European Union Learning Package on Freedom of Religion or Belief
Online trainings, webinars and information resources for EU staff working in external relations
Welcome
Welcome to the EU Learning Package on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), produced for DG-INTPA by the FoRB Learning Platform. Here you can find:
- Online trainings on FoRB, and on FoRB and gender tailored to EU staff
- Policy and guidance
- Webinars for EU staff
- Tools for civil society partners working to promote FoRB
- FoRB networks for decisionmakers and officials
The learning package aims to equip EU staff to implement the EU Guidelines for the promotion and protection of FoRB (2013), providing a deeper understanding of global and regional FoRB issues, not least FoRB and gender, along with best practice and tools.
For more information about the learning package contact : virginia.manzitti@ec.europa.eu
Unit G1 – Gender Equality, Human Rights and Democratic Governance
Directorate-General for International Partnerships – INTPA
European Commission
Online trainings
The following two free-standing self-paced courses, developed by the FORB Learning Platform and tailored to EU staff. Human rights and gender focal points are strongly recommended to join.
To enrol in the courses, click on the links below.
The ‘FORB for all and EU engagement course’ is available in the INTPA Academy.
The ‘FORB and gender’ course currently available on the FABO platform, awaiting transfer to the INTPA Academy. To enrol click on the link and create a profile in the Fabo learning platform. After creating a profile you will be automatically redirected to the course.
Having problems accessing or using a course? Contact katherine.cash@forb-learning.org
Policy and guidance
Here you can find useful resources for EU external action staff from the EU, from ODIHR and issue based policy briefs from actors.
European Union
The EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, adopted by the European Council in 2013, guide EU support to FORB in its external action and international partnerships and frame the EU’s political and operational engagement.
To reinforce EU action, the European Commission has appointed a Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU. Read the mandate of the Special Envoy here.
EU FoRB engagement at the United Nations
Every year, the EU presents resolutions on FoRB at the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly (Third Committee). The most recent resolutions approved are:
HRC 55th session (March 2024)
UNGA 78th session (2023-2024, resolution passed at Third Committee in November and at the Plenary in December).
The mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on FoRB stems from the HRC EU-led FoRB resolution. Access reports from this mandate on the above link.
The EU resolutions are twinned with Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) led resolutions on FoRB presented at the same time at the HRC and UNGA. These are commonly referred to as the 16/18 resolutions, as they were first presented as resolution number 18 at the 16th session of the HRC, in March 2011. The Istanbul Process, that gathers governments to discuss ways to combat discrimination based on religion or belief, stems from the 16/18 resolution. These are the last OIC-led resolutions approved:
HRC 52nd session (March 2023 – due to internal disagreement within the OIC group, the resolution was not presented in March 2024)
UNGA 78th session (2023-2024) The resolutions for UNGA79 will be definitively approved in December 2024.
EU guidance on engaging with faith actors
The following documents provide guidance, lessons learned and recommendations for engagement with FBOs and religious leaders in the context of development cooperation to enable staff to work in a more informed and effective manner, grasping relevant opportunities and managing risks.
ODIHR Guidance and tools
Prepare for dialogue with states on legislative issues concerning FoRB with the help of the documents below, produced by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) .
Issue based policy briefs
Get a fuller understanding of how FoRB relates to issues you works with the resources below.
Webinar recordings
Click on the arrows in the boxes below to view the webinars.
FoRB: All you need to know and never dared to ask
FoRB is a complex right – often misunderstood, misrepresented and manipulated for political ends. Discover what and who FoRB protects, how it relates to gender rights, key trends around the world and EU action for FoRB with this introductory workshop.
Tools for civil society partners
The FORB Learning Platform promotes rights and counters hate by providing open access courses and learning resources on FoRB in over 20 languages, in collaboration with a wide range of civil society and faith and belief communities across the globe.
The two awareness raising and training resources below are widely used by civil society actors in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The Local Changemakers Course is available in English, French, Arabic, Urdu, Bangla, Tamil, Sinhala and Russian with Hausa and Swahili versions in production 2025.
Use the top menu bar to explore the FoRB Learning Platform’s full range of learning resources and tools in over 20 languages for civil society organisations using peace-building, inter-religious dialogue, advocacy and development programmes as a means to promote freedom of religion or belief.
The FORB facilitators toolkit
Ideal for any organisation providing training on FORB issues, the toolkit is a collection of over 70 participatory learning exercises with case studies and guidance on topics like introducing FORB, FORB context analysis, FORB and gender and FORB and freedom of expression.
FoRB networks
GOVERNMENTS: International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance
IRFBA is a network of around 37 like-minded countries committed to advancing FORB around the world. It brings together senior government representatives to discuss actions their nations can take together to promote respect for FORB and minority rights.
DIPLOMATS: International Contact Group
ICG brings together diplomats from nearly 30 countries and international organizations committed to protecting and promoting FORB. Participants promote FORB by initiating early warnings, coordinating joint advocacy and programming activities and fostering exchanges of best practices.
PARLIAMENTARIANS: The International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief
IPPFORB is a global network of parliamentarians and legislators committed to combatting religious persecution and advancing FORB. The network enables joint action and provides learning opportunities and materials.
The EU FoRB Learning Package has been developed by the FoRB Learning Platform and Unit G1 – Gender Equality, Human Rights and Democratic Governance, Directorate-General for International Partnerships – INTPA.
