A/HRC/28/66 67. For interreligious communication to be productive, partners should meet on an equal footing and there should always be room for a meaningful exchange beyond mere ritualistic encounters. A broad representation, including gender balance and participation of different generations, can ensure that larger populations can take active ownership of such initiatives, thus enhancing their sustainability. There is much space for improvements in this regard, since women, including feminist theologians, are typically very underrepresented in interreligious dialogue initiatives. Their voices are sadly absent in many projects. The roles of women human rights defenders should also be promoted as they can contribute to a less patriarchal interpretation of religions that disproportionately affect the rights of women, girls and LGBT persons. 68. Projects that involve interreligious cooperation can have far-reaching impacts. One very positive recent development is the enhanced interreligious cooperation in providing aid for refugees and internally displaced persons.27 Apart from supporting people who are living under dire conditions, such cooperation also sends a much-needed message of hope to these communities and to the international community, and constitutes good practices that may inspire others. 69. Some initiatives have led to the formal establishment of interreligious councils in which people of different religious and denominational backgrounds meet regularly. This can be useful to ensure a sustainable cooperation and keep the forces of violent extremism at bay. At the same time, there are also many illustrations of informal grass-root initiatives with the purpose of cherishing trustful relations. Quite surprisingly, everyday communication across religious divides may even exist at the local level in countries that are torn by religious extremism and violent conflicts. Figuratively speaking, even in a desert of violent political paranoia, people communicating across boundaries can uphold certain oases of common sense that certainly deserve to be acknowledged, strengthened and supported politically. 70. Interreligious communication and intergroup cooperation have a key function in all agendas to overcome violence in the name of religion. Although people who meet regularly across boundaries will not necessarily agree on all issues, they will realize that followers of other religions and denominations are not “aliens” with totally different mentalities or feelings. This is an important experience and a precondition for overcoming hostile stereotypes. Discovering common concerns, worries and interests may also be the first step for developing joint action plans for tackling the root causes of violence more strategically. 3. Civil society 71. Civil society organizations differ from religious communities in that they predominantly locate themselves in the “civil” sphere. What brings people together in civil society organizations is not, or not primarily, a common religious belief or practice, but rather joint commitments to address issues of common concerns, including human rights. This does not preclude the possibility that quite a number of civil society organizations at the same time understand themselves as being faith-based. 72. The expertise gained by civil society organizations is indispensable for assessing the human rights situation, including freedom of religion or belief. For victims of human rights violations and people living under conditions of constant intimidation, it is reassuring to know that civil society organizations monitor their situations and alert relevant authorities and the public when necessary. They provide information, advice, guidance, assistance and 27 For example, cooperation between the organizations Lutheran World Federation and Islamic Relief Worldwide; see www.lutheranworld.org/news/lwf-and-islamic-relief-sign-memorandumunderstanding. 17