Mediation, Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding

Lord Rook Excerpts

Thursday 29th October 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Rook (Lab)]

It is an honour to follow the noble Lord, Lord Bates, and I thank him for that contribution. We have the privilege of catching the bus home together occasionally, and on Monday we discussed his recent trip to Sudan, which was fascinating, and this upcoming debate, which we were much looking forward to. I do not think either of us have been disappointed; I might disappoint some people now, but up until now, we have not been disappointed. My thanks go to my noble friend Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale for securing this debate, and to other noble Lords for what has been a fascinating and broad-ranging set of contributions.

I point to my register of interests, and the work I do at the Good Faith Partnership, in respect of some of the work I will talk about next. Around the world, faith leaders are often on the front line of peacebuilding. From them, we learn that religious diplomacy can reach the parts that Governments struggle to reach. In my honest opinion, there are some false and lazy assumptions that sometimes prevent us harnessing the power of faith for mediation and conflict resolution. I want to talk about that today.

One false assumption is that the relationships of faith leaders are held largely with other religious people. It is not true in western countries; often, our faith leaders are the most well-connected people across different sectors and the range of society. It is certainly an irrelevant assumption in much of the world, where more than 80% of people say that faith has a role in their own personal identity. I am really grateful to the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Chelmsford for highlighting earlier the role of the Church in the work of mediation and conflict resolution. I hope what I say next will bring more power to the right reverend Prelate’s elbow.

The noble Lord, Lord Bates, rightly said that London has a remarkable convening power. Earlier this year, my noble and learned friend Lady Scotland hosted a group of senior Christian and Muslim religious leaders from Nigeria, prior to a peacebuilding summit that was hosted and convened in London by a former colleague of ours, Bishop Justin Welby. Those leaders were all opponents at one time, and some were enemies. Over the last month, starting at that event here in London, they have started to build relationships and plot paths to peace in parts of their country where conflict is rife.

My noble friends Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale and Lord Griffiths of Burry Port both made it clear that local ownership is essential for successful mediation. Those Nigerian leaders would have been clear, and are clear, that there are only really Nigerian solutions for Nigerian problems; coming to London does not put things right. However, what we have learned from this experience is that the support of our Government and the US Government, in helping to enable and empower those leaders to take a role in their community, has been more than powerful.

I thank my noble friend Lady Chapman of Darlington, who, in her then role as the Minister, addressed the leaders when they came to your Lordships’ House. I am grateful to Minister McNeill, the new Minister for International Development and Africa, who confirmed, only this week, her support for the Government working with those faith leaders in Nigeria. I am particularly grateful to David Smith MP, our UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, who has worked hard with those faith leaders to encourage them in the work they are doing in their own country. We recently met again in Abuja in Nigeria and received great support from both the British and the US embassies, with the high commissioner and the US chargé d’affaires attending and engaging in the discussions. While conflict is not going down in Nigeria—sadly, it is rising in large parts of the country—these discussions, wherever you go, are a cause for real hope and, most importantly, for real practical action. A path to peace is being laid out by these leaders.

Far from engaging only with other people of faith or other faith leaders, those leaders in Nigeria are demonstrating an extraordinary capacity to build relationships both wide and deep. Together, they can engage those people who perpetrate violence; together, they can engage those people who are in danger of being drawn into violence; and together, sadly, they have to engage the victims and survivors of violence. I obviously encourage the Government to continue their support for the work of those faith leaders in Nigeria, but I also ask that we explore whether there are other regions in the world where religious diplomacy might be a route to help us support mediation and conflict resolution.

Following that false assumption, I want to raise a lazy one: the assumption that faith is more responsible for conflict than it is for peace. We do not have too long to go into that now, but often when religion is blamed for these conflicts, it is a false or thin depiction of that faith, often through radicalisation and extremism. Exploited by others, these false depictions become something that adds to conflict and local tension. In such situations, faith is actually not the poison; it is the antidote. Faith leaders have a moral and theological authority to call out bad actors in their community, to influence people to take a different path and to modify bad behaviours. In Mozambique, the United Nations has worked extensively with bishops to prevent acts of terrorism—the fight against ISIS. Where government sometimes lacked the ability and the authority to ask communities to do things differently, faith leaders provided powerful and practical solutions and, over a period, were able to reduce significantly the recruitment of community members into extremist activities. In Mozambique, we experienced that authentic expressions of faith can enable mediation and prevent conflict.

In 2025, my noble and learned friend Lady Scotland, whom I mentioned earlier, met two of the Nigerians who came to London in September, as she presented Pastor James Wuye and Imam Muhammad Ashafa with the inaugural Commonwealth Peace Prize. Some 40 years ago, James and Muhammad were fighting in rival militias; they had been recruited by local extremists and were waging war on each other’s communities— James lost his right arm in the process. However, as faith leaders, they have built a friendship and become reconciled. They have created an interfaith mediation centre and now run a national network of peace clubs, with more than 10,000 members, in their country. They are a parable of the power of faith leaders to build lasting relationships and to provide moral leadership that changes attitudes, behaviours, communities and—one day, I hope—their country.

I very much look forward to the response of my noble friend the Minister. I close with two questions for the Government. First, I am so grateful for the ongoing support of His Majesty’s Government for the faith leaders in Nigeria who are working so hard to build a path towards peace. In Nigeria and other countries, David Smith, our FoRB envoy, is playing a leading role in helping His Majesty’s Government to harness the power of faith and to build our capacity for religious diplomacy. At the launch of our freedom of religion or belief strategy at the FCDO in 2025, the department committed to publishing an annual report on the progress and impact made in this area. I am interested to know from my noble friend the Minister when we might expect the first of these reports, because it will provide valuable opportunities to recognise, celebrate and promote the important work that our Government are undertaking. In dark and difficult times, I hope we can find some good news, which is desperately needed.

Secondly, the FCDO’s Office for Conflict, Stabilisation and Mediation provides excellent specialist expertise in conflict prevention, mediation, peace process and stabilisation. It works with Governments, international institutions and civil society, and only this week a leading actor in this field was lauding its work to me. I am interested to know from the Minister how that unit can make an even greater impact by working with faith communities and religious diplomacy to draw on their unique relationships, local knowledge and moral authority to strengthen the UK’s impact in preventing and resolving conflict.

In closing, let us exercise smart power, as the noble Lord, Lord McConnell, mentioned earlier. Let us not be the victims of false or lazy assumptions; let us recognise the vital role of religious diplomacy in mediation and peacebuilding. Let us recognise the unique and remarkable relational capacity and the moral and theological influence and authority of religious leaders in conflict zones around the world, and let us do all we can to support them as they work faithfully on the front line of international mediation and peacebuilding.

European Convention on Human Rights: 75th Anniversary

Lord Rook Excerpts

Thursday 20th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Rook (Lab)]

I draw the attention of the House to my registered interests: I am a partner at the Good Faith Partnership, which provides the secretariat for the UK FoRB Forum. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for this debate and, as other noble Lords have noted, for his tireless commitment to human rights. He has long been an inspiration to me and, as a new Member of the House, I hope to become more like him when I grow up.

I wish to draw noble Lords’ attention to the importance of the European Convention on Human Rights for the pursuance of freedom of religion or belief. Born amid the growing realisation of the full and horrific extent of the Holocaust, the issue of freedom of religion is core to the convention. “Everyone,” Article 9 declares,

“has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion”.

Sadly, the fight for religious freedom is far from won. More than 80% of the world’s population live in states where there are severe or significant restrictions on their freedoms, and that number is rising. Although this continent is home to the convention, there remains work to be done and threats to guard against. A few years ago, I sat in the gallery of the Bundestag, witnessing the understandable anger and outrage of the majority of its members as one party repeatedly refused to condemn the internment of Uyghur Muslims in so-called education camps in China. Watching this scene play out in that place was chilling, to say the least.

I am grateful for the leadership of our Government in this area, for the work of my noble friends Lord Collins of Highbury and Lady Chapman of Darlington, and for the appointment of my honourable friend David Smith MP as the UK’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief. I am certain that they will build on the work of the noble Lord, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, and previous envoys to ensure that we as a country remain a leading force for freedom of religion or belief around the world.

Finally, I ask the Minister to take this opportunity to assure the House of this Government’s continued support for the court that upholds the convention. As the noble Lord, Lord Alton, mentioned, the European Court of Human Rights has only once found the UK to be in breach of Article 9. We can certainly be proud of our record. We must continue to hold ourselves to the highest standards and make ourselves accountable for our decisions and actions.

The challenge to reduce persecution around the world is beyond the powers of any one country. At a time when intergovernmental institutions are all too often and all too easily undermined, the court and its convention offer a unique opportunity for nations and institutions to work together to fashion a world where people are truly free.