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Ambassador Idriss Jazairy and Rev.Dr Peniel Rajkumar, Press Conference, Ecumenical Centre, 5 June 2018, Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC

Ambassador Idriss Jazairy and Rev.Dr Peniel Rajkumar, Press Conference, Ecumenical Centre, 5 June 2018, Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC

The Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue in collaboration with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and other ecumenical organizations has announced the first World Conference “Religions, Creeds and Value Systems: Joining Forces to Enhance Equal Citizenship Rights”  to take place on 25 June.

At a 5 June Ecumenical Centre press conference Ambassador Idriss Jazairy, Executive Director of the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue and Rev. Dr Peniel Rajkumar, WCC Programme Executive,  Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation, an Anglican priest originally from Bangalore, India announced details of the landmark conference.

Along with the WCC, the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), the World Council of Religious Leaders, Bridges to Common Ground and the European Centre for Peace and Development, will collaborate for the 25 June conference.

The conference will be held at the United Nations Office in Geneva Switzerland, under the patronage of Prince El Hassan bin Talal of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

“The current global context, of the almost unprecedented spiralling of xenophobia, racism and intolerance – all of which are more often than not, fuelled by the distortion of faith  - calls all people of religion, creeds and value systems to act quickly and act together,” said Rajkumar.

More than 25 world-renowned religious, political and lay leaders from the major regions of the world will address the conference.

UN Declaration on Human Rights

It coincides with the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.

Jazairy said, “Ninety percent of what the world religions preach converge on the basic values of society worldwide, but unfortunately, people have tended to concentrate on the 10 percent where they differ. The purpose of this conference is to bring out the common space of these religious creeds and value systems.”

The conference ties in with the 2030 UN Agenda on Sustainable Development to promote peace, mutual respect and understanding across cultures and generations.

The objectives of the conference are to:

•           Harness the collective energy and convergence of religions, creeds and value-systems  celebrating diversity and multiculturalism, the basis for the affirmation of equal citizenship rights

•           Broaden the common space the religions, creeds and value-systems to give recognition to all societal components irrespective of their origin, faith, status, gender or disability.

•           Recognize a core set of common, inalienable principles providing new foundations for common action by people of all religions, beliefs and value systems to advance equal citizenship rights of all peoples, in alignment with the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights signed by all states which commemorates 70 years this year.

 

Video of the Press Conference on #UnitedForRights World Conference (5 June 2018)

Geneva centre for human rights, advancement and global dialogue

WCC work on strengthening inter-religious trust and respect

Photos from the Press Conference on #UnitedForRights World Conference (Password for free downloading: WCC)