International Association for Religious Freedom
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Non- Governmental and Other Organisations
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Essex St, Temple, London WC2R 3HY, UK
Orlanda Brugnola, 521 Fifth Ave, Suite 1730, New York, NY 10175, USA
Wytske Dijkstra, Meidoornpad 95, 3732 VS De Bilt, Netherlands
SEEDS-INDIA Building, Punnakadu, Kozhencherry, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, 689652, India
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English- Show
Aim
Work for freedom of religion and belief because it is a precious human right that potentially enables the best within our religious lives, or our search for truth or enlightenment, to flourish.
History
The International Association for Religious Freedom, or IARF, is the oldest international interfaith organisation. Its history spans the 20th century and reflects many of the difficult issues that confronted religious leaders and scholars during that tumultuous period, particularly in Europe and in the United States. The IARF began in 1900 on May 25th in Boston, Massachusetts at the 75th anniversary meeting of the American Unitarian Association.
IRD Activities
- Israel
In Israel, IARF's member group Interfaith Encounter Association has worked with IARF's funding since 2011 to devise path-breaking programs of encounter – such as the cutting-edge focus on religious leaders, the Jerusalem-Hebron Religious Leaders Forum, and the Yeshiva-based student encounters, where rabbis with whom IEA has been working have introduced the idea of extending the religious leaders project by bringing encounters into Yeshivot (Jewish religious academies) to include those who study in these institutions
- Interfaith Village Project, Philippines 'Building Multifaith Village Livelihoods'
This program is built on the Dutch government-funded Human Rights Education programme from 2004 to 2007, which also supported work in Philippines. IARF continued funding work in several locations based on the idea of co-operative livelihood upliftment in multi-faith community settings
- Towards an Affirmation of Religious Freedom and Responsibility
The project's objective was to enhance the standards of practice of religious communities with a view to safeguarding their own members, the followers of other religions, and society as a whole
- Religious Freedom Young Adult Network
The network organises conferences, pilgrimages, trainings, and interfaith programmes and projects
- Inter-Religious Consultations for Creating Educational Strategies to Maintain and Promote Conditions for Supporting Freedom of Religion or Belief
IARF initiated a series of four workshops/consultations to carry forward the recommendations of the important UN International Consultative Conference held in Madrid in 2001 on School Education in Relation with Freedom of Religion and Belief, Tolerance and Non-Discrimination
- Kenya
IARF's first chapter in Africa began work in 2013, giving emphasis to interfaith encounter in the context of insurgent religion-based terrorism, and to the development of Human Rights Education in faith-based community contexts.
Main Focus Countries of Activities
Israel - Philippines - Bangladesh - India - Nepal - Pakistan - Sri Lanka - Austria - Czechia - Denmark - Finland - France - Germany - Hungary - Israel - Macedonia - Netherlands - Poland - Romania - Russian Federation - Switzerland - UK - Canada - USA - China - Japan - Philippines - Australia - Bahrain - Ghana - Kenya - Malawi - Nigeria - South Africa - USA - Japan - Hungary - India - Philippines - Burundi - Nepal - Switzerland - India - South Africa - Costa Rica - Kenya