Promoting freedom of religion or belief and gender equality in the context of the sustainable development goals

In March 2019, the Foreign Ministries of Denmark and Norway launched the Expert Consultation Process on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Gender Equality and the Sustainable Development Goals.

This was an explorative process that sought to analyse the relationship, and identify positive synergies, between freedom of religion or belief and gender equality in the contexts of health, education and access to justice.

The project is part of, and provides input to, a broader expert consultation process, co-organised by the Danish Institute for Human Rights and Stefanus Alliance International in cooperation with the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief and the UN Interagency Task Force on Religion and Sustainable Development, co-led in this effort by UNFPA and OHCHR. The process is funded by the Danish and Norwegian Foreign Ministries.

More than seventy secular and faith-based experts from over thirty countries participated in the process, representing a variety of different institutional, professional, religious and geographic backgrounds.

Based on their discussions, this report presents a basic introduction to the relationship between FoRB and gender equality, providing a snapshot of the examples, experiences and ideas discussed in the process.

More specifically, the report aims to:

• contribute to the clarification of the relationship between FoRB and gender equality;
• direct attention to, and provide concrete examples of, some of the conflicts, parallels and intersectionalities between FoRB and gender equality in the areas of health, education and access to justice;
• point to good practices in addressing these challenges; and
• formulate general recommendations and ideas for action in this field.