Overview
In 2018, ACEPA was contracted by the Commonwealth Initiative on Freedom of Religion or Belief (CIFoRB) and the Edward Cadbury Centre, University of Birmingham, UK, to facilitate the organization of a Commonwealth West Africa Roundtable on Freedom of Religion or Belief in Accra, Ghana. This was as a result of the CIFoRB’s belief that parliamentarians and faith leaders have an important leadership and convening role within their communities but they often express a need for capacity building, resourcing and educating on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) issues. The roundtable was to enable MPs and faith leaders to provide the needed leadership and propose initiatives and solutions for their local or regional context.
Interventions
The Commonwealth West Africa Roundtable on Freedom of Religion or Belief was organized in May 2022. The forum was attended by faith leaders and Parliamentarians from Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and The Gambia. Participants shared country perspectives on FoRB, discussed case studies from Ghana on some thematic areas, explored issues of faith and FoRB in parliaments, and effective interaction between parliamentarians and faith leaders, among others.
Outcomes
Participants were able to come up with strategies to get issues of FoRB on the agenda for the 2020 Commonwealth Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. The West Africa forum also contributed to the development of a toolkit of good practice for parliamentarians across the Commonwealth.
Partners
- Commonwealth Initiative on Freedom of Religion or Belief (CIFoRB)
- Edward Cadbury Centre, University of Birmingham, UK