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INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Charity Incorporated Organisation no 1026699

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR TO 31 DECEMBER 2021

Report of the Trustees	2
Reference and administrative details	2
Objectives and Activities	3
Achievements and Performance	4
Financial Review	4
Statement Of Trustees’ Responsibilities	5

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Charity Incorporated Organisation no 1026699

Report of the Trustees

The trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year to 31 December 2021.

Reference and administrative details

Registered Office:

Essex Hall, 1-6, Essex Street, London, WC2R 3HY

Contact details

The Charity can be contacted through its administrator at hq@iarf.net or +31641744951.

Trustees

The Charity had three Trustees between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021:

Rev. Yoshinobu Miyake, a resident of Japan, who also served as the Treasurer,
Ms. Janhvi Gupte, a resident of India, who also served as the Vice-President,
Mr. Robert Ince, a resident of England, who also served as the President.

Trustees have no beneficial interests in the Charity.

Constitution

International Association for Religious Freedom is a Charity Incorporated Organisation in England & Wales. The Association was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 25 May 1900.

The company is governed under its Constitution. Under the Constitution, the Trustees are aided by an advisory council referred to as the International Council. The Council will consist of eleven members: the President, Vice President, Treasurer and eight ordinary members representing North America, Europe and Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, the RFYN (the IARF’s youth network), the IARLW (the International Association of Liberal Religious Women, IARF’s sister organisation) and one extra member from any region elected by the General Meeting. In accordance with the will of the General Meeting, the Trustees will follow the recommendations of the Advisory Council unreservedly, except in case of a clear conflict with UK law or the Constitution.

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Charity Incorporated Organisation no 1026699

Organisation

The Council during the year included the Trustees named above including a President, Vice President and Treasurer, as well as 8 other members representing North America, Europe and the Middle East, South Asia and East Asia, as well as the RFYN (the IARF’s youth network) and the IALRW (the IARF’s sister organisation of liberal religious women) who meet at least once a year to administer the charity. This meeting incorporates the annual general meeting and was held via video conference in September.

The General Meeting meets at the time of the World Congress every 3 or 4 years, appoints a new Council and passes resolutions. The last World Congress prior to these accounts was held in Washington DC in 2018, and the following one will be held in 2023.

Risk Management

The trustees confirm that the major risks faced by the charity have been reviewed and procedures have been established to manage those risks.

Objectives and Activities

The Association’s activities are the promotion of the following for the benefit of the public:
Religious life in which freedom of conscience is essential
Understanding among peoples and respect in all areas of culture and religion
Co-operation among groups and individuals seeking justice, peace and an
ecological and faithful way of life
Aid for religious communities that are poor and oppressed

We review our aims, objectives and activities each year. This review looks at what we achieved and the outcomes of our work in the previous 12 months. The review looks at the success of each key activity and the benefits they have brought to those groups of people we are set up to help. The review also helps us to ensure our aims, objectives and activities remain focused on our stated purposes. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities.

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Charity Incorporated Organisation no 1026699

Achievements and Performance

The International Association for Religious Freedom together with its member organisations continues work in various places throughout the world in an effort to highlight places where religious freedom is threatened and to bring together those from various faith backgrounds in the cause of harmony and reconciliation, as well as to facilitate collaboration between its members in areas of interfaith exchange, human rights education, promotion of liberal religious values and humanitarian relief initiatives (such as in Kenya, Pakistan and India).

In May of 2021 the IARF held an online conference entitled “Does Religion Make You Free?” in collaboration with its members from Europe and the Middle East. There were Jews, Muslims, Pagans, Unitarians and Christians among the speakers, panellists, workshop and devotion leaders, and materials from the conference have been published as recordings, which, among other talks and events held by IARF, such as the Motivational Dialogues and events held by our regional Chapters, are available at https://iarf.net/talks-and-conferences. More information on the May conference is available at https://iarf.net/eme2021. The topics of other events included environmental concerns and religion, an overview of our collaboration with the Bektashi in their strife against human rights violations in Northern Macedonia, education on less known religious traditions (Zoroastrianism, paganism), the work of our members in creating interfaith encounter possibilities in Israel, successful interfaith initiatives such as multi-religious worship spaces, insights into human rights protection mechanisms and others.

Our work is increasingly publicised and promoted through newsletter and on-line videos and we expect this trend to continue and expand.

Our financial situation, at a global level remains challenging, but our members and regional organisations increasingly contribute to activities around the world.

We have increased our activity with the United Nations in Geneva. Since the Covid epidemic prevented face to face meetings, we have concentrated our efforts into online meetings attracting far more people than previously across the world. We look forward to our coming congress in Kolozsvar (Cluj-Napoca), a multi-ethnic and multi-religious city in Romania in September 2023, which will be a hybrid Congress (fully accessible and interactive for both participants in the venue and online) for the first time in IARF’s history.

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Charity Incorporated Organisation no 1026699

Financial Review

Income and Expenditure

The total incoming resources were 20412 GBP. IARF’s income has increased considerably compared to 2020, yet there was an overall deficit. The Trustees wish to ensure that our commitment to ongoing work continues whilst making more effort to secure additional income streams in future years. The organisation strives to limit all expenses which are not essential to carrying out its mission.

Financially, the situation remains challenging with many international interfaith groups struggling to find sponsors and to raise money to support new initiatives. The Trustees have decided to depart from the previous grant-making mode of operation and adopt an approach focused on advocacy, building relationships and cooperation within the organisation, new programmes utilising the quickly developing digital tools of communication, such as online conferences, meetings, exchanges,

Reserves Policy

The investment of reserves was considered at the 2021 meeting of Council. The present level of reserves has been deemed to be sufficient for the present level of activities.

Statement Of Trustees’ Responsibilities

The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards. The trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are