The Nordic Ecumenical Network on Freedom of Religion or Belief

A network of practitioners working with FORB issues

NORFORB is a network of ecumenical, church or church-related organisations in the Nordic Countries who work with freedom of religion or belief (FORB) as a human right for all. The network developed organically from 2014, as staff members working with advocacy and with capacity building on FORB issues sought to learn from one another and find synergies between their areas of work. In 2016, eleven organisations decided to form the NORFORB network, which has since grown to include 13 members.

2017-2018 was a formative period for the network, during which time NORFORB became a spring board for joint project applications and the development of a joint online learning platform, the FORB Learning Platform. Through this platform a broad network of collaboration has developed between the NORFORB network and faith communities, faith-based and secular human rights organisations, development organisations and educational bodies across the globe.

The FORB Learning Platform project is run by three NORFORB members working in a formalised consortium: Stefanus Alliance International, SMC Faith in Development and the Center for Church Based Development.

NORFORB meeting in Stockholm, November 2021.

Founding principles

Collaboration in the network takes place on the basis of a shared understanding of FORB as a human right for all as stated in Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article. 18, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article18 and the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 9.

The network seeks to be open, practical and solution-driven, with collaboration based on shared values, aims and ways of working and in which there is freedom for the members (or groups of members) to explore, develop and implement initiatives organically.

Network activities focus primarily on freedom of religion or belief in countries with serious violations of the right, rather than FORB issues in the Nordic area. This applies not least to support to partner organisations. There are, however, areas of overlap which relate to both domestic and international agendas that are discussed within the network and learning resources produced by the FORB Learning Platform are relevant and regularly used by actors in the Nordic area to promote rights for all.

Theory of change

Cooperation within the NORFORB network is based on the assumption that FORB as a human right is essential for building any free, democratic and peaceful society. Thus there is a need to foster a social, political and legal ‘culture’ of freedom of religion or belief, in which equal rights for all are accepted and respected despite deep differences in people’s beliefs.

In order for FORB for all to be realized, rights holders and duty bearers need to be made aware of the contents of the right as well as the negative impact of violations, especially in a world where FORB and religious identities are increasingly politicized. Joint learning and collaboration in the network inspire efficient, relevant and innovative approaches towards the realization of FORB as a human right for all.

Based on this the network’s theory of change stands on four pillars:

1) Human Rights based advocacy work on international FORB issues

The NORFORB network believes that broad based support for FORB as a human right for all is fundamental, both in principle and in practice, having a stronger impact at all levels. This means that advocacy actions should be unbiased and evidence-based, reflecting the totality of situations rather than narrow interests. It also means that we are open to cooperate with likeminded initiatives, regardless of their religious or belief background. We believe that when the members of the network coordinate their advocacy work, we will have a stronger voice.

2) Support and capacity building towards duty bearers and towards rights holders in societies with severe violations of FORB.

The NORFORB network believes that the support and capacity building work of member organisations and of their partners will have a greater impact if efforts and initiatives are coordinated, synergy effects explored and utilised, and such efforts and initiatives are seen as complementary to each other.

3) Linking local and international levels

Through its capacity building work NORFORB members are in touch with rights holders at the local level in contexts where freedom of religion or belief is violated. An important part of all capacity building work on FORB is to strengthen the ability of these actors to speak up for themselves. At the same time, through wide reaching contacts and coordination, the NORFORB network can also link local actors to national and international decision makers, and in that way, both increase the contextual understanding of decision makers as well as amplifying the voice of local rights holders.

4) Sharing learning and innovation

In our relations with both duty bearers and rights holders, NORFORB members encounter a widespread lack of knowledge and understanding of what freedom of religion or belief involves, its significance for development and democracy, and of methods that can be used to promote the right.
Knowledge and appreciation of the value of the right are a pre-requisite for change. NORFORB members therefore collaborate with one another and with a wide range of experts and actors of many faiths and none, to develop, use and make freely available human rights based resources focused on FORB for all, for both rights holders and duty bearers.

Within the NORFORB network we believe that common learning and reflection strengthen all of the members and reinforce the impact of both advocacy and capacity building work. Joint learning on contexts; methods and strategies inspires relevant, conflict sensitive, efficient and innovative
approaches towards the realization of FORB as a human right for all. As an ecumenical network, NORFORB sees added value in exploring the linkages between faith based identities and approaches and a human rights-based approach to promoting FORB.

Aim & objectives

The overall aim of the network is to maximize the efficacy and efficiency of the participating organisations’ work on FORB for all by making the most of potential synergy effects between the work of the participating organisations. In this way, the contribution of the network and its members to building a culture of freedom of religion or belief for all will be strengthened.

Drawing from its theory of change the NORFORB network has the following strategic objectives:

• Sharing, exchanging, inspiring new ideas and innovative approaches
• Joint learning on best practices
• Complementarity and collaboration to strengthen synergy effects and thereby boost the effectiveness of the member organisations’ FORB work
• Joining a faith based identity and approach with a human rights based approach towards FORB.

These objectives guide the network’s engagement and cooperation.