Prime Minister's Special Envoy: importance of the international Freedom of Religion or Belief conference in London
Fiona Bruce MP outlines plans for the UK-hosted 2-day ministerial conference and explains the role of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.
Greetings from the UK Parliament. I바카라 사이트™m delighted to be speaking to you as the Prime Minister바카라 사이트™s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief. And I바카라 사이트™m equally delighted to be able to talk to you about an international ministerial conference which the UK is hosting on 5 and 6 July this year. It바카라 사이트™s a conference about freedom of religion or belief or 바카라 사이트˜FoRB바카라 사이트™ for short.
Why is this conference so important? Well, it바카라 사이트™s important because all around the world today, even in the 21st century, millions of people are being deprived an education or a job or a home or access to justice or liberty, even to life itself, simply on account of what they believe. And so we바카라 사이트™re hosting this conference here in the UK so that we can bring together people from around the world to look at how we can address this situation.
We바카라 사이트™re inviting government ministers. We바카라 사이트™re inviting faith leaders and representatives. We바카라 사이트™re inviting civil society activists from around 50 countries from across the globe to come together and not only to discuss the issue of freedom of religion or belief, but also to look at how we can agree some practical solutions to address it.
And I바카라 사이트™m pleased to say, too, that we바카라 사이트™ve not just got an official government organised conference with about 500 delegates and will be based in the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre in the QEII in Parliament Square, but we바카라 사이트™re also involving civil society grassroots organisations, charities and NGOs concerned about freedom of religion or belief, and they바카라 사이트™ll be given their own space in the conference centre where they바카라 사이트™ll be able to host exhibitions and hold their own meetings and sessions.
And so what will the conference involve? Well, we바카라 사이트™ve got sessions across the 2 days looking at, for example, freedom of religion and belief and education. How can we introduce it into education syllabi? So that young people can begin to understand what freedom of religion or belief is and how important it is? We바카라 사이트™ve seen how, for example, they바카라 사이트™ve got hold of the importance of climate change and addressing that. Can we do that in the same way for freedom of religion or belief to help the millions of people around the world who are suffering. Can we see young ambassadors develop so that young people will use social media to champion freedom of religion or belief?
And then we바카라 사이트™ll have another session on looking at women and girls and how they have a double jeopardy. Often they they are abused because they are women and girls, but also on account of what their beliefs are, and they바카라 사이트™re vulnerable. How can we better help them in countries where this is happening?
And then we바카라 사이트™re going to look at early warning signs. There are early warning signs that happen often when that바카라 사이트™s the beginning of tension in communities because of differences in views and beliefs, which can then lead to friction, violence, even at worst case. Well, how can countries how can communities start to recognise these early warning signs and address them? And of course, we바카라 사이트™re bringing people here from across the world because we recognise that no one country, not least the UK, has all the answers.
Only by working together, by collaborating will we be able to begin to start to solve this this growing issue. Â We바카라 사이트™re looking at not just governments working together either, but governments working with civil society with organisations going forward, taking forward some really practical suggestions, which we hope will be brought out during those 2 days, and which we can then build on over the months, weeks, years to come.
And in addition to the official 2-day conference there바카라 사이트™s a lot else going on here in the UK around 5 and 6 July, so that anyone who바카라 사이트™s not invited to the conference will still be able to join in. We바카라 사이트™ve got dozens and dozens of events focusing on freedom of religion or belief organised by charities, by non-government organisations (NGOs), by civil society activists, not just in London, but around the country.
And to the ministerial conference itself will be livestreamed so that anyone from anywhere in the world will be able to join in and watch and will actually be able to interact, because that will be an opportunity not just for delegates in the conference centre to interact with the sessions and make their contributions and their suggestions known, but also for people to comment virtually from right around the world.
So do join us on 5 and 6 July here in London, the lots of information on the website and by a lot more information coming on over the next few days. And I바카라 사이트™m particularly delighted that the UK is hosting this conference this year in 2022 because this year to the UK is the Chair of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.
What is that Alliance, you may ask? Well, it바카라 사이트™s an alliance of countries committed to promoting and protecting freedom of religion or belief and to preventing its abuses, to working together to do so. It was founded not long ago, in February 2020 with just a handful of countries. It바카라 사이트™s now grown to 36 countries and more are coming on board.
And I바카라 사이트™m pleased that the ministerial is proving a springboard for more interest in the Alliance day by day. And so we hope to see the Alliance grow so that they바카라 사이트™ll really will be a strong collective global voice of countries who together can have more impact than our individual voices alone.
So I바카라 사이트™m looking forward to greeting many of my Alliance contacts from around the world who up to date because of the pandemic I바카라 사이트™ve only ever met virtually. This will be an exciting conference. It바카라 사이트™s exciting for everyone and there바카라 사이트™ll be something for everyone. Please do join us on 5 and 6 of July here in London.
Find out more about the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief 2022.