Faith Action at the Global Refugee Forum
Hosting on behalf of the Faith Action for Children on the Move Coalition
We are a group of faith-inspired organisations committed to working together to end violence against children on the move. For more than two years, we have collaborated to end violence against refugee, immigrant and internally displaced children focusing around the role that faith leaders and faith communities can make in strengthening the continuum of care for child protection, spiritual and psychosocial support, peacebuilding and combatting xenophobia, and joining forces to implement the Faith Action for Children on the Move Action Plan.
We believe that by working together we can end violence against children in all its forms.
Learn more about the Children on the Move Coalition.
Our pledge at the Global Refugee Forum
We commit to working together as inter-faith and non-faith actors in an effort to meet the needs and rights of children on move contributing to protection capacity:
- Enhance capacity of local faith actors in at least 10 contexts to apply standards of child protection and safeguards; including the creation of safe spaces & specific supports for at-risk groups including young and adolescent girls and children with disabilities.
- Develop modules on spiritual (inter-faith) support for caregivers and faith actors:
- Train faith actors on providing faith-sensitive psychosocial support in line with the inter-faith mental health and psychosocial support guidelines developed in conjunction with UNHCR & a fully age, gender, and diversity approach.
- Train aid actors on spiritual support and services available for children on the move.
- Contribute to the continuum of protection by providing support for resettlement & complementary pathways with a specific focus on at-risk groups including unaccompanied minors.
We commit to working together as inter-faith and non-faith actors in an effort to meet the needs and rights of children on the move contributing to burden & responsibility sharing.
- Generate and disseminate evidence about the activities and contributions of local faith actors on refugee and host community needs and rights and on engaging local fatih actors in the implementation of the Global Refugee Compact.
- Support, where possible, safe opportunities for interaction between children & young people from refugee & host communities to combat xenophobia & support solidarity.
Faith representation at the Global Refugee Forum
Our commitment to the 52%: How can we make the Global Compact on Refugee work for every child?
Rev. Andrew Morley, CEO and President at World Vision International will represent the Children on the Move Coalition sharing on the key role of faith actors and faith-based organisations to protect the rights of child refugees. He will also share about the critical need for faith groups to work together for children protecting them across their journey, providing faith-sensitive psychosocial support to build their resilience and promote healing, and opposing xenophobia, racism and discrimination.
NyaEden: Building a heaven for women and girls seeking refuge
Mal Tutdeal, Cofounder and Executive Director of NyaEden Foundation, will share her story and how the work of faith actors along her journey as a refugee child made her the woman she is today, committed to her work with immigrant and refugee communities, and promoting inter-religious dialogue. Mal will also highlight the good practices reflected in the Faith for Children on the Move Coalition Action Plan including the value add that faith actors bring to children refugees in an emergency context in spiritual support, the continuum of protection across borders, and the building of peaceful societies through inter-religious dialogue, inclusion and welcoming.
Children: The hope of humanity
Drop by our Marketplace of Good Practices booth to learn more about interfaith engagement for children on the move, the unique role of local faith actors and communities, and more about Faith Action for Children on the Move Action Plan
Good Practices
Good Practices provides an opportunity for stakeholders to exchange and showcase good practices and experiences in humanitarian response. Below are some accepted that feature the work of faith actors:
- Scalabrini: Modelo de Inserción Social en México & Centro de Formación para el Migrante en México
- The Salvation Army: Análisis del perfil del refugiado en México & Profesionalización de los servicios de atención al refugiado en México
- World Vision International: Interfaith engagement in the Central African Republic
Social
All our partner organisations will be sharing what we're learning throughout the week. Feel free to follow along or join in the discussion.
We'd love to know how faith actors are working to end violence against children on the move in your contexts!
#faithactionGRF
Why is faith important in humanitarian response?
In a humanitarian crisis, faith actors are often the first responders for children. We are working with faith leaders to enhance the capacity of faith actors to apply child protection standards to increase protections for the world’s most vulnerable children.
Faith sensitive mental health and psychosocial support is vital in supporting the needs of children on the move. We are working to develop interfaith training models for local faith and aid workers to better understand all the aspects displaced children’s experiences, including the critical role that faith plays in daily lives and healing.
Xenophobia towards refugees is increasing and discriminatory practices against religious minorities in refugee movements around the globe are reported. We are committed to actively oppose xenophobia, racism and discrimination. We must do better at supporting healthy interactions between refugee and host communities by promoting faith-inclusive conflict resolution strategies, acceptance of differences and Do No Harm concepts. We are committed to working to support these interactions around the world taking into account the embeddedness of faith in social, cultural, political and economic dynamics.
Children on the Move Coalition partner resources
