Violence and war inhibit human development and represent a threat to human rights.
Norwegian Church Aid believes that religion can be both a cause of conflict and a key factor in reducing violence and building peace.
Promote dialogue
We believe in the value of interreligious dialogue. By bringing people and groups together from different religious backgrounds, we can promote mutual understanding and develop joint strategies for peace. Religious leaders often have a powerful voice and are widely respected. Their messages of peace can be a valuable resource in reducing violence in a given society. In addition, religious institutions often have broad organisational networks which enable them to mobilize large numbers of people for peace. Interreligious dialogue can be a powerful tool in mobilizing this inherent potential for peace, and can be used to address the instances where religion actually contributes to violence and insecurity.
Listen to different points of view
Norwegian Church Aid works to promote the inclusion of different voices in peace processes. If a peace process or agreement is to be viable and credible, it must reflect the views of the people affected by war and violence. Norwegian Church Aid strives to ensure that the voices of women, youth, civil society organisations and religious institutions are heard during peace processes.
Do no harm
The distribution of aid supplies in a conflict zone can actually contribute to increased conflict. This happens because priority is often given – however unintentionally - to certain groups. Norwegian Church Aid aims to be conflict sensitive and to “Do no Harm” when delivering aid in conflict zones, and to be conscious of the effect our operations have on the conflict situation around us.