News

28 september: lecture by prof. dr. ir. J.J.C. Voorhoeve

Prof. dr. ir. J.J.C. Voorhoeve will give a lecture (in Dutch) on global ethics, with a focus on the role of religion at international cooperation.

Visions on Sustainability (in Dutch)

On March 23 2011, the National Catholic Council for interreligious dialogue CID and the Dutch Hindu Council HRN organise a symposium on sustainability

Charter of Compassion (Handvest voor Compassie)

At the 12th of November, 2009, the Charter for Compassion was presented in Amsterdam. The British writer and religion expert Karen Armstrom took the initiative for writing this Charter. The worldwide presentation of the Charter took place on the same day in 32 countries.

Religious rituals and social capital formation

Foot washing before the Lord

Leveraging local pockets of social cohesion and the newly built nation-state: the role of religion

Monday 7 September 2009, Seth Kaplan, author of "Fixing Fragile States. A New Paradigm for Development" (Praeger 2008) visited the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague. A perfect occasion to invite him to present his book to the members of the Knowledge Forum Religion and Development Policy. Sixteen NGO professionals and academics came to ISS to listen to Kaplan and discuss with him his major notions and recommendations.

Responding to climate change: religion and Southern perspectives on Light Development

July 2009, the Knowledge Centre Religion and Development organized an international panel on religion, development, and climate change. The panel took place at the University of Amsterdam. It was part of the conference 'Religion, Nature, and Progress', an initiative of the International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture. 'Responding to Climate Change: Religion and Southern Perspectives on Light Development,' was the title of the panel.

Two symposia on Social Trust

The Knowledge Centre Religion and Development organised in 2009 two symposia about social trust, related to development work. Social trust is found where people trust the good intentions of others and are confident that others can carry out their intentions within their social and institutional contexts. Experts advised the participants how to give 'hands and feet' to this value.

Chair Religion and Development (ISS): 10 year anniversary

At the 11th of June, 2009, the Chair Religion and Development at the Institute of Social Studies exists ten years. The chair is occupied by prof. dr. Gerrie Ter Haar. In the last decennium, Ter Haar has played an important role in putting 'religion and development' on the international agenda, as a link between science, policy and the practice of international development.

Lecture professor Gerrie ter Haar and booklets on the occasion of 10 years Chair Religion and Development ISS

Religion as instrument for development

In the Dutch magazine "Religie en Samenleving", an article was published on 'Religion as an instrument for development cooperation' (in Dutch). This article was written by David Renkema, co-ordinator of the Knowlede Centre.

Lecture: The development of a Dutch Islam

Welmoet Boender, staff member of the Knowledge Centre Religion and Development, was invited to speak at the conference 40 years of Marrocan emigration to Holland, which was held in Rabat, Maroc last May. She presented a paper there: The Development of a Dutch Islam.

Policy dialogue with Minister Koenders of Development Cooperation on Fragile States

We can look back upon a constructive policy dialogue between Minister Bert Koenders of Development Cooperation and the NGO members of the Knowledge Forum Religion and Development Policy, which took place on April 2, 2009. All participants, including the Minister, agreed about the importance of understanding the role of religion and religious actors in the context of fragile states.

Journey to Aceh

In March, Welmoet Boender (Knowledge Centre Religion and Development) traveled to Indonesia with Clara van Eijk en Willy Houben (ICCO and KerkinActie), during their semi-annual visit to several partnerorganisations in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.

Dialogue with Dutch political parties

One specific objective of the Knowledge Centre Religion and Development is to deliver a well-informed contribution to political decision making involving the role of religion in development policy.

Meeting International Advisory Board

In November 2008 our annual meeting with the International Advisory Board took place, following the conference on Fragile States.

International conference 'Religion, conflict and development in fragile states'

At a conference on 20 November 2008, development workers and civil society representatives from the Great Lakes Region, Afghanistan, the Palestinian Territories and Israel discussed with the audience how specific religious resources and risks impact development cooperation and peace building under extreme political conditions.

Divali Dinner at Seva

Seva Network Foundation organised a Divali Dinner on the 7th November 2008 at the Haagse Lobby in The Hague. This dinner is organised every year on the occasion of the Hindu festival Divali.

Religious perspectives on globalisation

The Dutch Social and Economic Council (SER), an advisory board to the Dutch government, recently published the report 'Sustainable globalisation. A World to be won' (http://www.ser.nl/en.aspx). In response, the KCRD organised an expert meeting that focused on religious and Southern perspectives on globalisation.

The fourth ASEM interfaith dialogue

"While striving for peace and ending poverty, governments should not ignore religious organisations, since these organisations are often capable of reaching the poorest of the poor within a society." This was one of the recommendations from the participants of the fourth ASEM Interfaith Dialogue.

Handout 'Religion and development policy'

The KCRD presented a 'Handout religion and development policy' at 11 March 2008 in Utrecht.

Conference 'Transforming development'

The KCRD has organised an inspiring conference titled "Transforming development. Exploring new approaches to development from religious perspectives". This conference took place from Monday 15 October until Wednesday 17 October 2007 in Soesterberg, The Netherlands.

Conference dialogue with Islamic movements on Democratisation and Human Rights

Dutch development organisations fostering democracy and respect for human rights in the Middle-East and North Africa observe a growing importance of Islamic movements. Dutch NGOs are therefore exploring the options of co-operation with these Islamic movements. The possibility to start a dialogue or co-operate with Islamic movements raises various questions and dilemmas among Dutch organisations. Do all Islamic movements offer valuable reference points? Are they suitable allies to work on democratization and human rights? Is it perhaps na