With the end of KAICIID’s initial three-year action plan, from May 2012 – April 2015, the Council of Parties and the Board of Directors reviewed the Centre’s achievements and developed a range of activities to be included in the strategy over the next three years. 

Proposal provided by the Expert Working Group to the Council of Parties

following the Group's establishment by the Council of Parties on 20 February 2015

17 April 2015

A.THE MANDATE OF KAICIID

The KAICIID’s mandate and mission—to promote respect among cultures and religions through dialogue, as set forth in the Establishment Agreement—are very much needed in the present climate of growing polarization and violent extremism. Dialogue is one of the most effective ways of building trust between different peoples and giving a voice to those who reject violence in the name of religion.

According to its mandate, the KAICIID is a ‘Centre of Dialogue’. Dialogue is a tool that the Centre uses to implement its strategies and initiatives with the aim of fostering peace and combating radicalization, while allowing leaders to present their religions in a balanced way, creating spaces where different people can contact and learn from one another, helping States and experts to create instruments for learning about other religions, bringing religious leaders together in condemning violence in the name of religion, and giving a voice to those who believe religion to be a path of peace, not war. The KAICIID’s neutral status means that it is able to bring together people who have never before sat down at the same table, to engage in dialogue aimed at reaching mutual understanding, tolerance and peace.

The members of the Council of Parties, the Observer, the Board of Directors and the KAICIID Secretariat are unanimous in their wish that the Centre’s Establishment Agreement not be amended.

The KAICIID is the only intergovernmental organization governed by religious representatives and the only intergovernmental organization dedicated to facilitating dialogue between different cultures and faiths. The Board of Directors is a key body in designing the KAICIID’s activities, and, being made up of representatives from the world’s five major religions—Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism—embodies respect for religious diversity.

The KAICIID’s peacebuilding activities in conflict zones with underlying religious implications, its activities focusing on rejecting violence in the name of religion, and its activities on religion and the media—including the internet and social media—are of particular relevance at the present time.

In the international context, there are already a great many international and civil society organizations whose specific missions target human rights and freedom of religion. Nevertheless, these values are not only promoted from a position of condemnation, but also through positive acts of respect for other religions—as is the case with interreligious dialogue.

The powers attributed to the Council of Parties under the Establishment Agreement include the authority to adopt the Centre’s work programme and annual budget, approve the establishment of cooperative relationships with public or private entities, approve international agreements and decide on the admission of new members and observers.

B.HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOM OF RELIGION

This proposal clarifies the mandate of KAICIID and proposes to the Council of Parties the implementation of specific activities on interreligious dialogue and its link to human rights and religious freedom as well as the inclusion of these issues as a component of other activities.

It proposes that a Plan be drawn up to raise the profile of the Centre’s activities in the international community and public opinion and to consolidate its status as an international organization. This Plan would mainly focus on: making the activities of the Board of Directors more visible, strengthening the Communication Strategy, and increasing the number of members of the Council of Parties, ensuring suitable geographical and cultural diversity.

The preamble to the Establishment Agreement reaffirms the purposes and principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in particular the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Human rights and freedom of religion can be treated as elements of the Centre’s mission in the field of interreligious dialogue, as set forth in Article II(1)(a) of its Establishment Agreement (‘[to] enhance interreligious and intercultural dialogue, thus fostering respect, understanding and cooperation among people, promote justice, peace and reconciliation and counteract the abuse of religion to justify oppression, violence and conflict’).

Interreligious dialogue is, in itself, an act of respect for other religions and human rights. It is a way of promoting these values from a positive perspective. Examples of this perspective can be found in KAICIID’s ‘Image of the Other’ programmes for interreligious education and the media, its peacebuilding activities involving interreligious dialogue in the Central African Republic and Nigeria,  Myanmar and its High-Level Conference on Iraq and Syria—all of which were activities of respect for human rights and other religions, and the exercising of freedom of religion.

As Heiner Bielefeldt, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, states in his report on violence committed in the name of religion (dated 29 December 2014), such violence can lead to violations of human rights, including freedom of religion. Bielefeldt recommends interreligious dialogue as a way of combating this violence.

Within the existing mandate of KAICIID, activities could be carried out on the relation of interreligious dialogue to human rights and freedom of religion, approached in a positive light and with the understanding that this does not constitute the Centre’s primary activity.

Specific activities on this subject could include:

• Seminar of academics Seminar of the Board of Directors, followed by a statement on these matters, and a press release to be posted on the Centre’s website.
• Collaboration The KAICIID could collaborate with international organizations and agencies with specific mandates in the field of human rights, exploring together possible collaboration routes.
• Resolution 16/18. Seminar of academics, media representatives and diplomats on the Istanbul Process for implementing Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18, combating intolerance, discrimination and violence based on religion or belief. The KAICIID would play the role of dialogue facilitator.
• Advisory Forum Creation of an Advisory Forum of Religious Leaders, which would regularly examine these values and possible initiatives

Inclusion as a sub-section in certain peacebuilding and interreligious education programmes (without being the main purpose of these programmes):

• Central African Republic, Nigeria and Myanmar: include these issues in the interreligious dialogue sessions with these countries’ leaders.
• Middle East: Programme on the concept of common citizenship in the Middle East: include a section on these values.
• Interreligious education network: include these values as part of the programming in this area.
• An expert in interreligious dialogue, human rights and freedom of religion should be part of the Centre’s staff.

C.RAISING THE PROFILE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE AND IN THE MEDIA

The Board of Directors could hold a panel-format public meeting in Austria to discuss one of the Centre’s key aims (Image of the Other, Education, Media, Peacebuilding, etc.). Austrian civil society would be invited to this event and there would be time for questions at the end. To increase its local impact, the event could be complemented with a panel of representatives from the main religions present in Austria, and an institutional and/or local authority could deliver the opening address.

The Board of Directors could meet the media more frequently, explaining the Board’s function and the Centre’s programmes and activities. Another advisable step for the Board of Directors would be to issue principle pronouncements on matters related to human rights and freedom of religion, and their links to interreligious dialogue in the framework of the mandate of the Centre.

To strengthen its international scope, the Board of Directors, together with the KAICIID Secretary-General, could pay a visit to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to convey a message in favour of respect for religions, against violent extremism and rejecting violence in the name of religion (issues examined by the General Assembly and the Security Council, and in which there has recently been an increase of activity, with the adoption of new resolutions by both bodies). The Board of Directors would then appear before the press accredited to the UN to present the messages conveyed to the Secretary-General.

The Board of Directors, together with the KAICIID Secretary-General, could visit, representatives from the European Institutions to convey a message in favour of respect for religions, against violent extremism and rejecting violence in the name of religion, as well as expressing the KAICIID’s desire to collaborate in common areas—peacebuilding among others. The Board of Directors would then meet with the accredited press.

D.STRENGTHENING THE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

The Centre should strengthen its international communication and public relations policies. Raising its profile in the international press and public opinion would lead to the Centre becoming better known at the domestic level within its member States. Social media should be taken into account in this effort.

The Secretariat and its bodies should adopt an active policy for its relations with the international press, in order to make the Centre’s programmes and activities known.

Regular international meetings should be arranged for the KAICIID Secretary-General—for example, with the UNESCO Director or leaders of the different European Union and United Nations institutions—monitoring the different collaboration routes identified at these meetings.

The Centre is encouraged to cooperate with the relevant UN agencies, such as UNESCO, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, as well as other International Organisations in order to strengthen collaboration with these initiatives.

The Centre could seek to be granted Observer status at the United Nations General Assembly.

The Centre could seek to collaborate with Vienna-based multilateral organizations, the OSCE and UNODC in particular, through direct contact between the KAICIID Secretary-General and the Secretary-General and Director-General of these organizations, and through agreements (MoUs) and joint activities in areas such as discrimination on the grounds of religion (OSCE) and the role of religions in preventing crime and drug use (UNODC).

The Centre in Vienna could hold open days, ensuring these were announced in the media in advance. It could also receive visits from local schools, particularly schools from areas with a larger intercultural component, giving pupils an educational presentation about respecting other religions and cultures. To this end, an agreement or MoU could be signed with the Vienna City Council or educational authority. In this area, the KAICIID could explore the idea of drawing up a permanent local cultural and academic programme including seminars, conferences, exhibitions or debates, to take place at the Centre itself or in collaboration with other cultural or academic centres in Vienna. 

The contents and distribution network of the monthly newsletter could be strengthened. It could be translated into other languages—including Arabic, French, German and Spanish. A broad distribution network comprising international media outlets and domestic media in the member States of the Council of Parties could be created.

The meetings between religious leaders from around Austria and from the city of Vienna should continue to take place at the KAICIID, but become more frequent, using a conference or public panel format so that the local public may attend. The policy for local communications announcing these conferences should be reinforced.

E.ENLARGEMENT

Increasing the number of members of the Council of Parties would reaffirm its status as an international organization, including within the scope of the United Nations, and would strengthen its global actions, making it more effective.

Financial matters. The present voluntary contribution system should remain in place, with no amendment to the Establishment Agreement.

The contribution requested from States that declare their intention of eventually becoming Parties of the Centre would not be considered an obligatory contribution, as the act of joining is, in itself, a voluntary act.

Criteria for increasing the number of members. The priority is to ensure appropriate geographical diversity. To this end, expansion to other continents must take place in an orderly fashion, taking into account the interest expressed on KAICIID and on intercultural and interreligious affairs on an international scale. Enlargement could begin with the incorporation of countries from Latin America, North America, the Asia-Pacific region, and Africa. This would ensure a balanced distribution across the continents, guaranteeing geographical diversity.