Multi-Religious Faith-in-Action COVID-19 Campaign Reference Document for Religious Leaders and Faith Communities Guidance

"Communities of faith and religious leaders have a key role to play in promoting positive behaviour and beliefs in times of crisis."

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many international faith-based organisations (FBOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have mobilised their existing partnerships with local religious leaders, women and youth leaders, and other community networks to respond, building on their experiences with previous epidemics. Lessons learned from Ebola, Zika, malaria, and HIV highlight how religious leaders and communities can play a role during times of heightened stress and tensions by communicating and promoting responsible behaviours, shaping social values and delivering messages of hope, and mobilising each other to take action, especially in reaching out to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this document aims to equip religious leaders and communities of faith and those partnering with these groups with evidence-based guidance and information from many different faith actors.

Created by the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI), the resource is the reference document for more targeted guidance to be produced by the Multi-Religious Faith-in-Action COVID-19 Initiative. A partnership between JLI, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and Religions for Peace (RfP), the initiative is part of UNICEF's Faith and Positive Change for Children (FPCC) Global Initiative on Social Behaviour Change. FPCC is grounded in the belief that development and faith partners hold complementary skills and that cooperation can effect social and behaviour change by integrating scientific evidence and religious teachings.

The reference document draws on an analysis of more than 150 resources on preparedness and response to COVID-19. This includes official guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), as well as faith-specific guidance prepared by FBOs. The document provides guidance across 5 areas:

1. Introduction: What are the roles of religious leaders in effective communication, education, preparedness, and response for COVID-19?
2. Dispelling stigma, countering false information, and upholding rights
3. Religious gatherings and adaptations of rituals
4. Spiritual well-being, resilience, empathy, and community service
5. People facing vulnerabilities, including violence, with a focus on children and families

Each section includes: (i) an overview of the key issues and topics to help orient religious leaders and communities of faith to areas of concern; (ii) a section detailing specific actions to address the problems; and (iii) faith-specific examples or religious teachings. The final portion of the document features links to other resources, organised along the lines of each of the above 5 areas, from several religious traditions and public health sources.

This is a living document; JLI expects that new resources will be issued and can be used in addition to this document in the future.