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Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa

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Areas of expertise & Fields of activity:	Economic and Social: Agriculture Citizenship and Governance Climate Change Crime Prevention Environment Extreme poverty Peace and Security Private Sector Religion Social Development Sports for Peace and Development Sustainable Development Water Women Youth Gender Issues and Advancement of Women: Capacity building Indigenous women Men and boys Policy advice The girl child Violence against women Public Administration: Governance and Public Administration Public Service and Management Innovation Socio-Economic Governance and Management Social Development: Conflict Employment Poverty Social policy Youth Sustainable Development: Agriculture Capacity-building Climate change Partnerships Poverty
Geographic scope:	International
Millennium Development Goals:	Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Achieve universal primary education Promote gender equality and empower women Reduce child mortality Improve maternal health Ensure environmental sustainability Develop global partnership for development
Mission statement:	Working for Inter-Religious understanding, through a continuous process of genuine inter-faith encounter, discussion, and consultation, in order to promote respect for each other’s religious traditions, and refrain from denigrating them. IFAPA is a continent-wide network of national and international councils and groups, and religious leaders committed to working together for peace in Africa. IFAPA comprises of all the major faith traditions represented in Africa. Beyond inter-faith dialogue, the organisation focuses on promoting dialogue and practical inter-faith action for peace in Africa and brings it fully in a continental approach to the challenge of inter-faith engagement in the search for peace on the continent. In 2002, the organisation started in Johannesburg, South Africa as process initiated by religious communalities. The religious leaders from the seven major faiths met for the first time to reflect on new approaches and interventions for a more peaceful Africa and IFAPA was born. Today, the organisation is registered as an international pan African Non-governmental Organisation or as a chapter in many counties and regions of Africa including Uganda where this project shall be run. The organisation has also since established a functioning Secretariat, Women’s Desk and Youth Desk Faith plays a central role in lives of millions of African. Religious communities are the largest and best organized civil institution in most countries, with a membership of millions of believers. IFAPA‘s ambition is to deepen the collaboration between these communities to equip African inter-faith partners with knowledge and skills relevant to practical cooperation in peace promotion activities, to encourage the formulation and implementation of concrete inter-faith response to existing conflict situations and to promote engaging in and promoting dialogue and mutual understanding, and dissemination of information and education about human rights and humanitarian law. Therefore IFAPA’s main aim is bringing religious communities across the continent to cooperate and coordinate their efforts to promote peace. As wars and violence continue to cause unacceptable human suffering and the effects hindering the possibilities for development and as the 21st century has seen an increase in religious extremism, IFAPA was launched in 2002 during the first inter-faith summit bringing together approximately 120 of religious leaders from some 30 countries. This was also the first pan African gathering focusing on the inter-faith action for peace in the region. The summit adopted a declaration and a plan of action committing the participants/groups to a whole range of practical interfaith initiatives for promoting pace in Africa. This has since been followed by the second summit in 2005 held in Johannesburg, that launched a “mothers cry for a healthy Africa” campaign, sub regional committees, and conflict zone visits in counties such as Liberia, Togo, DR-Congo, Mauritania, Southern Sudan, Landmine survivors in Ethiopia, and Uganda. Other religious meting have been held in summits include the 3rd summit in 2008 held in Kampala.
Year established:	2002
Year of registration:	2007
Organizational structure:	IFAPA Commission of Religious leaders, IFAPA President with his Secretariat, Women and youth Desk, women and youth Networks
Number and type of members:	32 religious leaders from various faiths(commission members), The Secretariat( President, vice President, Treasurer, 2 Consultants, Women Desk Coordinator, Youth Desk Coordinator, over 10 Country Chapters with executives, five Africa regional youth networks each with 10 committee members
Affiliation with NGO networks:	National Religious groups, and Associations
Funding structure:	Membership fees or dues Donations and grants from domestic sources Foreign and international grants

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