Report: The International Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief. Sketching the Contours of a Common Framework

This report, commissioned by the Office of the Special Representative on Freedom of Religion or Belief in the Danish Foreign Ministry, presents a framework for understanding and approaching international FoRB promotion providing inspiration and basic guidance to support the development of context-specific theories of change and strategies for action in this area.

The report is available here.

About the project

For many years, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) was rarely a high priority in foreign policy and human rights circles. But recent years have witnessed an almost explosive interest in this right and an emerging consensus on the importance of strengthening the international promotion of FoRB.

Rising interest is reflected in the appointment of designated envoys in various diplomatic and multilateral organizations as well as growing civil society and business activism. Major actors involved include international organisations (notably within the United Nations and the European Union), Ministries of foreign affairs, NGOs, parliamentary networks, religious leaders, various think tanks, and businesses.

While there is considerable consensus among the various actors involved that FoRB is a central facet of human rights, and that it is too often violated, there are significant variations in – and even conflicts between – conceptions of and approaches to FoRB. A shared framework has yet to be established. Systematic analysis of relevant initiatives and actors is needed, especially to achieve empirical knowledge on pathways of change.

Key questions turn around what kind of actors and initiatives are most effective in promoting and protecting FoRB in particular contexts, and how best to address specific areas of tension, for example around approaches to gender equality, definitions of blasphemy, the right to promote one’s beliefs freely (proselytizing), or to change one’s faith affiliation.

This report addresses both tensions and gaps in understandings and approaches. It sketches the contours of a common framework for understanding and approaching international FoRB promotion in order to provide inspiration and basic guidance to support development of pertinent context-specific theories of change and strategies for action.