UNDP Guidelines on Engaging with Faith-based Organizations and Religious Leaders

"Faith matters to people, and matters to development. In many parts of the world, faith-based organizations (FBOs) and religious leaders (RLs) are influential in both the political and social spheres, and have a broad following in society. Their presence in local communities, coupled with their capacity to deliver critical services, allow them to mobilize grassroots support, earn the trust of vulnerable groups, and influence cultural norms - all of which make them vital stakeholders in development."

These guidelines aim to encourage United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) staff to streamline faith-sensitive development policy and programming that contributes to sustainable human development. They specifically aim to: strengthen internal capacities and raise awareness among UNDP staff about issues of common concern with FBOs and RLs; provide a working definition of FBOs and RLs for application in UNDP programming; highlight the opportunities and risks associated with engaging with FBOs and RLs; identify lessons learned from previous collaboration with FBOs and RLs; complement existing UNDP corporate policies and procedures and other methodologies and tools produced to inform and improve UNDP programming; encourage UNDP staff to think creatively about partnerships with faith actors and to avoid pitfalls that could result from ill-advised forms of engagement; assist UNDP staff in mapping, formalising, and monitoring partnerships with FBOs and RLs based on their strengths and complementarity with UNDP; and enable FBOs and RLs to better understand the nature of their relationship with UNDP and to find points of entry and common concern.

The guidelines are part of the Action Plan of the 2012 UNDP Civil Society and Civic Engagement Strategy, which emphasises the need for UNDP to develop innovative relationships with a diversity of civil society actors, including women's rights networks, youth groups, faith-based groups, and grassroots organisations. It is a framework for both empowering and engaging civil society to achieve both downstream local development results and upstream policy impact, underscoring that civic engagement is intrinsic to the work of UNDP. The need to expand participation in pursuit of equitable access to development is further emphasised in the UNDP Strategic Plan and other strategies, including the UNDP Gender Equality Strategy and UNDP Youth Strategy.

UNDP views faith actors as one of several types of civil society partners. Faith actors are diverse: There can be significantly divergent priorities and viewpoints within a single faith tradition, and even greater divergence between the practices of different faith and spiritual traditions. For the purpose of these guidelines, the term 'faith actors' encompasses the following categories: (i) FBOs are "organizations that derive inspiration and guidance for their activities from the teachings and principles of the faith or from a particular interpretation or school of thought within that faith". They comprise a range of religious charitable organisations affiliated with one or more faith and spiritual traditions, which may include: religious congregations (such as churches, mosques, synagogues or temples); charities sponsored or hosted by one or more religious congregations; non-profit organisations founded by a religious congregation or based upon faith and spiritual traditions; and coalitions that include organisations described above. (ii) RLs are men and women with a formal affiliation to a religion or spiritual path who play influential roles within their communities and the broader civil society. Examples include priests, imams, rabbis, clerics, monks, nuns, lamas, traditional indigenous spiritual guides such as shamans and sukias, and lay religious leaders.

Next, the document explores the question, Why engage? Among the opportunities and comparative advantages are, in brief: critical development experience, maximising community impact, long-term sustainable presence at the grassroots level, legitimacy in the eyes of beneficiary communities, public policy influence, reinforcing inclusive social values and best practices, advocacy and networking, motivating voluntary service, confronting violent extremism, and peace and reconciliation. A case study from Zimbabwe illustrates how peace and reconciliation can start with local RLs.

On the other hand, conditions in which it is deemed to be unacceptable for UNDP to engage with FBOs and RLs include, in brief: exclusion and proselytising, stigma and discrimination, focus on vulnerable groups, gender inequality and disregard for women's rights, connections to violent groups, and lack of transparency. There are a number of ways in which UNDP staff can mitigate these potential risks; in brief, they include: organising inter-faith dialogue and partnerships, finding new strategic entry points, building capacities, offering internal training and facilitating United Nations (UN)coordination, offering conflict management training, and providing mediation support for RLs (male and female). A case study from the Arab States illustrates how RLs can be unified in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

As is explained here, a few core principles of engagement need to be borne in mind to engender a trusting relationship with faith actors, including, in brief: seeking impartiality and transparency (especially in communications and public outreach), building trust and mutual respect, determining strategic entry points, finding common ground, and leveraging partnerships to shape programme design and priorities. A case study from Afghanistan illustrates how RLs can be empowered to make women's voices heard.

The next section explores strategies for putting these principles into practice. For example, some steps toward improving competencies include:

• Cultivating an openness and curiosity, and recognising and accepting the diversity of local faith and spiritual traditions as part of a greater appreciation of cultural context of the society and communities UNDP serves;
• Seeking to understand the basic concepts, principles, and teachings of local faith and spiritual traditions, including the ways in which they diverge from UNDP principles, by engaging with members of religious communities;
• Reflecting on one's own attitudes and potential biases about religion, spirituality, and sacred traditions;
• Showing respect through appropriate dress, greetings, and protocols when meeting with members of the faith community in order to earn respect in return;
• Inviting representatives of religious communities to share their perspectives on UNDP work in areas of mutual interest, as well as their own work with beneficiary communities;
• Gathering resources to build capacity for programme planning and implementation; and
• Bringing in expertise from other UN agencies or the UN Mediation Support Unit to settle conflicts and encourage dialogue among partners of different faith and spiritual traditions.

UNDP stresses that it is key to understand the mission, activities, intended audience, financial resources, and leadership and management structures of FBOs and RLs present in the country to select the most effective partners. A list of sample questions are provided to help practitioners become familiar with potential faith partners. It is also important to map individual FBOs' and RLs' capacity for partnering with UNDP; sample questions are outlined to facilitate this. Suggested strategies for monitoring partnerships with FBOs and RLs are explored. A final case study illustrates an initiative in El Salvador to prevent violence and empower youth.

The annexes to this document contain an indicative list of FBOs, as well as links to relevant reading material.