Stakeholder Meetings
The UK FoRB Forum hosts regular stakeholder meetings. These are attended by the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, and other government or parliamentary officials concerned with FoRB issues. Meetings take place strictly under the Chatham House rule.
Forum meetings are an opportunity for stakeholders to present issues of concern regarding global freedom of religion or belief, and propose actions and recommendations to other Forum stakeholders, including the Special Envoy.
Forum meetings are also an opportunity for stakeholders to network and plan collaborative follow up actions on issues of shared concern, hear about progress from working groups, and share news about their own work which may benefit other stakeholders.
The forthcoming 2025 meeting dates will be published shortly.
Working Groups
The UK FoRB Forum includes stakeholder-led working groups which organise around specific thematic or geographical topics. The working groups set their own agenda for further action or research, and report back to Forum meetings on progress. All stakeholders are invited to join working groups or initiate new ones in partnership with others. Current working groups include:
Gender
Education
Genocide and Mass Atrocities
Religious Discrimination in Europe
Iraq
International Development and Humanitarian Aid
Media
Nigeria
Learning Events
A initiative in partnership with Working Groups
UKFF Learning Events were a special programme of events held bi-monthly, enabling a deep dive into a specific country or theme for all UKFF members to hear directly from international and local leaders about their work. These events particularly highlight successful initiatives on FoRB in their focus area.
We have presented Learning Events on
Nigeria
Hate Speech
Gender
FoRB Education in Europe
Iraq
In these events, we hear directly from leaders about their impactful work in a wide range of FoRB issues. So far, we’ve had invited speakers from Nigeria, Pakistan, Iraq, India, Afghanistan, Belgium and Sri Lanka.
Joint Advocacy Letters
The UK FoRB Forum facilitates stakeholder-led joint advocacy letters to relevant officials on pressing issues related to freedom of religion or belief, including individual cases. Joint advocacy letters are sponsored by one or two stakeholder organisations, but all stakeholders are invited to become signatories. Recent joint letters have concerned the Uyghurs, and situations in Afghanistan, North Korea, India and Nigeria.
International Networks
The UK FoRB Forum liaises with other international FoRB networks to align with broader global developments and seek opportunities for collaboration. UKFF stakeholder meetings may also include representations or updates from some of these networks, including:
The International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief
The European Parliament Intergroup on Freedom of Religion Or Belief and Religious Tolerance