What Faith Brings to the Dialogue Table

Religious leaders and FBOs play important roles for peace in many places and in many ways. From direct engagement in Track 1 dialogue processes to local community-based efforts for social cohesion, religious actors contribute significantly to promoting peace, disarmament, and respect for humanitarian values. In contexts in which formal authorities do not hold sway, or where other actors are distrusted, religious leaders and organizations often represent the only authority respected and trusted by all sides. 

At a time of proliferating conflicts and declining respect for IHL, this panel takes a fresh look at religious peacebuilding from the experience of the co-sponsors and their partners, addressing the following questions: - What are the distinctive characteristics of faith-based peacebuilding? - How should faith-based actors be better integrated in the ‘peace ecosystem’. - How can the influence of faith-based actors help mitigate the challenges posed by declining respect for IHL? 

This session will also reference a 2026 Applied Research Project at the Geneva Graduate Institute on “Strengthening the Moral Force of International Humanitarian Law Through Faith-based Advocacy”, co-sponsored by WCC, Caritas Internationalis and ACT Alliance, focusing on experiences in Colombia, Nigeria and the Philippines.