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Bahá'í International Community participates in first Forum on Minority Issues

BIC made a statement  at the inaugural session of the Forum on Minority Issues, which took place in Geneva on 15-16 December. The focus was: “Minorities and the right to education.” The Forum was called by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 6/15  (2007) as a “platform for promoting dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities,” and to provide “thematic contributions and expertise to the work of the independent expert on minority issues.” The chairperson of the inaugural session was Ms. Viktória Mohácsi (Roma), a member of the European Parliament and an outspoken defender of the rights of the Roma people.

The Bahá'í International Community Contributes its Perspective to the UN Climate Change Conference

On the occasion of the UN Climate Change Conference in Poznań, Poland (1-12 December 2008), the BIC has released a paper titled: “Seizing the Opportunity: Redefining the Challenge of Climate Change – Initial Considerations of the Bahá'í International Community.” The search for solutions to climate change has revealed the limits of traditional technological and policy approaches to the problem and has raised difficult questions about justice, equity and responsibility. The statement asserts that the global community today stands at the threshold of a tremendous opportunity – “the opportunity to take the next step in the transition from a state-centered mode of interacting on the world stage to one rooted in the unity which connects us as the inhabitants of one biosphere, the citizens of one world and the members of one human civilization.” The nature of this step, its significance and some of the means for its accomplishment, at individual, community and institutional levels, are the focus of our contribution to forging a path out of the climate change challenge.

Bahá'í International Community Hosts Panel: The Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief after Sixty Years of UN Protection

(L-R): Bani Dugal, Felice Gaer, Malcolm Evans, Angela Wu (Moderator).

Marking the 60^th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, BIC hosted a panel examining the right to freedom of religion or belief after six decades of UN protection. Panelists included: Felice Gaer (Jacob Blaustein Institute; Chair, US Commission on International Religious Freedom); Azza Karam (UNFPA); Cole Durham (International Center for Law and Religion Studies, Brigham Young University); Malcolm Evans (University of Brisol School of Law); and Tom Farr (Georgetown School of Foreign Service) and Bani Dugal (BIC). Dr. Gaer noted that the Universal Declaration put forward the “most forward looking elements related to religious freedom contained within any UN document.”  Panelists examined questions of: limitations clauses on freedom of religion, the challenge of divergent cultural contexts which shape the implementation of human rights; the contemporary relevance of religion in public life; sense of victimization among religious minorities; the role of religious NGOs; as well as other pressing issues related to the protection of this right. (Read BIC statement on freedom of religion or belief, Freedom to Believe.)

Panel Addresses Role of Faith-Based Organizations in Combating Violence Against Women and Girls

(L-R): Krisy Moore (BIC Intern), Fulya Vekiloglu (BIC Representative), Pamela Delargy (UNFPA), Marc-Andre Dorel (DESA), Lisa Locke (World Conference of Religions for Peace), Vasu Mohan (BIC/International Foundation for Electoral Systems).

The Bahá'í International Community hosted a panel discussion on "The Role and Value of Faith-Based Organizations in Combating Violence against Women and Girls" – marking the International http://bic.org/statements-and-reports/bic-statements/05-1001.htmDay for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. The panel was moderated by Pamela Delargy, Chief of UNFPA’s  Humanitarian Response Branch and included speakers from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the World Conference of Religions for Peace, and the Bahá'í International Community.

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Bahá'í Representative Stresses Importance of Transforming Attitudes that Perpetuate Discrimination against Women

BIC Representative, Ms. Fulya Vekiloglu (third from right) at the UNFPA Global Forum in Istanbul, Turkey.

ISTANBUL, Turkey – Faith-based organizations that deal with population and development issues should move beyond merely delivering services or simple messages and seek instead to transform those attitudes and behaviors that cause discrimination against women. That was among the points made by a representative of the Bahá'í International Community at an interfaith conference sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) here on 20-21 October 2008.  more...

Iran Intensifies Disinformation and Attacks on Bahá’ís

Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, the well-known Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner who, together with her colleagues, has stated her readiness to defend the Bahá’ís. Meanwhile, Bahá’ís throughout Iran are being terrorized in acts of ever-intensifying violence that have in recent weeks extended to a string of arson attacks on their homes and properties. more…