Multinational Efforts to Promote Freedom of Religion or Belief
Joint Action for the Common Good
New York, Thursday 17
th
– Saturday 19
th
September 2015
Violations of freedom of religion or belief are increasing globally with devastating effects
on individuals and communities as well as global security and stability. Both international
and intra-national strife is spawned by these violations, well documented by institutions
such as the Pew Forum or the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
People of all convictions and faiths have been the objects of human rights abuses for
merely wanting to live out their beliefs peacefully. Billions of people live in countries
where their religious freedoms are restricted through government and/or societal actions.
Perpetrators include authoritarian regimes, extremist groups, terrorists and other non-
state actors (especially in failed or failing states).
International standards are clear on religious freedom. Article 18 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights provides a robust definition of freedom of religion or belief,
including the right to have any or no faith, to change one’s faith or other personal rights
such as the freedom to practice and express religious convictions. The UDHR was forged
out of the ashes of World War II and remains incredibly relevant to today’s environment
plagued by violence and war. Although UN Member States have agreed to these
standards, compliance has dramatically declined globally in the past decade.
Meeting these challenges and successfully pushing back against this rising tide of
violations goes beyond the capabilities of any one country or organization. Governments
and parliaments for the first time have begun working across national boundaries to
advocate together for greater respect for freedom of religion or belief. The Oslo meeting
of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief in
November 2014 launched an inter-parliamentary effort to advance religious freedom for
all. Parliamentarians signed the ‘Charter for Freedom of Religion or Belief’, pledging
themselves to uphold international standards and to work to promote the right, thus
starting an international and interreligious alliance for parliamentarian action. In addition,
the Inter-Governmental Contact Group for Freedom of Religion or Belief was publicly
launched in Brussels in May 2015, which seeks to network government efforts for greater
impact.
The purpose of this meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly, hosted by the
International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Konrad
Adenauer Foundation is to take the parliamentarian effort to the level of the United
Nations. It will provide a platform to further discuss ways to increase international
cooperation to combat persecution and advance religious freedom for all. Case studies and
blueprints for action both on the parliamentarian as on government level will be reviewed.
The meeting will assemble diplomats, UN officials, parliamentarians, civil society and
religious groups to participate in an interactive discussion. The event will be the first such
meeting of its kind bringing together governments, parliamentarians, international
organizations and civil society in the context of the United Nations