Global Health and Religion

Without an understanding of religion in the contexts of developmental policy, there will be no health initiatives which are sustainable in their implementation and sustainable within the social discourse. Education, economic prosperity and social development are only possible with a functional and accepted health infrastructure. Health is among the most important UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is pursued with great effort. The goal: A healthy life for all (SDG3) continues to be a mammoth task. Approaches and measures must be accepted in a societal discourse in order to be effective – religion plays an important and underestimated role and touches upon many other areas, such as reproductive medicine and education, gender-based violence and behavior in conflict situations. Likewise, an open approach towards diseases with negative connotations in faith communities can be promoted through cooperation with health-sociological and political institutions.