GENDER AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE PERIOD FROM REGISTRATION 23° May 2023 TO 31 DECEMBER 2023 RD The Trustees have pleasure in submitting the Report and Accounts for the period from 23 May 2023 10 31° December 2023 Objects of the ¢harfty The Object of the CIO is. for the public benefit, lo promote the fundamenlal human tights{3s set oul in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequent United Nations conventions and declarations. in particular, Article 1 which covers the rights of women and Article 18 which covers the Freedom of Religion or Belief,. and the Convention on the Elimination of All Fomis of Discrimin8tion Against Women ICEDAW}) of religious communities, primarily the Christian fai community, by 811 or any of the following means Monitoring abuses of human righls- Conducting research and analysis into human rights issues. Educating the PLJbliG about human rights issues- Providing technical advice lo governments and others on human rights matters,. Commenting on proposed human rights legislation and policy., Raising awareness of human rights issues in particular, bul not exclusively within the Christian community- Promoting respect for human rights by individuals and corporations., Intemational advocacy of human rights. In furtherance of th8se purposes, the charity will undertake the analysis. understanding. and the raising of awareness of gender spectfic religious persecution. In furtherance of these objects but not otherwise. the trustees shall have power.. To gngage in political activity provlded that the trustees are satisfied that the proposed aclivits'es will further the purposes of the charity to an exlent justified by the resources committed and the activity is nol the dominant means by which the charity carries out ils Objeds. Review of the Charity's maln actlvities and achievements Major change for GRF over the past year was that we incorporated as a registered charity- This independent incorporation is important as interest shown by ty)Ih governments and organisations in the genderlFoRB intersectionality sparked the need to set up an entity that can be recognised intemationally and in secular contexts. There is the work with governments. mulli-failh work, and work in the Christianlmissionlchurch sphere. Our main activities to achieve our means are.. 1. Research - looking at the facts regarding gender-specIf religious persecution and trying to understsnd what they mean within the comFlexity of the domain of human rights and in particular FORB and Gender. This year we have achieved some writing projects which capitalise on earlier research. The writing included a Train the Trainer curriculum for Restorations Essentials and Golng Deeper curriculum. 2. Training- allowing those facts to interact with our sacred texls and studying how our traditions, experiences and reasoning have shaped Christian understanding of Bible texts. Asking others lo consider.. how are our families. our WOrkplaS. our relationships. our churches. etc. affecled by the societles and cultures in which we live? We have trained groups repsentIng countries from Africa, Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.
- Advocacy- How can we thelp Othe tol speak out about the danger of Gydes of violence and the destroyed relationships lived out daily in our communities? By raising awareness locally and speaking into public policy gk)bally we eAn contribute to understanding and actions that will shape resilient and restorative sacred spaces, homes, and communtlies. GRF convenes the UK FORB Forum Gender working group. FCDO invited GRF to facilitate an online session for the London FORB desk and global posis on how GenderlFoRB intersect on SRHR. In all of this we are dependent on our networking efforts to continue to raise the issues pertaining to GenderlFoRB in a collaborative and holistic manner. Financial Revigw A modest level of cash has accrued through individual donations up lo 31 December 2023 during the start up phase of operations. As such expendilure has been minimal. resulting in a cash balance of £9.029 at the end of the financial period. Reserves Policy The proposed reserves policy for GRF is lo hold cash reserves equivalent to 6 months. value of regular expenses. It is expected that this will vary from lime lo time, but these should never fall lo below 3 months, worth of regular expenses. and any SerVeS in excess of 9 months should be explicitly reviewed for reasonableness at each Trustees, meeting thal 9 months are exceeded. The rationa for 6 months of reseNes is to ensure that. in the unlikely event of a financial crisis. GRF staff will have sufficient notice to consider their future prospects outside of GRF. The rationale for reviewing reseNes in excess of 9 months is lo challenge whether or not sufficient financial resources are being appropriately deployed in sut4K)rt of the GRF Charitable aims. The targeted level of reserves does not apply to specific funds which may be set aside for a specific, or potenlially longer term goal. Governance The trustees have continued to develop best practice policies, supported ongoing building of the financial base, and meet regulady to monitor the activities of the charity. Responsibility for the day to day operation of the charity has been delegated to the CEO, currently Emma Van der Deijl and h8r Executive. New tTUStees are recruited and appointed by the existing trustees. Rlsk Statement The charity is potentially exposed to various risks - be they operational, financial or reputational. The trustees review the charily's activities regularty to identify significant risks and. where possible. they lake appropriate measures to mitigate those risks. e truslees and signed on their behalf by- This report was approved by Jane Showell-Rogers. Chair of the Trustees Dale.. 23 April 2024