Adyan Foundation calls for proposals for the creation Regional FoRB Hub

1. Project Summary:

Over three years, the project will positively influence perceptions of Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB) across the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region via the creation of a Regional FoRB Hub, Mapping Report, Charters by religious leaders/activists, and advocacy campaigns. This will lead, by December 2024, to increased action to promote and protect FoRB by the public, religious leaders, and civil society activists.

The Regional FoRB Hub will highlight the discrimination, restrictions and hostilities related to FoRB that many communities across the MENA face, while also highlighting all the advances being made regarding FoRB in the region. Via dissemination of information and the facilitation of public discourse, the Hub will foster increased support and civic activism in favour of respect for FoRB at the community, policy and legal level. As well as being a repository of information, the Hub will also create and strengthen national and regional networks in support of FoRB, including journalists, lawyers and parliamentarians, who will use the Hub to increase their understanding of FoRB-related issues.

At the same time, religious leaders/activists will be supported to jointly develop discourse and positions to promote and protect FoRB within their spheres of influence, and refute the most blatant violations to FoRB in their countries. This will empower them to engage in new ways with diverse communities.

2. About Adyan Foundation:

Adyan is a Foundation for diversity, solidarity and human dignity. Registered as an NGO in Lebanon, Adyan works locally, regionally and internationally for pluralism, inclusive citizenship, community resilience, and spiritual solidarity, through home grown solutions in Education, Media, Policy, and intercultural and interreligious relations. Adyan is registered in Lebanon as a non-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO), under registration number 1103 by a ministerial decree dated 18 September 2008.

Adyan has been working on the protection and promotion of Freedom of Religion and Belief for several years now through different innovative approaches.

1. Scope of Work – Information Hub:

Adyan Foundation is requesting proposals for the creation Regional FoRB Hub that is the online repository of FoRB information for six MENA countries (Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia) and includes updates on FoRB initiatives and the monitoring of FoRB violations.

As well as providing up-to-date information for the public, religious leaders and activists, academics, the media, lawyers and parliamentarians - fostering greater awareness and discourse around FoRB – the Hub would also strengthen collaboration between FoRB-related initiatives, organizations and networks. This would be achieved by listing key activities and organizations working to promote FoRB in the six countries, including contact details where relevant/appropriate.

At the same time, outreach would be made by the project team to existing FoRB-related Networks in the MENA, to encourage them to suggest content (initiatives and organizations) for the Hub. The aim is that this Hub becomes the key platform for any updates related to FoRB in the six target countries. 

As well as the website, the Hub would also have related social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube) and a newsletter, to increase its reach and influence. Links to the Hub content would also be posted on Adyan’s Taadudiya platform, which is an Arabic language website and social media pages that fosters a culture of accepting difference and valuing diversity (‘Taadudiya’ is the Arabic word for ‘pluralism’).

The selected company would be responsible for the following:

1. Identifying adequate platforms, tools, and resources for the implementation of the Hub.
2. Complete Hub web design and branding, in coordination with the media and project teams.
3. Providing full technical and back-end support, in addition to annual Website/Hub hosting and search engine optimization.
4. Generating audience reports, including data on demographics and user engagement.