Deputy Minister Olav Kjørven

Co-operation with faith-based organisations from the perspective of a bilateral donor

The Africa-Christian Leaders’ gathering, London,
16 November 2004

Introduction

“God created the planet from Monday to Friday. On Saturday he created human beings. The truth of the matter is... If man was created on Tuesday, he would have been dead on Wednesday, because there would not have been the essential elements that he needs to survive.” Wangari Maathai has on several occasions used the story of creation to illustrate the importance of environmental conservation.

And it was precisely for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace that Wangari Maathai was awarded the Peace Prize. Ms Maathai, who is Kenya’s deputy environment minister, rose to prominence by fighting for ecologically sustainable social, economic and cultural development in Kenya and Africa. She founded the Green Belt Movement in the late 1970s and has since then succeeded in mobilising poor women throughout Africa to plant 30 million trees.

We welcome the Nobel Committee’s decision to award the Peace Prize to Ms Maathai, because it has drawn the world’s attention to the role of environmental change and resource depletion as potential causes of insecurity and violent conflict.

Many of Ms Maathai’s goals are the same as those of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, which encourages religious communities and their partners to mobilise support for furthering ecologically sustainable development.

I want to congratulate the Alliance and particularly His Royal Highness Prince Phillip for this visionary initiative. I am very pleased to see representatives from such a broad range of churches here, from leading organisations promoting conservation and sustainable development, including the World Bank.

On a personal note, being here brings a measure of sense and order to my life. I am a product of faith-based upbringing in the family and community I grew up in in Norway. My interest and commitment to conservation and development grew straight out of this experience. This in turn brought me to the World Bank, by years working in the area of environment. I believe deeply in the importance of the topic on the agenda here, and the purpose of this Alliance.

Faith-based organisations are already a valuable element in Norwegian development co-operation.

You have all received the background paper and know the basic facts.

Norway channels a substantial share of development and humanitarian assistance funding through NGOs – in fact, almost one-third of the total bilateral co-operation budget. In 2003 approximately 21 per cent of the total NGO support was channelled through faith-based organisations.

In the background paper we outline why support for national authorities must be balanced by support to civil society. And how NGOs in the North can support competence and capacity building, thus enabling civil society in the South to:

• supply education, health and other services, including services that promote the sustainable use and management of natural resources and the environment
• practise advocacy and act as watchdogs, for example in promoting good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, protection of the environment
• contribute to conflict prevention and promote peace and reconciliation

In the paper you will find various examples of FBO partnerships and activities supported by the Norwegian government.

Later today we will have the privilege of listening to a representative of a Norwegian FBO, Mr Bent Rønsen. He is Director of Christian Relief Network and will be sharing his organisation's unique experiences in DR Congo. I am a firm believer in learning from experience. For me it has been, over the last several years, a tremendous learning adventure to follow the work of CRN, or rather, the work of the local church networks in the Great Lakes region supported by CRN.

Before that, however, I would like to say a few words about our shared values and our common struggle. How can we achieve more, by working more effectively together?

We in Norway are fully aware of the strength of faith-based organisations, especially in many developing countries. They are broadly based networks, often present where there is no governmental authority to be found. They are often the only providers of life-saving health services and education. Their presence and their value-based approach, their genuine belief in and respect for human dignity have made them a trusted, organic part of the communities themselves.

Because of this track record and this role, which we find in many countries, not least in Africa, the Norwegian Government has for a long time channelled development and humanitarian funds to and through faith-based organisations.

Rights-based approach

Norwegian development policy is based on the fundamental principle that every single person has the right to human dignity, and that development policy is therefore in essence a human rights agenda. Development policy is about the realisation of human rights for all. Development policy is about all human rights – economic, social and cultural as well as civil and political rights. Thus the fight against poverty can also be said to be a fight for justice.

This is why it is so important to promote human resource development, health care and education. This is why it is so important to promote democracy, freedom of expression and equality before the law. This is why it is so important to safeguard natural resources and the environment – on which so many of the poorest depend for their livelihood. I all these areas, FBOs can play a crucial role.

Service delivery and change agents

As I said earlier, one important reason why we choose FBOs as co-operation partners is that they are often deeply grounded in the local communities. FBOs hold a stronger position, enjoy greater legitimacy and command greater trust and respect from the local community because they tend to share the same beliefs and have the same frame of reference. They often have a strong influence on the grassroots membership, and are able to reach the most vulnerable groups. The common ground between Norwegian FBOs and their partners, based on common values and beliefs, is a key to the success of their co-operation.

Norwegian FBOs and their partners have and will continue to have an important role in providing services to the poor. However, an increasingly important aspect of the work of FBOs is enhancing their partners’ ability to influence government policy on development, human rights and security. Norwegian FBOs may provide leverage to their local partners’ efforts to promote social change. We have all seen examples of the significant role churches can play in political processes, for example in South Africa under apartheid. I am convinced there is a similar potential also in relation to safeguarding the environment, God’s creation.

HIV/AIDS

FBOs and church leaders may act as important agents of change in other areas as well. And most notably with respect to the great pandemic of the 20 ^th> and 21st centuries – HIV/AIDs.

We all know the figures. And we know they are getting worse year by year. The latest UN report has revealed that the HIV virus is defeating our efforts to contain it. Thirty-eight million people are carrying it. Five million were infected last year – more than ever before. Nearly three million died. And silence, the fear of addressing the problem, is part of the reason why.

Few are in a better position to break this silence, to break the taboos, provide leadership, than religious institutions. People trust their church, their mosque, their temple – they trust them to teach them how to live, how to behave, principles and values. Religious leaders are in a unique position to influence and inspire. For the believer, religion is about the deepest of commitments, the deepest of change processes.

Religious leaders and faith-based organisations must realise the power they have in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and use it to the full.

Faith-based organisations in Africa, which is the continent most heavily affected by HIV/AIDS, have taken this to heart. You have shown us how committed leadership can make a huge difference. Many religious leaders and communities have made the fight against HIV/AIDS a top priority, and have promoted responsible attitudes and actions across borders and into the smallest communities, co-operating with governments and other parts of civil society in order to make the greatest possible impact.

A recent study by Religions for Peace and UNICEF illustrates just how much power and promise there is in the gigantic network of faith-based organisations. In six African countries, 600 such organisations have mobilised more than 9000 volunteers, and care for more than 150 000 children affected by AIDS. And these 600 organisations constitute less than 1 per cent of the total number of congregations and religious organisations in this area. Their potential political influence is enormous. The churches in Africa alone are able to reach hundreds of millions of people, every day of the year.

However, as we all know, there are also religious groups who have added to, rather than alleviated, the burden of HIV/AIDS, for example by upholding discriminatory attitudes or by ignoring or distorting known medical facts. We have also learned from Norwegian FBOs that their experiences in this field are mixed. In spite of this, the overall picture is encouraging.

Norway remains committed to supporting the faith-based organisations that are participating in the effort to fight HIV/AIDS and their co-operation with governments, NGOs and international agencies. We are supporting this effort because it works.

However, in this world everything is inter-related. The successful fight against HIV/AIDS depends on conditions well beyond the transmission of a virus as such. Politics. Insecurity. Conflict. Lack of governance structures. Rule of Law. This is also an area where FBO’s can contribute tremendously.

Peace and reconciliation

Most of us have a dream of peace in a just world. But the reality in many places is poverty, injustice, violence, terror and war. War entails intolerable suffering, massive destruction, irremediable loss.

Throughout history, world leaders have used religious rhetoric to legitimise and justify oppression, intolerance and war.

Religion plays a central role in politics at the international as well as the national level.

At the meeting in Assisi in 2002 religious leaders unanimously condemned the misuse of religion to legitimise oppression and violence. Religion should build bridges; it should be part of the dialogue of peace. Baha'is, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Moslems, Sikhs should all do what they can to foster respect for human rights. All human beings have the same worth, the same human dignity. In this respect I am a fundamentalist – on these values I refuse to compromise.

But tragically, religion can also be a source of conflict and violence. This happens when open curiosity is replaced by closed defensiveness, suspicion and aggression, when the other party is demonised. When the message of “love thy neighbour” is replaced by the rhetoric about the righteous’ fight against the personified evil.

To combat this and work towards peace, we need effective agents of change in civil society. It is important to identify them, enter into a dialogue with them and help them with competence and capacity building. These agents are often to be found among faith-based organisations, human rights organisations, peace groups, women's networks, academic institutions and independent media.

Changing to the path of peace involves reconciliation – building or rebuilding trust and friendly relations between individuals, between communities, between peoples and between institutions. Achieving lasting and sustainable peace depends not only on decisions at the highest political level but also on popular acceptance of the peace settlement.

Reconciliation may have to be achieved across ethnic, linguistic, religious, geographical and other dividing lines. Civil society, especially development, human rights, peace-promoting and faith-based organisations, plays a key role in such reconciliation processes and can reinforce the efforts of the authorities or often pressure governments and other partners involved to commit to a peace process . The networks and relationships built up by Norwegian FBOs and their partners have proved to be an invaluable resource in humanitarian operations and conflict and post-conflict situations, included peace processes. In some cases FBOs are the only actors left in war and conflict areas.

In a reconciliation process it is important to reach out to the top level of military, political, religious and business leaders, as well as the grassroots level. Faith-based organisations often have vertical as well as horizontal networks. They are often among the first to raise awareness about the costs of war and the advantages of peace, and to rally support for peace processes. Many times we have seen how churches can influence government leaders directly or indirectly on the basis that a particular leader grew up in a particular church.

The call for reconciliation must not be allowed to crowd out or drown the important, prophetic responsibility of the church to speak out clearly on behalf of the poor, the marginalized, those who suffer the most from violent conflicts. This is a continuous balancing act for FBOs, but one of utmost importance. Here there is a scope for improvement: How to become more specific as to what the injustices are, and as to how they can be remedied.

Environment and security

There are a number of environmental threats that contribute to insecurity and result in conflict. Rapid industrialisation and population growth in many regions have resulted in an increased demand for both renewable and non-renewable natural resources, and competition for resources has been a major cause of conflict throughout history. But although some researchers expect conflict over renewable resources to become increasingly frequent, evidence suggest that so far the environment has played a relatively minor role as a direct cause of violent conflict. On the other hand, research does indicate that environmental degradation and resource depletion, often in combination with the existence of competing claims to resources, no consistency of records, no rule of law as to who owns what, make a contribution to conflict.

Such problems are often exacerbated by ethnic differences, relative deprivation and all too easy access to arms.

Thus the work you do in the Alliance of Religions and Conservation to highlight and deal with environmental concerns, is indirectly related to conflict prevention. In our efforts to promote sustainable development we must not forget the link between environmental conservation and the creation of a more secure society. These goals depend mutually on each other. In the end, however, the stewardship of creation does not need any additional goals or objectives to be worthwhile fighting for. The church must be on the forefront of this noble cause.

Prince Philip has really said all that needs to be said about that. I quote:

“If your religion tells you that the Creation of the world was an act of God,…then it follows naturally that if you belong to the church of God then you ought to look after His Creation.”

Thank you.