While religion has the power to be a force for both peace and war, many religious actors and religious institutions seek to be part of the solution to conflict. In fact, numerous religious actors and faith-based institutions work to mitigate violent conflict, help those suffering from violence and oppression, and promote peace. Given the complex roles of religion in peace and the presence of conflict dynamics unique to each context, it is important for anyone seeking to engage in peacebuilding activities to understand where and to what extent religion matters and to then determine whether and how to engage with religious actors and institutions, during times of both peace and conflict.

Learning objectives:

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Describe religious engagement in peacebuilding and the benefits and risks of engaging with religious actors.
• Reflect on and navigate your own assumptions and biases in religious engagement.
• Illustrate who religious actors are and their roles or potential roles in peace and conflict dynamics.
• Investigate ways to engage inclusively with religious actors and institutions.
• Evaluate the benefits of engaging religious actors and institutions, and know when and how it is appropriate to do so.

Institutional Partners

This course was designed and developed in partnership between USIP and Search for Common Ground and draws upon experiences and insights from many seasoned practitioners from both organizations. This online course was developed and made freely available to the public through funding from GHR Foundation. The views and opinions expressed in this course do not necessarily reflect the view of its sponsors.