30 Years on from the Beijing Platform for Action: Faith-Based Actors as Catalyst Towards Positive Norm Change

Abstract

This report examines the contribution of faith-based actors to advancing women's rights and gender equality through social norm change, marking 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action. It highlights the work of ACT Alliance members and partners using faith-based approaches to challenge patriarchal power and promote human rights and gender justice. The report recognises the complex role of faith communities: religious institutions can reinforce discriminatory norms, but they can also be powerful spaces for transforming those norms.
A strength of the report is its focus on faith communities as agents of positive social norm change. It provides practical examples of how faith-based methodologies can challenge gender stereotypes, promote women's rights and engage communities in transformation. The resource is particularly useful for faith-based organisations seeking to move beyond awareness-raising towards sustained changes in attitudes, behaviours, institutional practices and power relationships.