70 high-level faith-based actors convened on October 15th, 2019 in Washington to discuss the role of faith in building social and economic inclusion to advance sustainable country level outcomes in fragile contexts.
The World Bank’s Global Faith Engagement Team, together with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), hosted a high-level roundtable during the 2019 World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings.
The event featured four speakers, four panelists, and assembled 70 faith-based actors and representatives from 38 organizations.
The roundtable aimed to:
- Strengthen partnerships around shared goals, particularly in fragile contexts
- Facilitate dialogue around the role of faith in fragile contexts as it pertains to social and economic inclusion and
- Build relations between faith actors, bilateral and multilateral agencies to engage effectively in fragile contexts.
One of the highlights was the keynote speech on Women in Fragility given by Jo Ann Lyon, Founder of World Hope International. Informed by her work in fragile contexts, she highlighted how faith actors can empower women as a solution to some drivers of fragility. She further reiterated that women must be involved in conversations and development efforts to more effectively advance sustainable country level outcomes.
After the key note a panel discussion featured Ambassador Sam Brownback (Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, U.S. Department of State), Bonnie Glick (Deputy Administrator, USAID), Dr. Husna Ahmad (CEO, Global One 2015), and Franck Bousquet (Senior Director – Fragility, Conflict & Violence, World Bank Group).
