STRENGTHENING ATTENTION TO FORB AND GENDER EQUALITY IN THE SDG FRAMEWORK AND BROADER EFFORTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS,

DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOCRATISATION

Apart from normative clarification of the relationship between rights related to FoRB and gender equality, and attention to this relationship among actors

concerned specifically with FoRB or gender equality, there is a need for initiatives to include and mainstream attention to FoRB and gender equality in broader efforts for human rights, development and democratisation, including Agenda 2030 and the SDGs.

blind spot’, as Mariz Tadros from the Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development has put it.²¹⁸ This is also true for Agenda 2030 and the SDGs. While current initiatives for action on the various SDGs emphasise the need to address gender inequalities and discrimination, little attention is given to religion or belief as a source of discrimination and inequality, and even less to intersectionalities with gender discrimination. If Agenda 2030 is to ‘leave no-one behind’, there is a need for more explicit and systematic attention to this, alongside attention to other forms of discrimination and inequality.

Recent decades have witnessed increasing attention to the role of religion in development cooperation, as well as increasing interest in cooperation with faith-based organisations and religious actors. There is much to learn, and build on, from the ‘religion and development’ agenda. However, there has been relatively little attention to FoRB in this agenda, arguably contributing to the lack of focus on religiously related inequalities and discrimination in the context of development.

RELEVANT SDG TARGETS

17.17 Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

Recommendations in this area include:

• When monitoring and reporting on the SDGs, the actors responsible for this should ensure due attention to discrimination and inequalities on the grounds of religion or belief, along with other forms of discrimination and inequality.

International meetings and processes for follow-up and review of the SDGs should include secular and faith-based NGOs, religious actors, scholars and others with expertise and knowledge on religiously based inequalities and discrimination, and the intersections with other types of inequality and discrimination.²¹⁹

• Governments should include attention to religious minorities and other groups who may be vulnerable to discrimination and inequalities on the grounds of religion or belief, alongside other vulnerable groups, in their national action plans on the SDGs as well as in their Voluntary National Review of the SDGs, and ensure due attention to intersectionalities with gender based discrimination in this.²²⁰

• Development and humanitarian actors working on Agenda 2030 and the SDGs,

PROMOTING FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF AND GENDER EQUALITY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: A FOCUS ON ACCESS TO JUSTICE, EDUCATION AND HEALTH

and programmes, alongside attention to other forms of inequalities and discrimination. Among these actors, there is increasing awareness of the need for literacy on FoRB along with broader religious literacy initiatives, but there is still a great need for training, tools and guidelines to assist staff in mainstreaming attention to FoRB and religiously based discrimination in their work, as well as to ensure due attention to gender equality in this.²²¹

• Particular attention should be paid to international faith-based and secular NGOs that work on the intersections of development, gender and religion more broadly, building on their experiences, but also encouraging a better understanding of, and more systematic attention to, FoRB in their work.

IDEAS FOR ACTION Linking FoRB and the SDGs

More than 90 percent of the SDGs and their targets are linked to international human rights and labour standards. The Danish Institute for Human Rights’ SDG-Human Rights Data Explorer is a searchable database that links the SDGs and their targets to recommendations of international human rights monitoring bodies.

This database could be used for research and analysis on various aspects of the relationship between FoRB, gender equality and the SDGs. A concrete suggestion would be to use the database to identify patterns and trends in recommendations related to FoRB and religiously based discrimination, including intersections and overlaps with recommendations on genderbased discrimination.²²²

Establishment of fund for participation in SDG process

Greater attention to religious inequalities and discrimination in work around Agenda 2030 and the SDGs requires greater attention to the voices of those who suffer from inequality and discrimination. A concrete suggestion would be to establish a special fund or other forms of earmarked funding to cover expenses for representatives from religious and belief minorities, including women and SOGI minorities, to participate in international and regional fora on the SDGs.

Building on the experiences of faith-based development organisations Faith-based organisations have historically been key actors in development and humanitarian aid, and many are actively engaged in the SDGs, including in particular SDGs 3, 4, 5 and 16. Much of this work is directly or indirectly relevant to FoRB and religious discrimination issues, but until recently there have been few efforts to ensure cross-fertilisation and exchange of experiences. New initiatives in this area, such as the Coalition on Religious Equality and Inclusive Development, should be encouraged. The Partnership on Religion and Development (PaRD) could also could play an important role in facilitating such efforts, e.g. through

7.4 DATA AND ANALYSIS ON DISCRIMINATION AND INEQUALITIES