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Faith-Inspired Organizations and Global Development Policy a Background Review “Mapping” Social and Economic Development Work

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Faith-Inspired Organizations and Global Development Policy a Background Review “Mapping” Social and Economic Development Work BERKLEY CENTER for RELIGION, PEACE & WORLD AFFAIRS GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY 2 0 1 0 | Faith-Inspired Organizations and Global Development Policy A Background Review “Mapping” Social and Economic Development Work in Southeast Asia BERKLEY CENTER REPORTS A project of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University Supported by the Henry R. Luce Initiative on Religion and International Affairs Luce/SFS Program on Religion The Edmund A. Walsh School of and International Affairs Foreign Service The Luce/SFS Program on Religion and International Founded in 1919 to educate students and prepare them Affairs has been exploring the intersection of faith, for leadership roles in international affairs, the School world politics and diplomacy since September 2006. of Foreign Service conducts an undergraduate program A collaboration between the Henry Luce Foundation for over 1,300 students and graduate programs at the and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service Master’s level for more than 700 students. Under the (SFS) and Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and leadership of Dean Robert L. Gallucci, the School houses World Affairs at Georgetown University, the Luce/SFS more than a dozen regional and functional programs Program initially focused on two issue areas: Religion that offer courses, conduct research, host events, and and Global Development and Religion and US Foreign contribute to the intellectual development of the field Policy. A follow-on award from the Luce Foundation of international affairs. In 2007, a survey of faculty pub- in November 2008 has enabled the continued growth lished in Foreign Policy ranked Georgetown University as of both program areas and the addition of two more: #1 in Master’s degree programs in international relations. Government Outreach and an online Religion and International Affairs Network. The World Faiths Development Dialogue The Berkley Center The World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World bridges between the worlds of faith and secular devel- Affairs at Georgetown University, created within the opment. Established by James D. Wolfensohn, then Office of the President in March 2006, is dedicated to President of the World Bank, and Lord Carey of Clifton, the interdisciplinary study of religion and the promo- then Archbishop of Canterbury, WFDD responded to tion of interreligious understanding. Through research, the opportunities and concerns of many faith leaders teaching, and service, the Center examines religion as it who saw untapped potential for partnerships. Based in relates to global challenges of international diplomacy, Washington, D.C., WFDD supports dialogue, fosters democracy and human rights, and economic and social communities of practice, and promotes understanding development. Two premises guide the Center’s work: on religion and development, with formal relationships that deeper knowledge of religion’s global role is critical with the World Bank, Georgetown University, and to address these challenges, and that the open engage- many faith-inspired institutions. ment of religious traditions with one another and with the wider society can promote peace. Thomas Banchoff, The Asia Faiths Development associate professor in the Department of Government and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, is Dialogue the Center’s founding director. The Asia Faiths Development Dialogue (AFDD), launched in 2006, seeks to strengthen faith by mobilizing support of the different faith groups in Cambodia and in Southeast Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific region, to work for peace, development and harmony in order to achieve a peaceful coexistence of the people in Asia and beyond. AFDD fosters constructive inter-faiths dialogue through broad participation in order to promote trust-building and reconciliation as well as societal development. By bridging the gaps among the different faith groups at the national, regional, and international levels, AFDD strives to amelio- rate the lives of diverse people around the world. Copyright 2010, Georgetown University. About this Report This report was prepared as part of the Berkley Center’s global “mapping” of the work of faith-inspired organizations worldwide. The report specifically served as background for a consultation on faith- inspired organizations and global development policy in Southeast Asia in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in December 2009. A separate, companion report summarizes the meeting itself, including interviews with participants; all are available on the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) websites.1 The draft report was reviewed by partici- pants in the Phnom Penh consultation; we acknowledge their inputs with gratitude. The Southeast Asia review is part of the comparative project on Religion and Global Development supported by the Henry R. Luce Foundation. Through a series of meetings with stakeholders and background reports, the Berkley Center and WFDD have worked to ‘“map’” the role of faith- inspired organizations around the world, highlighting best practices and policy issues that arise. 2 0 1 0 Prior events have included: a meeting in Washington, DC in April 2007 focused on the United | States; a meeting in Doha, Qatar in December 2007 focused on the Muslim World; a meeting in The Hague, The Netherlands in June 2008 focused on Europe and Africa; and a meeting in Antigua, Guatemala in January 2009, focused on Latin America. A future meeting is planned for South Asia. About the Authors The report was prepared by a team of researchers at the Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and the World Faiths Development Dialogue. The principal author is Michael Bodakowski, working under the supervision of Katherine Marshall. Sarah Arkin and Walker Grooms, graduate research fellows at the Berkley Center, contributed significantly, as did Michael Scharff and Augustina Delaney from their on-going work in Cambodia. Thomas Bohnett provided invaluable guidance and input throughout the process. Melody Fox Ahmed played a key role from the beginning of the consultation process, without whose contributions this report would not have BERKLEY CENTER REPORTS been possible. Kory Kantenga and Amy Vander Vliet also made important contributions. 1 Table of Contents Introduction. 5 Part 1: Southeast Asia: An Overview . 9 Religion in Southeast Asia: A Brief Overview—Actual, Historical, Trends. 9 Buddhism. 9 Islam . 10 Christianity . 10 Hinduism. 11 Indigenous Beliefs. 11 Faith-Inspired Organizations with Transnational Mandates. 11 Major Faith-Inspired Organizations. 12 Part 2: Sector Focus and Emerging Trends and Policy Questions. 15 Peace and Conflict Resolution . 15 Health. 16 Education. 17 Human Trafficking. 18 Environment and Natural Disasters. 20 Governance and Transparency. 20 . Box 1: Filipino Catholic Church Fights for Good Governance and Against Corruption 21 GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY | Part 3: Country Case Studies. 25 Indonesia . 25 Historical Overview. 25 Religion and Government. 26 Development Challenges. 26 The Government, Religious Institutions, and NGOs . 27 Nadlhatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. 28 International Faith-Inspired Organizations. 28 Interfaith Cooperation and Conflict. 29 BERKLEY CENTER Box 2: Women’s Rights and Faith-Inspired Organizations . 29 Philippines. 30 Socio-Economic Background. 30 Religion in the Philippines. 31 Box 3: Mindanao: Conflict and Development. 31 Faith and Public Life. 32 Box 4: Civil Society, the Catholic Church, and Agrarian Reform. 33 NGOs, Civil Society, Faith, and Development. 33 Box 5: Environmental Call for Action. 34 Box 6: Habitat for Humanity—Peace Build Program in Mindanao . 35 Box 7: The Catholic Church and Contraception. 35 Emerging Challenges. 36 Box 8: Sister Adelia S. Oling and People’s Alternative Livelihood Foundation . 37 Cambodia. 37 Background . 37 Cambodia’s Religious Heritage . 38 Development and Buddhist Organizations. 39 Box 9: The Association of Buddhists for the Environment (ABE). 39 2 Development and Muslim organizations . 40 Christian Development Activities. 41 Emerging Issues. 41 Thailand. 43 An Overview. 43 Socio-Economic and Political Background. 43 Religion in Thailand. 44 Socially Engaged Buddhism in Thailand . 44 Interfaith Cooperation and Dialogue. 45 Faith-Inspired Organizations. 46 Vietnam. 46 An Overview. 46 Religion in Vietnam. 47 Development Work in Vietnam. 47 Laos . 49 Socio-Economic Background. 49 Religion in Laos. 49 NGOs, Politics, and Development. 50 Faith-Inspired Development Work. 51 Burma (Myanmar). 51 The Country in Context. 51 Socio-Economic Background. 52 . 2 0 1 0 Religion in Burma (Myanmar) 52 | Role of Faith-Inspired Actors . ..
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