Why Care about Faith?

Global Agenda Council on the Role of FaithWhy Care about Faith?September 2014A collection of short essays and practical approaches for partnering with faith actors when tackling global challenges © World Economic Forum2014 - All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system.The views expressed are those of certain participants in the discussion and do not necessarily reflect the views of all participants or of the World Economic Forum.REF 090914 3Why Care about Faith?IntroductionWould giving greater consideration to the role that faith plays in peoples’ lives and in society help improve the state of the world?Faith permeates the world, providing a moral and ethical compass for the vast majority of people. While 84% of people are religiously affiliated, 75% now live with government restrictions on their individual freedom of conscience or belief. Research confirms that where there is less religious freedom, there is less women’s empowerment, less economic development and more political instability, conflict and terrorism. This undermines society, increases inequality, weakens the economy and is bad for businesses, organizations and individuals.Regardless of one’s personal opinion of faith, here are three reasons why engaging with people’s beliefs is important and can improve the state of the world: –Partnerships: The world’s challenges cannot be solved by any one state or non-state actor. To address common concerns, all need to come together and work through global communities founded on a shared moral and ethical understanding. World faiths represent global identities and communities based on deep, shared values. Important foundations like the “Golden Rule” of reciprocity and respect are shared among all major belief systems and offer a practical basis for how to cooperate with the “other” – the individual or institution whose perspective and interests are different from one’s own. Working within and between global faith communities, there is a substantial and mostly unrealized potential to address issues that affect all societies. –Reach and effectiveness: Communities and organizations based on religion and shared beliefs are present throughout the world. They are often significant providers of essential health, education and community services – indeed, in many countries, particularly in the global South, they are the main sources of such social good, sometimes more so than the government itself. This capacity for service delivery, coupled with the moral and ethical leadership exercised by religious leaders, is a powerful means of enhancing social welfare and promoting change in attitudes and practices. –Transformation of conflict: Conflict and tension corrupt human relationships on local, national and global scales. Arbitration alone does not offer a moral imperative to forgive, compromise and seek the other party’s good, and a conflict not transformed is a conflict postponed. A shared understanding of religious identities and values can be instrumental in prevention or resolution of conflict. Often, a transformation of the heart in favour of resolving conflicts is the precondition to sustainable peace.Attempts to achieve a more resilient and dynamic economy and system of governance are challenged by deficits in legitimacy, an erosion of trust and the risk of violent conflict. Of course, religion can also contribute to the problem, but the best of faith can defeat the worst of religion. For societies to be civil, states to be stable and for economies to flourish, faith is essential.In the following pages, the Global Agenda Council on the Role of Faith has collected a series of essays, highlighting the practical aspect of faith and how to engage with faith actors in long-term and effective partnerships. The aim is to showcase the “value-added of faith” when it comes to tackling global challenges and dealing with emerging trends at the regional and international level. The essays provide examples of best practices and successful partnerships, and intend to serve as a source of inspiration on how to make faith part of the solution to some of the major challenges the world is experiencing today.Global Challenges and Emerging Trends –Climate Change and Environmental Conservation (page 4) –Civil Society and Civic Engagement (page 5) –Fragile States and Conflict Prevention (page 6) –Human Rights Promotion and Protection (page 7) –Food Security (page 8) –Social Media and Digital Networking (page 9) 4Why Care about Faith?Climate Change and Environmental ConservationBy David Rosen, Rabbi and International Director, Interreligious Affairs, American Jewish Committee and David Saperstein, Director, The Religious Action Center of Reform JudaismOver the past 50 years, human activities – particularly the burning of fossil fuels – have released sufficient quantities of ca