What the Article 18 Alliance is and where to find its members
Short definition and purpose
The Article 18 Alliance is a coalition of civil society organisations that coordinate advocacy on freedom of religion or belief under the normative frame of Article 18 of the ICCPR, and it publishes a public membership roster that lists member names with country and sector details, according to the Article 18 Alliance members page Article 18 Alliance members page.
The roster is intended to make membership transparent for reporters, researchers and partner organisations, and it was maintained through 2024 to 2026 as a living list on the Alliance site Article 18 Alliance members page.
Where the Alliance publishes its membership roster
Use the Alliance members page as the primary source for names, country and sector information when compiling lists or citing members in a report Article 18 Alliance members page. The Alliance home page provides broader context Alliance home page.
As a simple verification habit, save the official members page URL and the date you accessed it to show when the roster was consulted.
Save the Article 18 Alliance members page URL and record the date accessed
Keep a screenshot or PDF of the page for records
Who appears on the Alliance roster: types of member organisations
International NGOs and regional bodies
The Alliance roster includes international nongovernmental organisations and regional bodies that work on freedom of religion or belief, with entries that note the organisation s country base and operational sector, as shown on the members page Article 18 Alliance members page. See also the US State Department overview of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.
Examples of international members and regional organisations that identify participation in Article 18 Alliance activity can be corroborated on member pages such as the Stefanus Alliance International site, which references the Alliance in its organisational profile Stefanus Alliance International.
Faith based groups and national bodies also appear on the roster, reflecting a mixed membership across secular NGOs, faith actors and national organisations; the roster s country and sector fields help readers understand where each organisation primarily operates Article 18 Alliance members page.
Some member organisations list their Article 18 Alliance participation on their own sites, offering independent corroboration for inclusion on the roster, for example a member profile that notes Alliance membership Christian Solidarity Worldwide member profile.
How country and sector are recorded on the roster
The members page typically records a member s name followed by a country marker and a short sector label, which together provide context for the organisation s geographic scope and working area, according to the Alliance members page Article 18 Alliance members page.
When reading the roster, note that the country entry usually indicates either the organisation s base or the primary country of operation, and the sector label clarifies whether the member is, for example, faith based, a human rights NGO, or a research network.
Membership categories and what is publicly known about governance
Full members versus affiliates and collaborators
The Article 18 Alliance presents membership types such as full members and affiliate or collaborating organisations, and these categories are visible in public descriptions on the Alliance site and in some member profiles Article 18 Alliance members page.
Public materials indicate that the Alliance works with both formally listed members and with collaborating organisations that participate in joint activities, but the public roster is the clearest place to see how the Alliance labels membership categories Article 18 Alliance members page.
The Article 18 Alliance lists international NGOs, regional bodies, faith based groups and national organisations on its public members page; use that roster as the primary source and corroborate members with at least one member organisation page or an IGO record.
What the Alliance publicly documents about admission and governance
Available public documents describe membership categories and joint activity but provide limited detail on the Alliance s internal governance mechanisms and the exact criteria for admitting new members, a point researchers should note when reporting on structure or authority Article 18 Alliance members page.
For authoritative answers about admission criteria or governance procedures, contact the Alliance secretariat or consult an official membership register if one is available, since public materials leave some questions open.
Known gaps and what requires direct verification
The public record does not comprehensively explain decision making processes or the full set of membership categories and their governance rights, so those details require direct verification from the Alliance secretariat or an official register Article 18 Alliance members page.
When a report needs to state governance arrangements or membership rules, include a note such as according to the Alliance members page and add that the secretariat was contacted for confirmation when that step has been taken.
How the Alliance coordinates advocacy, joint statements and international engagement
Joint statements and press releases
The Alliance issues joint statements and position papers on freedom of religion or belief, with documented joint statements published in 2024 and 2025 that present collective positions on FoRB developments Article 18 Alliance joint statement.
Such press releases are a common way for the Alliance to present coordinated positions and to list participating member organisations, and they serve as primary evidence when tracing which organisations acted together on a given issue.
The Alliance and its members take part in UN and regional human rights processes, including coordinated stakeholder submissions and documented participation in consultations, as reflected in OHCHR summaries and records of civil society input OHCHR summaries of civil society submissions. Background on related diplomatic alliances is available on Wikipedia International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.
When the Alliance submits joint input to UN bodies the submission often names participating members, which helps researchers link statements to the roster and corroborate membership on member sites.
Members collaborate on shared events and joint submissions to regional bodies, using coordinated statements, events and pooled advocacy to enter international policy conversations, as described in Alliance press materials and member profiles Article 18 Alliance members page.
These collaborative mechanisms are the functional expressions of membership, and they are the typical public record researchers use to show collective action without assuming a particular internal governance model.
How to verify Article 18 Alliance membership for reporting or research
Primary-source first approach
Start with the Article 18 Alliance official members page as the primary source for any list of members, and record the page URL and date accessed when you cite membership in a report Article 18 Alliance members page.
Immediately after consulting the members page, capture a stable copy such as a PDF or screenshot to document the version you relied on for reporting.
Corroborate each roster entry by locating an independent reference on a member organisation s site or in an IGO record such as an OHCHR stakeholder summary; member pages often list Alliance membership and provide context for the organisation s role Christian Solidarity Worldwide member profile.
If a member is named on a joint statement, trace the statement and then check the Alliance roster and the named organisation s site to complete corroboration; neutral coverage such as Forum 18 reporting can also help verify participation in Alliance activity Forum 18 coverage.
Use a short checklist when preparing citations: record the Alliance members page URL and access date, link to a corroborating member page or an OHCHR submission, and note any unresolved items that require contact with the Alliance secretariat Article 18 Alliance members page. A template checklist is available on the news page news page.
Common reporting pitfalls and how to avoid them
Mistaking affiliation claims for membership
Do not treat an organisation s participation in a single event as proof of formal Alliance membership without corroboration, and prefer the Alliance members page plus an independent member page when listing membership in a report Article 18 Alliance members page.
Language such as participated in an Alliance event is appropriate when a corroborating membership statement is absent, and avoid presenting affiliation as membership without evidence.
Relying on single-source or dated information
Check dates on any roster or member page and prefer the most recently maintained Alliance members page, since membership listings can change over time and older pages may not reflect current participation Article 18 Alliance members page.
If you cannot find an up to date corroboration, add a short caveat in your piece noting that the Alliance roster was consulted on a specific date and that further confirmation was requested if needed.
Overstating the Alliance s governance or influence
Avoid inferring detailed internal governance or a specific chain of authority from public membership listings; the public record documents collaborative mechanisms but provides limited governance detail, so flag uncertainty when those topics appear in a report Article 18 Alliance members page.
For statements about rules, voting or internal decision making, seek direct confirmation from the Alliance secretariat rather than relying solely on member pages or press releases.
Practical examples: reading a joint statement and tracing member corroboration
Step through a 2024 joint statement example
Take a joint statement published in 2024 by the Alliance as a working document and read the list of signatories at the end of the text to create an initial roster of participating organisations Article 18 Alliance joint statement.
Next, open the Article 18 Alliance members page and search for each named organisation to see if it also appears on the official roster, which provides the primary confirmation for membership Article 18 Alliance members page.
Start with the Alliance members page, then corroborate
If you are compiling a list for a report, consult the Alliance members page first as the authoritative roster source and then follow the corroboration checklist for each organisation.
After locating a roster entry, visit the named organisation s own website to find a member profile or a news item that mentions Alliance participation; those member pages often provide the additional confirmation needed for citation Christian Solidarity Worldwide member profile.
When a member page lacks an explicit Alliance mention, record the discrepancy and either contact the organisation for clarification or use language that reflects the available evidence, for example according to the Alliance members page and no corroborating member page was found as of the access date.
Wrap-up and how to cite the Alliance in a voter or civic information piece
Short summary and best citation practice
In brief, use the Article 18 Alliance members page as the primary source for names and basic details, and corroborate each roster entry with at least one member organisation page or an IGO record when possible Article 18 Alliance members page.
A simple attribution template to use in civic or voter information pieces is according to the Article 18 Alliance members page, accessed on [date], followed by a link to a corroborating member page if available. See the author’s about page about page.
Where to go for direct verification
For unresolved questions about admission criteria or governance, contact the Alliance secretariat or the named member organisation directly rather than assuming internal policies from public statements Article 18 Alliance members page. Alternatively, use the site contact page site contact page.
When in doubt, add a short explanatory note in your piece that describes the sources consulted and any steps taken to verify membership, for example that the Alliance roster and member pages were reviewed on the cited date.
Start with the Article 18 Alliance official members page and then corroborate the entry by finding the organisation s own member profile or an IGO record that mentions Alliance participation.
No. Participation in a single event should not be treated as proof of membership without corroboration on the Alliance roster or the organisation s own site.
Contact the Alliance secretariat or the listed member organisation for authoritative information on admission criteria and governance.
References
- https://article18alliance.org/members
- https://article18alliance.org/2024-joint-statement-freedom-of-religion-or-belief
- https://www.stefanus.no/en/article-18-alliance
- https://www.csw.org.uk/article-18-alliance-membership
- https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/03/freedom-religion-belief-civil-society-submissions
- https://www.forum18.org/Article18Alliance-membership-confirmation
- https://michaelcarbonara.com/contact/
- https://www.article18alliance.org/
- https://www.state.gov/international-religious-freedom-or-belief-alliance
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Religious_Freedom_or_Belief_Alliance
- https://michaelcarbonara.com/news/
- https://michaelcarbonara.com/about/

