To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of research demonstrating the links between the promotion of freedom of religion and belief and those societies which are the most prosperous and stable; and whether such research informs the priorities and policies of the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Answered on
6 December 2016
DFID and Foreign and Commonwealth Office teams continually analyse the factors affecting prosperity and stability, including those relating to religion and belief. DFID has undertaken studies on factors affecting prosperity and stability, including a 2015 review of the role of religion in conflict and peacebuilding. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office follows the research of organisations such as the Berkley Center at Georgetown University and the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation. The Berkley Center’s research contributed to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s October 2016 conference, which considered how freedom of religion or belief can promote resilience against violent extremism.