PaRD’s Leadership Meeting in Jakarta: Strengthening Faith-Based Partnerships for a Sustainable Future 

New Foothold: Launch of PaRD Asia 

The warm welcome of PaRD’s leadership, comprising of its Steering Board and Workstream as well as Taskforce Leads, in Jakarta underscored a shared commitment to strengthening partnerships across Asia. The event was made possible by an invitation from Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA), a PaRD Co-Chair and Steering Board member since 2023. In addition to the finalisation of the work plan for 2025, a key outcome of the gathering was the decision to establish a second regional expression of PaRD in Asia. PaRD Africa was initiated in 2023 to strengthen localisation efforts on the continent.  

At its first Leadership Meeting in Asia, PaRD reinforced its commitment to driving sustainable development by deepening collaborations with faith-based and secular organisations across the region. Recognising the pivotal role of religious communities in the field of health, education, gender equality, and environmental stewardship, PaRD is keen to expanding its efforts in ASEAN and other Asian countries, where PaRD has been collaborating with institutions such as the Institute of Buddhist Management for Happiness and Peace (IBHAP), led by Venerable Napan Thawornbanjob who also attended the opening event. 

Andreia Henriques, KAICIID, Co-chair PaRD summarised: “The PaRD Leadership meeting serves as a vital platform for the Steering Board, Workstream, and Taskforce Leads to engage in strategic discussions and make decisions on the partnership’s priorities for the year ahead. On behalf of KAICIID, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Indonesia for hosting this important gathering, to the PaRD Secretariat for its unwavering support of the leadership and membership, and to all the participants for their active commitment and contribution to the discussions. We look forward to collaborating further with our partners to transform the outcomes of the Jakarta meeting into tangible, impactful actions”. 

Focussing on Strengthening Faith-Based Partnerships for Sustainable Food Security and Community-Led Development 

While in Jakarta, PaRD’s leadership met not only to solidify its presence in Asia but also to set a clear direction for the year ahead. Following the festive reception on 3 February, intensive in-person and virtual meetings of PaRD’s leadership on strategic and operational issues were held 4 to 6 February.  

At the heart of the discussions was the Global Alliance for Hunger and Poverty (GAHAP), initiated under Brazil’s G20 presidency, which continues to gather momentum as countries but also multilateral and civil society organisations come together to address critical challenges in nutrition, food security, and sustainable development. 91 countries are part of the alliance, including Canada, Germany, Indonesia, the UK, and UN agencies, such as UNICEF, WHO, WFP, and the World Bank. The GAHAP aims to support and accelerate efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty (SDGs 1 and 2), while reducing inequalities (SDG 10) and has explicitly also invited civil society actors to join the alliance.  

As part of civil society, faith-based and religious actors play a significant role in addressing hunger and malnutrition worldwide. Their contributions include humanitarian assistance, where they provide emergency food aid and nutritional support in crisis situations, such as natural disasters, conflicts, and pandemics. These actors engage in long-term endeavours, often focusing on food security, sustainable agriculture, and community-led solutions to malnutrition. They advocate for just food policies, ethical resource distribution, and structural changes to combat poverty and food insecurity. In the field of education, faith and religious actors educate communities on nutrition, hygiene, and sustainable food practices, incorporating cultural and spiritual values. They leverage their networks to fundraise, mobilise volunteers, and coordinate large-scale food distribution efforts. 

PaRD, with its ability to bridge religious communities and development efforts, is positioning itself as one global network in the GAHAP. Accordingly, PaRD’s leadership identified the topic Strengthening Faith-Based Partnerships for Sustainable Food Security and Community-Led Development as the flagship initiative for 2025. This initiative will not only foster interfaith collaboration and promote social cohesion but also strengthen the role of religious communities in driving sustainable development on the ground. Building on existing global efforts, the flagship aligns with initiatives such as the Nutrition Dialogues – a platform designed to engage communities and gather insights on how different cultures approach nutrition.  

Looking ahead, PaRD’s envisioned commitment to the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty is expected to enhance advocacy, knowledge-sharing, and local engagement. The flagship initiative will serve as a central resource for members, driving momentum, pooling funds, and ensuring that PaRD remains at the forefront of global efforts to combat hunger and poverty 

Opportunities and Challenges in 2025 

Ensuring PaRD’s future was a key agenda item, particularly in light of shifting global dynamics and resource constraints. The ongoing reduction in funding for international organisations poses significant challenges, especially to initiatives like PaRD, which rely on public funding. PaRD’s leadership agreed to focus on activities that build on the experiences of the current Workstreams but show a clear impact of religious actors on one pressing global challenge – such as hunger and malnutrition, but also post-conflict scenarios. 

Contributions of PaRD members to Overcoming Hunger and Malnutrition  

PaRD members have been active in the field of hunger and malnutrition for many decades. In response to severe food shortages in East Africa, PaRD member World Vision launched large-scale humanitarian efforts across Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan. Their interventions included emergency food assistance in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), distributing food and cash vouchers to vulnerable families to ensure access to basic nutrition. World Vision also established feeding centres for children suffering from acute malnutrition, providing therapeutic food and medical care, and implemented climate-smart agricultural training and livelihood programmes to support communities in growing drought-resistant crops to increase food production. 

Islamic Relief operates food security programmes in multiple countries, including sustainable agriculture initiatives that support smallholder farmers. For example, in Mali, the organisation provides training on climate-resilient farming techniques and distributes drought-resistant seeds to help local communities improve food production and nutrition. 

Arigatou International brings together people from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds to promote children’s rights and well-being. It implements initiatives such as the Global Network of Religions for Children, Ethics Education for Children, and End Child Poverty, focusing on education, advocacy, and interfaith collaboration. 

United Sikhs helped organise community kitchens that provided free meals at Sikh community centres (Gurdwara) to people in need, regardless of their background. Worldwide, several tens of thousands of people are served by the Sikh community daily, addressing hunger in both urban and rural settings. This practice expands beyond religious spaces, as seen in London and elsewhere, where Sikh volunteers distribute food to homeless people in cities. 

Workstream Priorities in 2025 

The meeting continued with presentations from the Workstreams, each tackling crucial global issues. These are priority activities of the Workstreams for 2025: 

• Freedom of Religion or Beliefs (FoRB): The priority will be on defending Freedom of Religion or Belief as a fundamental human right, reducing extremism, with initiatives aimed at fostering peace and tolerance, and plans to hold an annual peace conference with delegates from peace committees and diplomats. 
• Gender Equality and Empowerment: A number of events shall be organised, including a High-Level Multi-Faith Reception for Beijing+30, in collaboration with the Gender Working Group of the Multi-Faith Advisory Council on Religion and Sustainable Development; a side event on promising practices in partnering with faith actors to uphold women’s and girls’ human rights, and a webinar exploring the role of faith-based organisations in advancing gender equality. 
• Health Workstream: The focus will be on the role of religious actors in promoting health, addressing HIV, sexual harassment, and vaccine hesitancy, and plans to further support the implementation of the Nutrition Dialogues and initiate an MHPSS (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support) international symposium. 
• Sustaining Peace: Emphasis will be given on the role of religion in sustaining and building peace to support action on SDG 16 at the grassroots level. This includes identifying a subset of countries where Workstream members are already working in order to engage with local governments on national and international plans to advance peace and foster understanding through dialogue and mediation in post-conflict scenarios. 
• WECARE (Water, Environment, and Climate Change): The Workstream is looking to develop an interactive application to map climate action, enhancing faith-based policy and faith-led environmental action, such as reducing carbon footprints in places of worship, which could serve as climate hubs for communities.

Stefan Sengstmann, from World Vision, one of the three Co-chairs concluded: “The 2025 PaRD Leadership Meeting was a pivotal event for strengthening partnerships and aligning strategies for a more peaceful, sustainable, and inclusive world. With a clear focus on the SDGs and the contributions of religious organisations to the 2030 Agenda, the meeting set the stage for collaborative action and a more impactful PaRD in the years to come, also in Asia.” 

Further Information 

The PaRD leadership encourages all members to stay engaged and actively participate in the Workstreams and Taskforces. For further information and updates, please visit the following links: 

• PaRD’s Governance & Leadership: Discover the structure of PaRD’s governance and meet the current members of the Steering Board.  
• PaRD’s Workstreams and Taskforces: Gain insights into the various Workstreams and Taskforces within PaRD. 
• PaRD Secretariat: Learn more about the team that support the leadership and  members. 
• PaRD Events Calendar: Stay updated on upcoming events that may align with your interests. 
• PaRD’s Annual Forum on Religion and Sustainable Development: Visit this page for all updates regarding the 2025 PaRD Annual Forum on Religion and Sustainable Development.