c8b732cd96d/1186738083_WP8.pdf

Tucker, Vincent. 1996. Cultural perspectiveson development. European Journal ofDevelopment Research 8 (2). What does cultural analysis have to offerdevelopment studies? Is culture a new paradigmfor the study of development, or a minefield oftheoretical confusion? Can we move beyondnotions of “global culture” and “local culture” toa more refined notion of cultural processes?

Uchem, Rose. 2003. Overcoming women’ssubordination in the Igbo African culture andin the Catholic Church. Critical Half 1 (1): 26-31. This article explores the roots of gender equalityin egalitarian traditions of pre-colonial/pre-Christian Igbo society. Colonialism broughtgender inequality to the Igbo people. Along withthe Europeans came Christianity, which re-enforced the gender differences. Uchem arguesthat Western colonial rulers interpreted theequal power of men and women in the Igbosociety as a threat.


Vohra, Sumona. 2003. The practice of dowryfrom the context of Hinduism. Critical Half 1(1): 32-35. The author discusses the dowry system and howit affects the lives of women in India. Due to themisinterpretation of the Hindu texts by theBritish, dowry has become something that it wasnot meant to be. Initially, dowry was supposed tobe money given to the bride by her father to beused in a time of difficulty. Instead, it is now seenas something the father must give to the groomand his family to take care of his daughter.



Winter, Bronwyn. 2002. Religion, culture andwomen’s human rights: Some general politicaland theoretical considerations. Women’sStudies International Forum 29 (4): 381-393.Though many countries endorse women’s rights,such rights are rarely implemented. Since themajority of those promoting human rights aremen, women’s rights have often been given lesspreference or ignored. Winter supports herargument with examples of various conventionsin which religious text and religious practiceshave interfered in giving women their full rights.

ToolkitsKettle, C.K., and Saul Libby. 2006. Guidelinesfor Managing the Integration of Culture intoDevelopment Programmes.The ASEAN Foundation worked with SEAMEO-SPAFA, the Regional Centre for Archaeology andFine Arts, to produce this toolkit—a guide tointegrating culture into development programs.

Link: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwt.nsf/db900SID/OCHA-6EXCYY/$File/SEAMEO_guidelines.pdf?OpenElement

Lux, Steven, and Kristine Greenaway. 2006.Scaling up Effective Partnerships: A Guide toWorking with Faith-based Organisations in theResponse to HIV and AIDS. Co-produced by Church World Service, theEcumenical Advocacy Alliance, NorwegianChurch Aid, UNAIDS and the World Conferenceof Religions for Peace, this toolkit is designed toimprove partnerships and collaborations withFBOs in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Link: http://www.e-alliance.ch/media/media-6695.pdf

UNESCO. Cultural Diversity Lens.To ensure that cultural diversity is addressedat all stages of project implementation,

UNESCO is developing a cultural diversitylens. It will use the lens to identify the gapsand shortcomings of a project or programmeand develop appropriate indicators for thepromotion of cultural diversity.

Link: http://www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=2529

UNESCO. The Cultural Diversity ProgrammingLens Toolkit.This toolkit is designed to help implementthe cultural diversity lens. It contains ageneral introduction and a step-by-stepguide on how to develop and use the culturaldiversity lens.

Link: http://www.unescobkk.org/fileadmin/user_upload/culture/Cultural_lens/CDPL_Toolkit-August_Workshop.pdf

UNESCO. 1995. The Cultural Dimension ofDevelopment: Towards a Practical Approach.Paris: UNESCO Publishing. Constructed as a how-to manual, this bookprovides information on incorporating culturalfactors into development programmes. It showsthe links that exist between culture anddevelopment in order to identify the commonmethodological aspects of development.

UNESCO. 1997. A Cultural Approach toDevelopment: Planning Manual, Concepts andTools. Paris: UNESCO Publishing. This practical tool, a complement to The CulturalDimension of Development: Towards a PracticalApproach, is aimed at development plannersand practitioners to help them better integratelocal customs into their planning.

UNESCO. 2005. Faith in Action: Working Towardthe Millennium Development Goals: An ActionToolkit for Religious Leaders and Communities. This toolkit was created in response toreligious leaders asking what they can do inthe endeavour to achieve the MDGs. Afterpresenting all eight goals, the manual

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provides tools on how to enlist the supportand participation of communities byadvocating for the MDGs and mobilizing totake action to achieve them.

Link: http://www.wcrp.org/files/English%20African%20MDG%20toolkit.pdf

UNFPA. 2007. Engaging Faith-basedOrganizations in HIV Prevention. A TrainingManual for Programme Managers.UNFPA has embarked on a number of jointinitiatives with FBOs to address the spread ofHIV and to fight the stigma often directedtowards people living with the virus. Dialogueand partnership with FBOs have yieldedresults that have been mutually beneficial toUNFPA and religious institutions, and, mostimportant, have improved the lives of thepeople they serve. This training manual aimsto encourage policymakers, programmers inthe field and development practitioners to

recognize the complex social, cultural andeconomic factors in HIV prevention, and topartner with FBOs to address them. Theultimate goal is to advance the ICPD agendaand reverse the spread of HIV.

Link: http://www.unfpa.org/publications/detail.cfm?ID=337&filterListType=

UNICEF. 2003. What Religious Leaders Can Doabout HIV/AIDS: Action for Children and YoungPeople. This publication was developed after membersof the African Religious Leaders’ Assembly onChildren and HIV/AIDS asked for information onhow to help children tackle HIV and AIDS. Themanual contains tools and resources useful toreligious leaders working on HIV and AIDS atthe community level.

Link: http://www.unicef.org/Religious_leaders_Aids.pdf

FBO Mapping Chart

Region: AFRICA

Country Religion Project name Partnerships Activities Issuesaddressed Duration Target

Groups

Botswana Evangelical ASRH Campaigns inthe Church

Botswana Council ofChurches,EvangelicalFellowship ofBotswana,Organization ofAfrican IndependentChurches

Advocacy: Forums,community, educa-tional institutions,media Capacity-building: Religiousleaders

Adolescentsexual andreproduc-tive health(SRH); HIVand AIDS;maternalmortality

2005-2006 Youth

DemocraticRepublic ofthe Congo

Catholicism Reinforced Capacityto Protect OlderPersons

Congregation of theLittle Sisters of thePoor

Advocacy:Community

Elderlyhealth

May-June2005

Elderly people

Eritrea Islam,Catholicism,Evangelical,Orthodox

Care and Support forPeople Living withHIV and AIDS

OrthodoxPatriarchate, IslamicMufti Office,Catholic Secretariat,Evangelical Church

Advocacy:Forums/committees

Reproductivehealth (RH);HIV andAIDS; mor-bidity and mortality

December2001-June2005

People liv-ing withHIV andAIDS

Ethiopia Orthodox N/A Churches Capacity-building:Religious leaders

HIV andAIDS; gender

N/A N/A

Ghana* Catholicism,Protestantism,Islam

Strengthening Tieswith a ReligiousNetwork in Ghanathat PromotesInterfaithUnderstanding andBetter Prospects forYouth

Supreme MuslimCouncil; churches;Planned ParenthoodAssociation (NGO)

Advocacy:Community; datagathering andresearch; media andinformationCapacity-building:Mobilization of reli-gious leaders andresources; trainingthe trainers

AdolescentSRH; gen-der equality;HIV andAIDS; fami-ly planning;populationand demo-graphics

2001-2006 Religiousleaders,professionalpersonnel,youth

Ghana Catholicism,Protestantism,Islam

Liberating Slaves andChanging Minds

International NeedsGhana

Advocacy:CommunityCapacity-building:Training the trainers

SRH 4 years N/A

Madagascar Protestantism,Lutheran

Strengthening theReproductive HealthActivities

Lutheran andProtestant Churches

Advocacy:CommunityCapacity-building:Religious leaders,health clinics, train-ing the trainers

AdolescentRH, familyplanning,HIV andAIDS, overall RH

2005-2009 Healthstaff, youth,men

* Data from the 2004 UNFPA publication. Culture Matters: Working with Communities and Faith-based Organizations and Working from Within:Culturally Sensitive Approaches in UNFPA Programming.


Appendix A. Matrix of Case Studies

CULTURE MATTERS104


Groups

Malawi* Catholicism Partnering withReligious, Culturaland Faith-basedInstitutions: AnUnderutilized Forcein the Fight againstHIV and AIDS

Government;Scripture Union ofMalawi, ChristianHospitalsAssociation ofMalawi, CatholicDevelopmentCommission,Christian Council ofMalawi, FertilityAwareness SupportUnit of the CatholicChurch (FBOs)

Advocacy: Mediaand informationCapacity-building:Mobilization of reli-gious leaders andresources; trainingthe trainers; healthclinics

SRH andrights; HIVand AIDS

N/A Religiousleaders, pro-fessionalhealth personnel

Mauritania Islam UNFPA CountryOffice in Mauritania

Ulemma and imamassociations

Advocacy: Forums Capacity-building:Religiousleaders

RH andrights; gen-der; familyplanning

N/A

Niger Islam N/A N/A Capacity-building:Religious leaders

Populationand demo-graphics

N/A N/A

Rwanda Islam,Catholicism

RWA03P04-RH inImidugudu

Religions againstAIDS (FBO);Catholic,Protestant, andIslamic religious groups

Advocacy:Communities

Capacity-building:Religiousleaders

SRH andrights; gen-der; familyplanning;HIV andAIDS

May-December2006

Senegal Islam,Christianity

N/A Islamic community Advocacy:Community

Capacity-building:Religiousleaders

RH; familyplanning;gender; HIVand AIDS;maternaland infantmortality

2004-ongoing?

SierraLeone**

Christianity Getting at the Rootsof “Survival Sex”

Women in CrisisMovement (FBO),NEWMAP (womenparliamentariansand ministers)

Advocacy:Community

Capacity-building:Resourcemobiliza-tion, reli-gious lead-ers, trainingthe trainers

Gender-based vio-lence(GBV), HIVand AIDS,adolescentreproductiveand sexualhealth(ASRH)

2001-Present

Sierra Leone Christianity Integration ofReproductive Healthin Faith Clinics

Pastors and otherreligious leaders inthe church

Advocacy:Community

Capacity-building:Religiousleaders,resourcemobilization

RH; HIV andAIDS

Ongoing

* Data from the 2004 UNFPA publication. Culture Matters: Working with Communities and Faith-based Organizations and Working from Within:Culturally Sensitive Approaches in UNFPA Programming

** Data from the 2007 UNFPA publication. Programming to Address Violence Against Women

Region: AFRICA



Groups

Sierra Leone Islam Islamic Network forReproductive Healthand PopulationDevelopmentPromotion in SierraLeone

Churches, imams,sheiks; Islamicwomen’s organizations(FBOs)

Advocacy: Forums Capacity-building:Religiousleaders

RH andrights; fami-ly planning;gender;female geni-tal mutila-tion/cutting(FGM/C);HIV andAIDS

2005-ongoing?

Uganda* Islam Partnering withUganda’s MuslimCommunity forBetter ReproductiveHealth

Muslim SupremeCouncil

Advocacy:Community; forums; media andinformation

Capacity-building:Religiousleaders,training thetrainers,health clinics

RH andrights

1995-ongoing

Uganda* Islam Winning Supportfrom Some ofUganda’s Custodiansof Culture: Elders,Bishops and Kings

Sabiny EldersAssociation (NGO),Kinkizi DioceseChurch of Uganda,Bunyoro and Toorokingdoms

Advocacy:Community; forums;media and informa-tion Capacity-build-ing: Religious lead-ers, training thetrainers

RH andrights; HIVand AIDS;family plan-ning; gen-der equali-ty; FGM/C

1995-? Religious andindigenousleaders,youth,women, governmentofficials

Uganda Islam,Catholicism,Anglican,Orthodox

Inter-ReligiousCouncil of Uganda(IRCU)

Catholic, Anglicanand Orthodoxchurches; UgandaMuslim SupremeCouncil

Advocacy: Forums,communityCapacity-building:Religious leaders

Adolescentand overallRH; genderequality;HIV andAIDS

2001-ongo-ing

Religiousleaders andorganizations

Zimbabwe Christianity N/A Churches Capacity-building:Religious leaders

HIV N/A N/A

* Data from the 2004 UNFPA publication. Culture Matters: Working with Communities and Faith-based Organizations and Working from Within:Culturally Sensitive Approaches in UNFPA Programming

Region: AFRICA

CULTURE MATTERS106

Country Religion Project name Partnerships Activities Issuesaddressed Duration Target groups

Algeria Islam N/A Government(Ministry ofReligious Affairs)

Capacity-building:Religious leaders,training the trainers

STIs; HIVand AIDS

N/A Religiousleaders(imams),youth

Armenia Christianity Third-PartyProcurement ofCondoms

World VisionArmenia (FBO)

Capacity-building:Resource mobilization

SRH; HIVand AIDS

September2005-June2006

Communities

Armenia Christianity Joint Project onHIV and AIDSCapacity-Building/Prevention

Indirect partner-ship through NGOwith Lori Marz(region) Dioceseof ArmenianApostolic Church

Advocacy SRH; HIVand AIDS

July-October2007

N/A

Azerbaijan Islam,Zoroastrianism

N/A Local mosques Capacity-building:Forums/committees

RH, HIV 2 years N/A

Egypt Islam Advocacy ofReproductiveHealth in theContext of Islam

Al-AzharUniversity,InternationalIslamic Centre for PopulationStudies andResearch; government

Advocacy:Educational institutions; mediaand informationCapacity-building:Religious leaders

RH; HIV;populationand demo-graphics;genderequality

January2005-December2006

Religiousleaders

EasternEurope

Orthodox,Christianity

N/A UNICEF, WorldBank

Advocacy: Datagathering andresearch

Genderequality

N/A N/A

Georgia Orthodox,Christianity

N/A Government,NGOs, churches

Advocacy: Forums RH, familyplanning

N/A Communities

Georgia Orthodox,Christianity

N/A Government,churches, media

Advocacy RH, familyplanning

2006-2007 N/A

Jordan Islam N/A Mosques, religious leaders

Capacity-building:Religious leaders

RH N/A Religiousleaders

Kosovo Catholicism,Islam

N/A Catholic Church,Office of theMufti for Pristina,UNICEF, govern-ment (Ministry ofHealth)


RH N/A Religiousleaders

Kosovo Islam Cairo Workshopon Population andIslam

Religious leaders,Senior Member ofKosovo’s parlia-ment, Vice Deanof the Faculty ofIslamic Studies


RH N/A Religiousleaders, culture

Kyrgyzstan Islam ReproductiveHealth Programme

State Commissionon ReligiousAffairs; ClericalDepartment ofMuslims;Mutakalim(women’s FBO)

Advocacy: ForumsCapacity-building:Religious leaders

RH andrights; family planning;genderequality

2001-2005 Youth,women,communities

Region: ARAB STATES, EASTERN EUROPE, CENTRAL ASIA



Kyrgyzstan Islam ReproductiveHealthProgramme

State Agency onReligious Affairs;ClericalDepartment ofMuslims;Mutakalim(women’s FBO)and its regionalbranches; KyrgyzFamily PlanningAlliance (NGO)

Capacity-building,advocacy, socialmobilization, training

SRH andrights; fami-ly planning;HIV preven-tion andAIDS treat-ment; socialmobilizationon SRH andreproduc-tive rights;genderequality

2001-2007 Youth,women,Muslim religiouscommunities,Muslim religiousleaders

Lebanon Islam,Christianity

N/A Religious leaders Advocacy: Media SRH 4 years Youth

Oman Islam N/A Government Capacity-building:Religious leaders

RH andrights; gender; HIV

3 years N/A

OccupiedPalestinianTerritories

Islam IEC in Support ofReproductiveHealth

Department ofFamilyCounselling andReconciliation inSharia Courts

Capacity-building:Training the trainers

RH, GBV N/A Shariadepartmentofficials, reli-gious leaders

Sudan Islam N/A Religious leaders Capacity-building:Religious leaders

RH N/A N/A

Syria Islam AwarenessCreation AmongDecision-Makersand OpinionLeaders

Ministry ofIslamic Affairs(Awqaf )

Advocacy: MediaCapacity-building:Religious leaders

RH, familyplanning,gender

2003-2006 Religiousleaders (e.g.,imams)

Tajikistan Islam EnhancedAvailability ofQuality andGender-SensitiveReproductiveHealth Services

Islamic Universityof Tajikistan;GovernmentReligiousCommittee; SafeMotherhood(NGO)

Advocacy:Educational insti-tutions, communi-ty Capacity-build-ing: Religious lead-ers, training thetrainers

RH andrights; fami-ly planning;HIV andAIDS

2005-2009 Religiousleaders,youth, NGOworkers

Yemen* Islam Opening the Doorto ReproductiveHealth in Yemen

Ministry ofIslamic Affairs(Awqaf ) andReligiousGuidance

Advocacy:Community; mediaand informationCapacity-building:Mobilization ofreligious leadersand resources

SRH; HIVand AIDS;family plan-ning

2002 Religiousleaders,youth

Yemen Islam ReproductiveHealth, FamilyPlanning

Seminar forIslamic Youth inRiyadh, WorldIslamic Council forAdvocacy andRescue

Advocacy: Forums,communityCapacity-building:Strengthening thestructures, trainingthe trainers

RH, gender,youth, familyplanning,FGM/C

4 years Religiousleaders,youth

* Data from the 2004 UNFPA publications Culture Matters: Working with Communities and Faith-based Organizations and Working from Within:Culturally Sensitive Approaches in UNFPA Programming

Region: ARAB STATES, EASTERN EUROPE, CENTRAL ASIA

CULTURE MATTERS108

Region: ASIA AND THE PACIFIC


Bangladesh Islam,Hinduism,Buddhism

Involvement ofReligious Leadersin HumanResourceDevelopment

Religious leaders(imams, monks,etc.)


RH andrights; HIVand AIDS;genderequality

1998-2005 Religiousleaders

Bangladesh N/A Challenging Age-Old Views onViolence AgainstWomen (from the2007 UNFPApublicationProgramming toAddress ViolenceAgainst Women)

Ministry ofWomen’s andChildren’s Affairs

Advocacy:CommunityCapacity-building:Religious leaders,training the trainers

GBV; RHand rights;HIV andAIDS

2003-2005 Women,youth

Cambodia* Buddhism Tapping thePotential ofBuddhist Monksand Nuns to Haltthe Spread of HIVand AIDS

Religious leaders(Buddhist monksand nuns); ;Pharmaciens sansFrontières Savethe ChildrenAustralia (inter-national NGOs);Women’sOrganization forModern Economyand Nursing,Operation Enfantsde Battambang(local NGOs)

Advocacy:Community, datagathering andresearch Capacity-building: Religiousleaders

RH andrights; HIVand AIDS;genderequality

2002-? Youth

India Hinduism,Islam,Sikhism,Jainism

Faith for Actionagainst SexSelection

Art of LivingFoundation

Advocacy: Forums,media Capacity-building: Religiousleaders, resourcemobilization

RH, gender 8 months Religiousleaders,women,men, youth

India N/A Restoring the SexRatio in India*

Ministry ofHealth and FamilyWelfare

Advocacy:Community

Sex selec-tion, RH,gender

2 years Community

Iran* Islam Moving the ICPDProgramme ofAction Forwardthrough Patienceand an EnablingEnvironment

Government(Ministry ofHealth, Ministryof Education);Centre forWomen’sParticipation,other women’sNGOs

Advocacy:Community; edu-cational institu-tions; data gather-ing and research;media and infor-mation Capacity-building: Trainingthe trainers

RH andrights; genderequality;family planning

N/A Religiousleaders,women,men, youth,indigenousminorities

Lao PDR Buddhism N/A NGOs Community HIV andAIDS

N/A N/A


Region: ASIA AND THE PACIFIC


Malaysia Islam PromotingAdolescentReproductiveHealth andHealthy Living

Federation ofFamily PlanningAssociations,Malaysia (NGO);JAKIM/Department of IslamicDevelopmentMalaysia (FBO)

Advocacy:Community

AdolescentSRH

1998-2004 Youth

Maldives Islam N/A N/A Religious leaders RH; popula-tion anddemograph-ics

N/A N/A

Pacific IslandCountries

Christianity UNFPAPartnership withFBOs in the PacificIsland Countries

Fiji Council forSocial Services,Pacific Council ofChurches,Christian schools

Advocacy:Community, edu-cational institu-tions Capacity-building: Religiousleaders, resourcemobilization,health clinics

AdolescentSRH; HIVand AIDS;genderequality

Ongoing Youth,women

Pakistan Islam UlemmaConference

Heads of religiousschools, religiousleaders, govern-ment (Ministry ofPopulationWelfare)

Advocacy: ForumsCapacity-building:Religious leaders

Populationand devel-opment


Papua NewGuinea

Catholicism,Protestantism

AdolescentReproductive andSexual Health

Marie StopesInternationalAustralia (NGO),University ofPapua NewGuinea

Advocacy:Educational insti-tutions Capacity-building: Religiousleaders, trainingthe trainers

AdolescentSRH; HIVand AIDS;genderequality

5 years Women,youth, religious leaders

Philippines Islam,Protest-antism

InterfaithPartnershipDevelopment

PhilippineLegislators’Committee onPopulation andDevelopmentFoundation

Advocacy:Forums/commit-tees Capacity-building: Resourcemobilization

RH; popula-tion anddemograph-ics; familyplanning

2003-2006 Religiousleaders,FBOs

Sri Lanka Buddhism,Christianity,Hinduism,Islam

Support forAdvocacy forReproductiveHealth and Gender

Sarvodaya (NGO) Advocacy:CommunityCapacity-building:Religious leaders

RH, gender,GBV


Thailand Islam N/A PlannedParenthoodAssociation ofThailand

Advocacy:CommunityCapacity-building:Religious leaders

RH N/A N/A

Timor-Leste Catholicism,Protestantism

The Provision ofNatural FamilyPlanning andReproductiveHealth Trainingand Services

Caritas Dili,Pastoral da Saude,ChristianConnection forInternationalHealth (FBOs);Health AllianceInternational(NGO); govern-ment (Ministry ofHealth)

Advocacy: Forums,educational institu-tions Capacity-building: Religiousleaders, trainingthe trainers

Family planning;RH; HIV and AIDS;populationand development

2006-2007 Health staff,religiousleaders

CULTURE MATTERS110

* Data from the 2004 UNFPA publications Culture Matters: Working with Communities and Faith-based Organizations and Working from Within:Culturally Sensitive Approaches in UNFPA Programming

Region: LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN

Region:LatinAmerica and

CaribbeanReligion Project name Partnerships Activities Issues

addressed Duration Target groups

Brazil* Catholicism Information andCommunication/Pastoral da Criança

Pastoral daCriança (FBO)

Advocacy: Forums,community

AdolescentRH, familyplanning

3 years Youth

Brazil Catholicism Amigas dasCatólicas

Catholics for aFree Choice

Advocacy:Community;media and infor-mation Capacity-building: Resource mobilization

RH, gender March-July2005

Women,Catholics,other religious communities

Colombia Catholicism Sexual andReproductiveHealth in theMagdalena MedioRegion

Catholic Church;Corporation forDevelopment andPeace (FBO)

Capacity-building:Training the train-ers, strengtheningthe structures

SRH, genderequality

5 years Women’sand youthorganiza-tions; SRHserviceproviders andcivil servants;conflict-affected populations

Ecuador* Evangelical N/A Centro Integral dela Familia (NGO)

Advocacy: ForumsCapacity-building:Religious leaders,training the trainers

SRH, genderequality

N/A Evangelicalreligiousleaders;organizationsand educationalsystems

Guatemala* Catholicism,Evangelical

PursuingAdvocacy andConsensus-buildingin Guatemala,Leading to a New Law onReproductiveHealth

EpiscopalConference,Catholic andEvangelicalChurches;CoordinatingCommittee ofAgricultural,Commercial,Industrial andFinancialAssociations

Advocacy:Community,forums; data gath-ering andresearch; mediaand informationCapacity-building:Religious leaders,training the trainers

RH; mater-nal andinfant mor-tality; popu-lation anddemograph-ics

2001 Religiousleaders

Guatemala Evangelical Alianza Evangelicade Guatemala

AlianzaEvangelica deGuatemala,NGOs

Advocacy: Mediaand information;data gathering andresearch Capacity-building: Religiousleaders, trainingthe trainers

Family planning;RH rights; maternal and infant mortality

2004-2006 Rural andindigenouswomen andfamilies


Region: LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN

Region:LatinAmerica and

CaribbeanReligion Project name Partnerships Activities Issues

addressed Duration Target groups

Honduras Catholicism,Evangelical,Episcopalian,Adventist

StrengthenedResponse to HIVand AIDS inVulnerablePopulations inHonduras

Government(Ministry ofHealth), church-es, educationalinstitutions

Advocacy: Forums,committees

HIV andAIDS

2004-ongoing

Women,youth, families

Mexico Evangelical Umbrella of 1998 Latin AmericanCouncil ofChurches

Advocacy:Community

Family plan-ning, RHand rights

1998 N/A

Mexico Lutheran Proyecto Estatalde Cooperacion-Puebla

Iglesia Luteranade Mexico, gov-ernment (StateSecretary ofHealth and StateCouncil onPopulation)

Capacity-building:Health clinics

RH, gender 2000 Indigenouscommunity

Mexico Catholicism Desarollo deHabilidades para laHida en Niñas quehan sidoRescatadas de laSituacion de Calle

Ayuda ySolidaridad conlas Niñas de laCalle (FBO)

Advocacy:Community

SRH 3 years Adolescentgirls

Nicaragua Catholicism Strengthening ofSchools Joined toFe y Alegría onSexualityEducation Matters

Fe y Alegría(FBO), religiouscongregations

Capacity-building:Training the trainers

RH January2004-December2006

Catholicschool directors andteachers

© UNFPA 2008

FBO Mapping.QXD - United Nations Population Fund

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