SETARA Institute’s 20-Year Performance Report

The SETARA Institute is an organization founded with the goal of creating an equitable, pluralistic, and dignified society. To realize this vision, the SETARA Institute conducts advocacy, research, and public education on pluralism, freedom of religion and belief, social inclusion, democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and peace.

The SETARA Institute has now reached its 20th anniversary. A twenty-year journey is no short span of time. For the SETARA Institute, these two decades have been a long process of learning—from research, advocacy, and public education to strategic engagement at the national and international levels. Since its founding in 2005, SETARA has been guided by the conviction that democracy cannot survive on electoral procedures alone but requires a foundation of values: equality, humanity, and freedom guaranteed for every citizen.

This two-decade report is not merely a historical record, but a reflection on our intellectual journey and practical efforts in advocating for an inclusive democracy. SETARA has conducted important research on freedom of religion and belief, security sector reform, the enforcement of the law and the constitution, the prevention of violent extremism, and the transformation of public policy to be more responsive to human rights. All of this work is rooted in the belief that knowledge generated independently has the power to bring about real change in social and political structures.