Religion, Health and Development

In 2015, the World Bank sponsored an initiative, including a panel discussion, on: “The Power of Faith to Help End Extreme Poverty” (see here). Part of the World Bank’s goal and vision was to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030. Currently, many countries are not on track to meet the health and economic targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. In September of 2023, USAID released its first-ever religious engagement policy, affirming the important role of religious communities and faith-based organizations as strategic development partners. Furthermore, faith guides the lives of individuals and communities worldwide, with 84% of the world's population identifying with a religious group. Furthermore, religion influences how people perceive and respond to health issues, or take up new health interventions, especially in times of crisis, as we learned during COVID-19. As global travel communication, and migrations continue to diversify local communities worldwide, religion and spirituality play a significant role in shaping the values, beliefs, ecosystems, and behaviors of billions of people around the world. Studies in the field of integrative medicine recognize how religion and spirituality interface with socio-historical, biological, psychological, economic, and ecological domains that are often the subject of health-related research and policy development (see here).

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