On January 22, 2026, as part of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in the closed-door discussion “Faith in Action: Leading the Spirit of Dialogue”, held as a private dinner without media presence.
The event brought together senior representatives of governments, business, and religious communities from around the world. Participants included the CEO of Habitat for Humanity, Jonathan Reckford; the President of the US National Association of Evangelicals, Walter Kim; the President of the Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Richard Jacobs; Buddhist monk and thinker Shoukei Matsumoto; representatives of Muslim communities – including the Secretary General of the Muslim World League, Muhammad Al-Issa – as well as leaders of charitable and interfaith initiatives.
In her remarks, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke about the connection between faith, dignity, and freedom, and about the situation in Belarus, where, she said, people have been stripped not only of political rights but also of basic human dignity. She noted that Belarus is among the world’s leaders in the number of imprisoned priests and representatives of religious communities and that prayer and faith can become grounds for persecution.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya spoke about the peaceful protests of 2020, in which people of different faiths stood together, united by shared values of truth, solidarity, and humanity. She emphasized that despite brutal repression, prisons, and exile, Belarusians continue to resist both inside the country and abroad.
She also spoke about the release of her husband after five years of imprisonment and several years of incommunicado detention, noting that faith helped him survive, and called on spiritual leaders to use their authority and voices to demand the release of all political prisoners.
“Freedom is not an abstract concept. People fight and die for it – in Belarus, in Ukraine, in Iran, and in many other countries”, she said.
The “Faith in Action” discussion served as a platform for dialogue on shared moral values, responsibility, and the role of faith in a world facing war, violence, and authoritarianism.
