Human Rights

Human Rights

Overview

Guided by a belief in the noble nature of the individual and the equality of all human beings as the prerequisite for a just, prosperous and sustainable world, the promotion of human rights has been a key element of the work of the Bahá’í International Community’s United Nations Office.  Throughout the last 60 years, the BIC has worked to uphold the rights of women, children, minorities and indigenous populations and has been active in UN debates and efforts to strengthen mechanisms to uphold economic, social and cultural rights. Today, the BIC plays a leadership role in a number of NGO committees focused on human rights and participates actively in efforts to strengthen the UN’s capacity to realize the ideals set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Highlights of Recent Activities

• BIC made a statement  on the situation of the Bahá’ís in Iran, in the context of the general debate on Human Rights situations (Human Rights Council, 7^th session).
• In the 60^th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the BIC released a statement to affirm the “unparalleled and enduring significance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
• BIC launched multi-country discussions with local Bahá'í communities on the subject of poverty and its link to human rights. Bahá'ís in Namibia, Brazil, Guyana, Haiti, India and Turkey have participated in the discussions.  More...
• BIC delivered an oral statement on the situation of the Bahá'ís in Egypt (Human Rights Council, 6^th session).
• BIC delivered oral statements regarding the situation of the Bahá'í minority in Egypt and the persecution of the Bahá'í community in Iran.  (For the most recent updates and history of the persecution of the Baha'i community in Egypt and Iran, please click here.) (Human Rights Council, 4^th session).
• The BIC submitted to the OHCHR its contribution regarding initiatives on global dialogue for the promotion of a culture of tolerance and peace.

Positions on Selected Issues

Human rights reform

Search for Values

Freedom to Believe

"Beyond the ongoing structural and functional reforms of the United Nations human rights machinery, the legitimacy of this machinery must be restored through its consistent adherence to the highest principles of justice, including those elaborated in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, bolstered by the requisite moral, intellectual, and material resources, must now become the standard-bearer in the field of human rights and an effective tool in alleviating the suffering of individuals and groups whose rights are denied."

The right to freedom of religion or belief

"The freedom to hold beliefs of one’s choosing and to change them is central to human development as it makes possible the individual’s search for meaning. The right to change one’s religion or belief, as articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is a right that is protected unconditionally under international law and is, at no time, subject to government regulation. The grave threats posed by religious extremism, intolerance and discrimination require the United Nations to address the status of this right openly and earnestly. The Bahá’í International Community calls on the United Nations to affirm unequivocally an individual’s right to change his or her religion under international law. Such an affirmation would help to remove fallacious interpretations of this right and lend moral force to the condemnation of policies and practices that violate the principle of non-discrimination in matters of religion or belief. More...

 

 

 

[2] http://news.bahai.org/story/405

[3] Situation of the Baha'is in Iran / Situation of the Baha'is in Egypt

[4] Special Procedures are generally volunteer independent experts (“special rapporteurs”) or a group of experts (“working group”), appointed by the Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights/ Human Rights Council to investigate, monitor and advise on the human rights situation in a particular country or on a specific theme. They do so through country visits and, in this way, serve as the eyes and ears of the Commission at the ground level.