Forum for Development, Culture and Dialogue
Aim
Promote peacebuilding, equal citizenship, and human rights for marginalised people in the Middle East, particularly women and youth, the impoverished, and other vulnerable groups; create common spaces for dialogue; build the capacity of community and civil society groups to be catalysts for peace, with a focus on women and youth; develop grassroots leaders, especially women and youth, who will mobilise their communities and civil society organisations to play an active role in building a culture of peace and dialogue; create spaces of dialogue and understanding for people of different faiths, ethnicities and nationalities to break down barriers of mistrust and create bonds of peace.
History
FDCD represents the collective vision, mission and history of the Urban Rural Mission programme's Middle East region, a programme with over 20 years of history of community organising, leadership training, spiritual reflection, and response to marginalisation and dehumanisation. Based in Beirut, Lebanon, with a Middle East regional outlook, FDCD supplemented and expanded the work of Urban Rural Mission with additional and specific programmes areas.
IRD Activities
- Communication for Ecumenism and Inter-Religious Dialogue
The project identifies, analyses, reflects on, and responds to the religious tensions and practices, for the purpose of building a healthy and sound faith community where freedom of religious expression, equal citizenship, respect and tolerance are paramount principles of coexistence
- Leaders for Interreligious Understanding (LIU) Danish-Arab Dialogue and Formation Program (Pilot)
This project has the primary objectives aiming to develop a cross-cultural Danish-Arab dialogue and formation process on the religious diversity
- Project 'Women in Dialogue, Empowerment and Consolidation'
This project targets 35-40 participants from each participating country. They represent different ethnicities, religions, media companies, and political affiliations. The overall objective goal is to strengthen the role, presence, and effectiveness of women's participation multi-level, multi country, and intercultural dialogue projects to uncover and understand the different local, regional and global circumstances of women engaged in interfaith and intercultural dialogue, and how this affects their participation. It aims to highlight the different motivations for women's participation in interfaith and intercultural dialogue (to prevent violent conflict and promote peace, to create and strengthen community, to highlight gender-specific input in the process of dialogue). To distinguish different modes and models by which women engage in dialogue to identity which of these can be generalised and transferred to multiple contexts. Furthermore, it aims to identify ways, in which the capacity of women in dialogue can be strengthened for the purpose of increasing exchange and engagement across cultural divides, can be developed in its effectiveness, and can be institutionalised and consolidated into a set of best practices
- International Work and Study Camp (Yearly Event)
The objective of the camp is to work with youth on the process of dialogue, mutual understanding and transformation through democracy through workshops, lectures, exercises and field visits. During the event, FDCD also organises visits and meetings with religious and community leaders and organisations, as well as entertaining activities such as intercultural evenings and sightseeing trips.
Main Focus Countries of Activities
Lebanon - Lebanon - Egypt - Denmark - Syria - Lebanon - Lebanon