Generating Respect for Humanitarian Norms: The Influence of Religious Leaders on Parties to Armed Conflict

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Humanitarian norms aim to 'humanise' war by requiring parties to armed conflict to protect civilians from attacks, detainees from abuse, and to facilitate humanitarian assistance. Yet, across the globe and all too often, civilians are killed, detainees are ill-treated, and hospitals and aid convoys are bombed. This situation portrays the need for the identification of new approaches aimed at generating greater compliance with humanitarian norms. This project proposes such a novel approach. It focuses on the role that religious leaders (can) play in influencing state and non-state armed actors to internalise humanitarian norms with the ultimate aim of enhancing the protection of members of communities affected by war.The project is premised on the observation that religious leaders of various faiths have over the past decades put forward interpretations of religion that further the respect of humanitarian norms or, on the contrary, that come in direct conflict with them. In so doing, religious leaders are relying on a special type of legitimacy anchored in tradition or charisma, which shapes them as particularly influential societal actors in many conflict situations. By mapping their role in armed conflicts in Libya, Mali, Myanmar and Colombia, the project will enhance the understanding of what types of messages religious leaders put forward and how these relate to humanitarian norms. The project will seek to understand the influence of religious interpretations on the parties to the conflict through 320 interviews with religious leaders, selected current and former members of armed actors, and individuals belonging to affected communities in the four countries. By crafting and piloting guidelines for humanitarian organisations, the project will enable practitioners to engage with religious leaders on the ground with the aim to explore the most effective ways in which religious leaders can support humanitarian norms and influence parties to a conflict to comply with these norms. The perspectives of religious leaders on the role they can play to 'humanise' war, and those of members of affected communities, will be portrayed to wider audiences through 40 digital stories (short recordings with audio, video, photographic and textual material).The project has been designed and will be developed in close partnership with the humanitarian organisation Geneva Call and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. Two other key humanitarian organisations are supporting the project and will be involved in its activities, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Diakonia Global International Humanitarian Law Centre, alongside an academic institution, the Observatory on International Humanitarian Law of the University of Buenos Aires.