UN Declaration on Religious Tolerance Commemorated in Prague

December 19, 2006

Source: Baha'i World News Service

http://news.bahai.org/story/496

Although it was negotiated at the height of the Cold War, a 25-year-old international agreement on freedom of religion or belief remains as relevant today -- and perhaps even more so -- said speakers at a major United Nations-sanctioned observance here in late November.

Some 350 participants representing more than 60 governments, UN agencies, and various international non-governmental organizations -- including the Baha'i International Community -- gathered on 25 November 2006 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.

The commemoration was marked by speeches, workshops, and an end-of-the-conference statement. They echoed a common theme: that the 1981 Declaration remains a critical document for the protection of freedom of religion or belief, especially at a time when religious conflict seems on the rise.

"These days, we live in a globalized world," said Piet de Klerk, Ambassador-at-Large of the Netherlands on Human Rights. "This means that different cultures, including different faiths, meet each other more frequently and in a more intense manner than during previous periods of time."