Ethics Education for Children - Arigatou International

22/10/2026

🌍 We are excited to announce our participation in the CIRCLE project!

Last week in Athens, Greece, the official kick-off brought together 17 partners across 13 countries to launch this 42-month Horizon Europe initiative.

CIRCLE explores how culture and religion can foster dialogue, mutual understanding, and reconciliation in communities facing conflict and polarization.

Arigatou International Geneva will contribute to developing a modular intervention based on restorative justice and interfaith dialogue, which will become a key learning module in the CIRCLE toolkit.

We look forward to collaborating with our partners over the coming years to empower youth and build bridges for peace.

21/10/2026

🧳Heading to Manila for the Ministerial Conference? Do not miss this in-person session.

In just four weeks, global leaders and child protection champions will gather in Manila for the 2nd Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children.

To mark this pivotal moment, we are thrilled to partner with the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities (IAFSC), RAIS (Resilient Architecture for Integration & Security), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and World Vision International to host an official satellite event:

✨ Faith Communities as Partners in Ending Violence Against Children: Strengthening Child Protection Systems and Accountability

Faith actors are deeply embedded in the heart of local communities, often serving as trusted first responders for prevention, early warning, mental health support, and safe referral pathways.

When we integrate faith perspectives, we protect children more holistically, championing their dignity, belonging, spiritual well-being, and hope.

This interactive session will dive into how faith-based partnerships can turn high-level Ministerial pledges into real, accountable grassroots action.

📍 Manila (On-site event only!)
🗓️ 19 November | 2:00 PM Manila Time
🎟️ Register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=IFZpFevAPE2sBx_QCm7546pw8ztLHu9KlrHr-QL6w4VUOUI3OTlSNEVCOVkzOEZOT0w1VFUxV1RGTS4u&route=shorturl

Grab your spot today and join us!

20/10/2026

📆HOY! Día 4 de la Cumbre Regional de Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes, con 2 interesantes sesiones:

👉Sesión 7. Capacitación - y experiencias regionales - sobre derechos digitales
Experiencias de incidencia de Argentina y México
Capacitación de Hiperderecho

2pm Mexico y Centro América
3pm Colombia, Ecuador, Panamá, Perú
4pm Bolivia, República Dominicana, Venezuela
5pm Argentina, Chile, Uruguay
Link Zoom: solicitar al correo [email protected]

👉Sesión 8. Cierre de la Cumbre: Propuestas y compromisos para una región libre de violencia
Con la participación de los adolescentes que construyeron los mensajes regionales para acabar con la violencia
Y las reacciones de Gobiernos, del Movimiento Mundial por la Infancia (MMI-LAC) y la Organización Panamericana de la Salud.

3pm Mexico y Centro América
4pm Colombia, Ecuador, Panamá, Perú
5pm Bolivia, República Dominicana, Venezuela
6pm Argentina, Chile, Uruguay
Link Webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86870094353

Les esperamos!

20/10/2026

We are pleased to celebrate the launch of the new publication: “Religion in Global Affairs: The Contributions of Religious Actors to Education, Environmental Protection, Gender Equality, Human Rights, Peace, and Well-Being.” 📘✨

Initiated by the PaRD Secretariat, the brochure highlights concrete, evidence-based practices from around the world. It shows how people inspired by religious and spiritual traditions provide practical solutions to critical global challenges, from climate action and peacebuilding to health, gender equality, and education.

Arigatou International, together with the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID), World Vision International, the United States Institute of Peace, the Institute for Global Health and Development at Queen Margaret University, and Syria Bright Future, and through the grant support of GIZ, developed a multi-year initiative: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for Children on the Move.

Key insights highlighted in this section:

⚠️ The Challenge: Nearly 50 million children worldwide are forcibly displaced by conflict and violence, with 20 million crossing international borders. The trauma of displacement significantly elevates their risk of depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

💡 The Evidence: Practitioners on the ground demonstrate that holistic interventions integrating children’s cultural and religious contexts into MHPSS are far more effective in strengthening both physical and mental well-being.

🤝 Multi-Stakeholder Impact: Convening 128 participants across 54 organizations (including UNICEF, United Nations Development Programme - UNDP, governments, universities, healthcare institutions, and civil society), the initiative developed targeted policy roundtables and actionable recommendations across Latin America, the Middle East, and Ukraine. This work has laid the foundation for practitioner booklets, policy briefs in English, Spanish, and Arabic, and upcoming good-practice reports and podcasts.

📖 Read and download the full brochure here:
https://lnkd.in/dd4jeHCe

Pictures: © PaRD/GIZ

20/10/2026

14/10/2026

Join us tomorrow at for the panel, What Faith Brings to the Dialogue Table! 🕊️

Organized by the World Council of Churches, ACT Alliance, Caritas, and Arigatou International, this session explores the vital role of religious engagement in building peace and social cohesion, featuring concrete case studies from Colombia, the Central African Republic, and Lebanon.

🗓️ 15 October 2026
🕐 13:00 – 14:30 CET
📍 Geneva Peace Forum
👉 https://lnkd.in/en-a8Jg4

14/10/2026

How can child protection practitioners engage more meaningfully with faith actors in humanitarian settings?

Join The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, Islamic Relief Worldwide and Arigatou International to explore this question!

Our Executive Director, Maria Lucia Uribe, will share approaches to engaging faith actors across humanitarian response.

From INEB - International Network of Engaged Buddhists (a member of Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC), Project Manager Opor Srisuwan will share practical lessons from Thailand on building trust and collaboration, establishing child safeguarding and referral mechanisms in temples and learning centres serving migrant children from Myanmar, and connecting religious institutions to specialized protection services.

🗓️ 28 October 2026 | 14:00–15:00 CEST

REGISTRATION: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/zWvFCHGHSPyzRGcaXpwGkg #/registration

💭 Why does engaging with faith actors matter for child protection?

Faith actors can play an important role within communities—influencing social norms, family decisions, and the networks that support children and families.

But how can child protection practitioners engage with this influence effectively and meaningfully?

Join the Alliance, Islamic Relief Worldwide, and Arigatou International as we explore experiences, challenges and opportunities in engaging with faith actors.

📅 28 October | 🕑 14:00 CEST | 🌐 French, Spanish, and Arabic.
🔗 Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/zWvFCHGHSPyzRGcaXpwGkg

12/10/2026

🕊️ How can faith communities help build a more just, compassionate and peaceful world?

Join us tomorrow, 13 October, in Geneva for **“Faith in Action: Religion as a Force for Peace, Human Dignity and Rights.”**

This multifaith dialogue will bring together religious leaders, experts and policymakers to explore how faith can inspire concrete action to uphold human rights, strengthen social cohesion and contribute to lasting peace.

At a time of growing divisions, the gathering offers an opportunity to deepen dialogue across traditions and affirm our shared responsibility to protect the dignity of every person.

📅 **13 October 2026**
🕒 **15:00–17:00 Geneva time**
📍 **Room VII, Palais des Nations, Geneva**

Organized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Latter-day Saint Charities, in collaboration with Faith for Rights, Religions for Peace International, University for Peace, United Religions Initiative and Arigatou International.

We look forward to seeing you there!

08/10/2026

How can accountability reach children affected by armed conflict?

On 1 October, Arigatou International & partners launched “Strengthening Accountability for Children in Armed Conflict through the Systematic Integration of Local Faith Communities.”The policy brief calls for structured partnerships linking trusted actors with formal systems across prevention, safe reporting, justice and recovery, reinforcing governments’ obligations and .

Malak, a youth from Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) Lebanon, urged adults to listen, act and sustain children’s trust, describing communities sheltering families fleeing violence. Yehor from Ukraine spoke of displacement and losing his home, calling for protection of childhood, education and a future.

In a video message, the United Nations Office for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Vanessa Frazier, stressed that and prevention require strong partnerships. Faith actors can identify risks where access is limited, engage parties to conflict, bring children’s views into processes and counter stigma against survivors and children formerly associated with armed groups.

• South Sudan’s Ambassador, H.E. Alier Deng, linked cooperation to preventing recruitment, releasing and reintegrating children, and survivors’ access to justice.
• The DRC’s Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Paul EMPOLE called for independent investigations, action against impunity and sustained government–faith partnerships.
• The Permanent Observer Mission of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the United Nations, H.E. Michel Veuthey, urged safe reporting channels, long-term recovery & action against trafficking.
• Dr. Nayla Tabbara, Adyan Foundation - مؤسّسة أديان, shared interfaith solidarity under bombardment in Lebanon and challenged institutional failures of accountability.
• Anna Kilas, Caritas Ukraine, showed how trusted child-friendly spaces enable disclosure and reveal otherwise unreported abuse and trafficking.
• Dr. Mikiko Otani, President of Child Rights Connect identified UN child-rights monitoring as an entry point for community evidence and children’s participation.
• Bushra Rehman, Islamic Relief Worldwide, described interfaith action against harmful norms & child marriage.
• opor srisuwan, INEB - International Network of Engaged Buddhists highlighted safeguarding and referrals in Buddhist institutions, faith actors’ independence & protection across borders.
• Antonella Bernardini, World Vision International, called for safe ways for children to speak, action on disclosures & support for recovery.
• Stefano Bosco, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints urged collaboration & sustained trauma recovery.

Moderated by Eleonora Mura, Arigatou International, she shared the work of the South Sudan Council of Churches SSCC connecting protection, youth participation, political advocacy with peacebuilding.

Maria Lucia Uribe Torres, Executive Director, Arigatou International Geneva, thanked partners & invited collaboration to bring the recommendations to the national level.

02/10/2026

📖 We have just launched the new policy brief:

"Strengthening Accountability for Children in Armed Conflict through the Systematic Integration of Local Faith Communities"

Read it here: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:2c460bfa-0004-4545-a75e-61c35dc2576b

Officially presented at our side event at the 63rd UN Human Rights Council, this brief addresses a critical gap in protecting the estimated 473 million children living in conflict zones today.

This collective effort was developed in collaboration with ACT Alliance, Adyan Foundation - مؤسّسة أديان, Arigatou International, Caritas Ukraine, Islamic Relief Worldwide, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, World Council of Churches, and World Vision International.

👉 Why this brief matters:

Accountability extends far beyond judicial prosecution; it is a full continuum encompassing prevention, monitoring, safe reporting, remedies, and reintegration. Because of their moral authority and sustained community presence, local faith actors can bridge legal human rights standards with on-the-ground action. Yet they remain systematically under-recognized in formal mechanisms.

🗺️ Key case studies highlighted in the brief:

- Lebanon (Adyan Foundation): Integrating interfaith values with child rights to challenge narratives normalizing violence.

- South Sudan (South Sudan Council of Churches): Bridging grassroots child protection and youth empowerment with national peace advocacy.

- Uganda (Acholi religious peace initiative): Utilizing dialogue and traditional restorative rituals to reintegrate former child soldiers.

- Ukraine (Caritas Ukraine): Mobilizing parish networks to document underreported child trafficking and support survivors.

📣 Core call to action: Governments, UN agencies, and donors must move toward structured partnerships, predictable funding, and institutional recognition of faith actors while upholding strict child safeguarding standards.

Special thanks to the speakers for their insightful interventions during he launch of the Policy Brief:
• Ms. Vanessa Frazier - United Nations Office for Children and Armed Conflict
• Dr. Mikiko Otani - Child Rights Connect
• H.E. Mr. Alier Deng Ruai - Permanent Mission of South Sudan to the UN in Geneva
• H.E. Mr. Paul EMPOLE - Permanent Mission of the DRC to the UN in Geneva
• Archbishop Moses Deng Bol - South Sudan Council of Churches SSCC
• Dr. Nayla Tabbara - Adyan Foundation - مؤسّسة أديان
• Ms. Anna Kilas, Caritas Ukraine
• Ms. Malak Fawaz, Youth Representative, Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC)
• Mr. Stefano Bosco - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Ms. Maria Lucia Uribe Torres - Ethics Education for Children - Arigatou International
• Ms. Eleonora Mura - Arigatou International