Reflections from the 6th Annual SAFFoRB Meeting

Background

The South Asia Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief (SAFFoRB) held its sixth annual meeting in Bangkok, Thailand from December 9-11, 2022. The theme of the event was “Securing Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) in South Asia.”

The event brought together practitioners working on FoRB issues in South Asia and aimed to promote dialogue and cooperation on FoRB issues in the region. The agenda included discussions on the challenges facing FoRB in South Asia and emerging solutions to address those challenges.

Challenges

One key challenge identified at the event was the interconnected nature of FoRB issues in South Asia, and how problems in one country can create further problems in neighboring countries. The event also discussed the concept of “minority within majority” and “majority among minority” in the region. Members were also facing challenges dealing with hate speech and disinformation on social media.

Solutions

Among the emerging solutions discussed at the event was to strengthen and expand the SAFFoRB network, as well as to empower and inspire its members, given that there are very strong FoRB promoters in each of the SA countries. The organizers of the event, the SAFFoRB Steering Committee, were commended for their efforts in creating a balanced agenda and fostering a cohesive atmosphere—this modeling sets a strong foundation for future networking and collaboration.

SAFFoRB’s statement on this meeting is available for download on this page. 

For more information on Asia Religious & Ethnic Freedom, please visit this page.

This resource is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the sole responsibility of Search for Common Ground and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.