From November 23 to 25, at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, in the Conference room XVII, the International Association For the Defense of Religious Liberty (AIDLR) has organized the Global Summit on Religion, Peace and Security. Co-Organizer of the event is the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. Recent years have seen an increase in the perpetration of atrocity crimes in situations around the world, both by States and non-Stated armed groups. At the same time, we have witnessed the spread of violent extremism, which misuses religion to justify brutal violence against civilians. In parallel, we have also seen how these phenomena - which in many situations represent threats to international peace and security - can easily be manipulated to justify limitations of fundamental rights and freedoms, including the rights to freedom of religion and belief and freedom of expression and opinion. In these difficult times, it is important that international, regional and national actors, including Member States, international and regional and civil society – in particular religious leaders, academics and the media - coordinate their responses to these phenomena in order to foster respect for fundamental freedoms , prevent and respond to violations of human rights and international humanitarian law that could constitute atrocity crimes, and prevent and counter violent extremism, with the objective of protecting populations and promoting international peace and security, as well as peaceful and inclusive societies. For this purpose, the International Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty and the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect are convening a Global Summit on Religion, Peace and Security. The purpose of the Global Summit is to discuss how different actors can work together effectively to implement strategies that can foster peace and security and share best practices. The Global Summit will aim to establish an international platform on “Religion, Peace and Security” in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 16 on the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies and Goal 17 on the revitalization of the global partnership for sustainable development.
The purpose of the Global Summit is to discuss how these different actors can effectively work together and complement each other’s work. In addition, the Summit will provide an opportunity for participants to share information, experiences, expertise and best practices on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, fostering respect for religious freedom and promoting resilience to atrocity crimes and violent extremism.
The main objective of the Global Summit is to establish an international platform on “Religion, peace and security: promoting peaceful and inclusive societies by fostering religious freedom and preventing violent extremism and atrocity crimes”.
The platform aims at supporting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and in particular Goals 16 and 17, which call for “Peace, justice and strong institutions”, and to “Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.” These goals are dedicated to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies, sustainable development and building effective and accountable institutions at all levels - global, regional, national and local that respect the rule of law and human rights of all populations. The achievement of these goals requires a partnership among different stakeholders. This partnership needs to be built on a shared vision which places the respect of fundamental principles and values at its core.
The Summit will also serve to launch the “Jean Nussbaum and Eleanor Roosevelt” international Award on Liberty and Peace. The award will recognize efforts made by individuals or organizations that have played or are playing a particular role in promoting religious freedom, preventing violence and atrocity crimes and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.
At the Summit, the most recent publications of the International Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty, from the ‘Conscience and Liberty’ collection will be also launched. These include “A History of Liberty and Respect for Differences”, “Agents and Ambassadors of Peace – Protecting Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Expression Against Violence in the Name of Religion” and the new, special edition journal to mark the 70th anniversary of the International Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty (1946-2016): “Ambassadors for Liberty, Hope and Peace”.
