Religious Freedom Conference

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been a landmark document since 1948, influencing worldwide legal, political, and social developments. Among the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the right to freedom of religion. Article 18 states that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. A person’s religious freedom includes the right to change his religion or belief and the right to teach, practice, worship, and observe his religion freely, whether alone or with others. Freedom of religion is viewed as a fundamental freedom and is universally accepted and ratified by the international community, being considered the element that underpins all other freedoms. Everyone has the right and privilege to express their beliefs and hopes without coercion, deception, or manipulation. Freedom of religion refers to freedom from persecution, indoctrination, and oppression, freedom from being constrained into adhering to a particular religion or ideology.

Religious freedom contributes substantially to harmonious social cohesion and can be a major pillar for effective international relations and irreplaceable for national and international peace. To mark the 75 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we invite participants to contribute to the topic Shaping a World of Freedoms: 75 Years of Legacy and Impact of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights! How Will Human Rights Shape the Future? This international conference is scheduled around Human Rights Day. The event is organized by the UNEQUAL World Research Center, IPSEC, and UN Liaison Office for IRLA and SDA. The conference aims to bring together researchers, speakers from international organizations, religious leaders, and diplomats to share views and experiences as well as to discuss trends, concerns, and challenges related to the Universal Human Rights Declaration and Religious Freedom.

IMPORTANT DATES

Abstract deadline: November 10, 2023
Notification of acceptance/rejection: 1 week after submission
Conference Days: December 11-12, 2023

VIRTUAL PRESENTATION

The conference will be hosted online. All virtual presentations will be given live, via Zoom.

THIS CONFERENCE IS FREE OF CHARGE.

BOOK OF ABSTRACTS – December 2023

The accepted abstracts for presentation will be published in the Book of Abstracts with ISBN 979-8-9894202-1-6. The abstract must be submitted and presented in English. The abstract must be between 250 and 300 words, indicating the research’s purpose/significance, methods, findings, and conclusions. The reviewing process does not include the correction of grammatical errors. Notification of acceptance/rejection will be sent to you by email one week after receiving your abstract.

CONFERENCE TOPICS

Universal Declaration of Human Rights related to: Human Rights, Religious Freedom, Social Justice, Pluralist Society, Faith and Development, Legal Studies, Diversity and Equality Studies, Migration and Refugees, Freedom of Thought and Religion, Ethnicity, Racial Justice, History, Diplomacy Studies, Politics and Mass Media, Information and Communication Technologies, Right to Education, Multiculturalism, Education, Freedom of Movement and Residence, Forms of Government, Legal Studies, Social Media and Internet Communication, Demography, Right to Asylum, Peace and Conflict Studies, Artificial Intelligence, Globalism, Right to Work, Human Development, Sustainability Science, Women & Learning, Right to Privacy, Right to Life, Right to nationality, Cultural and Spiritual Development, Multiculturalism, and Non-Discrimination.

HOW TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE?

You will need to submit your abstract here: religiousfreedom.education/submission
The abstract must be sent according to the requirements of the organizers (see details here: religiousfreedom.education/author-guidelines)
You will receive an email with acceptance or rejection of your abstract in about 7-10 days from sending it through the form you can find on the site.
After acceptance, you don’t have to do anything else, you are already registered. Just make sure you are ready for your conference presentation.
About a week before the conference date, you will receive an email with the conference Zoom access details. Also, a schedule will be created one week before the conference.

Please visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for additional information.

SPEAKERS 2022-2023

All Members

Nelu Burcea

SDA and IRLA’s liaison to the United Nations

Nelu Burcea serves as the Liaison of the Seventh-day Adventist Church &

Liberato C. Bautista

President - Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations

Rev. Dr. Liberato C. Bautista is the President of CoNGO—The Conference of

Bill Knott

Director of Government Affairs for the Seventh-day Adventists, Washington, D.C.

Bill Knott is associate director of the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty

Michael Wiener

Human Rights Officer, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Dr. Michael Wiener has been working at the Office of the United

Floyd Morris

Director of the Centre for Disability Studies, Member and Past President of the Senate of Jamaica

Floyd Morris completed his PhD at the UWI in 2017 and is

Ibrahim Salama

Chief of the UN Human Rights Treaties Branch, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Diplomat for 40 years with predominantly multilateral inter-governmental experience, Ibrahim SALAMA joined

Tina Ramirez

Founder and President, Hardwired World

Tina Ramirez serves as the Founder and President and brings to Hardwired

Nicholas P. Miller

Professor of Church History, Andrews University; Director, International Religious Liberty Institute

Nicholas Miller is Professor of Church History at Andrews University in Berrien

Teresa Flores Chiscul

Director of the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Latin America – OLIRE

Teresa Flores Chiscul Lawyer graduated from the Catholic University Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo,

Titus Corlăţean

Legal scholar, diplomat, lawmaker, and former Minister of Justice and of Foreign Affairs

Titus Corlăţean, Ph.D., is a legal scholar, diplomat, lawmaker, and educator. He

Louisa Klingvall

Team leader in the Fundamental Rights Unit of the European Commission DG Justice

Louisa Klingvall has been a team leader in the Fundamental Rights Unit

Jonathan Scriven

Associate Director of the Honors College at Washington Adventist University

Dr. Jonathan Scriven is the Associate Director of the Honors College at

Julia M. Puaschunder

Behavioral economist at the New School for Social Research in New York, USA

Julia M. Puaschunder, PhD – was educated as a behavioral economist with

Marian Gh. Simion

President of the IPSEC at Harvard Divinity School

Marian Gh. Simion is a political scientist and a religious historian with

Denise Burrill Simion

Assistant Professor, Fitchburg State University, USA

Denise Burrill Simion, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the School of

Orlan Johnson

Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the North American Division

Orlan Johnson is the Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for

Ryan Koch

Director, Public and International Affairs at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Ryan Koch was appointed Director of The Church of Jesus Christ of

Francesca Evangelisti

Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department, Italian Union

Francesca Evangelisti holds a bachelor's in Anthropology curriculum science of religions from

Silvia Baldassarre

Research fellow at the University of Florence, Italy

Silvia Baldassarre holds a PhD in Law from the University of Padua;

Dan Serb

President, Irish Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Dan G. Șerb holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences from the

Jennifer Woods

Legal Counsel and Director of PARL at the Lake Union Conference

Jennifer Gray Woods is currently Legal Counsel and Director of Public Affairs

Jonathan Ammons

President of the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), New York

Jonathan Ammons serves as the Associate Director of the New York Office

Paulo Macedo

Secretary-General, International Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty

Mr. Paulo Macedo holds a degree in International Relations and a master’s

Thierry Valle

President, Coordination of Associations and Individuals for Freedom of Conscience, France

Thierry Valle has been an active advocate for human rights for more

Ivan Arjona-Pelado

President of the UN Geneva Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief

Ivan Arjona-Pelado is a prominent advocate who has been actively engaged in

Janet E. Buckingham

Professor of Political Studies at Trinity Western University and Director of Global Advocacy

Prof. Dr. Janet Epp Buckingham lives in Ottawa, Canada and has served

Ioan-Gheorghe Rotaru

Full professor, theologian, specialist in history of philosophy, church law, religious freedom

Ioan-Gheorghe Rotaru, PhD, is a theologian, specialist in history of philosophy and

SunHwan Kim

AM / PARL Director, Northern Asia-Pacific Division

SunHwan Kim was the Associate Secretary of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division from

Abraham Bakari

PARL Director of Seventh-day Adventist Church, West and Central Africa Region

Abraham Bakari currently serves as Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty

Guilherme Brasil de Souza

PhD student, Religion and Society, Princeton Theological Seminary, USA

Guilherme Brasil de Souza was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil and grew

PREVIOUS CONFERENCE

The online conference titled Freedom of Expression, Hate Speech, and Religious Freedom: A Human Rights Perspective was held on December 8–9, 2022, and was organized by the UNEQUAL World Research Center, IPSEC, and UN Liaison Office for IRLA and SDA. The conference’s first edition was scheduled to take place around World Genocide Commemoration Day and brought together representatives from various fields with a significant influence on their societies.

Hate speech is an ongoing problem in all societies, both online and offline. As history has shown, atrocity crimes are sparked by hate speech. A growing trend of hatred and intolerance toward people who are perceived as different increases the potential to incite violence and severe human rights violations. Ethnic and religious minorities, migrants, refugees, and others who are perceived as unwelcome are often targets of hate speech and discrimination.

The main purpose of this conference was to discuss the impact of hate speech on vulnerable groups and the significance of freedom of expression and religious freedom as fundamental components in building peaceful and respectful communities. The conference brought together top researchers, religious leaders, speakers from international organizations, and academics from diverse cultural, religious, and political backgrounds from all around the world to share their experiences and exchange their research results on these current topics that impact our daily lives.