On the record statement from Lord Ahmad (FCDO Minister for South
Asia, North Africa, the United Nations and the Commonwealth)
“I’m delighted that the UK, and the Foreign Secretary in particular, are hosting the International
Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in
London.
“Article 18 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights
states that ‘everyone has the right to freedom of thought,
conscience and religion’. Put simply, Freedom of Religion or
Belief – or FoRB for short – is a right for everyone,
everywhere.
“However, in practice too many people around the world are unable
to choose their religion or belief, how they practice it, or to
change that belief if they so wish. It is vital that the
international community comes together and does everything it can
to safeguard this right.
“We have over 600 delegates from 100 countries and multilateral
organisations around the world attending the conference including
faith and belief leaders, government delegations and civil
society representatives. This will be the first International
Ministerial Conference on this theme to take place in person
since 2019, and we want to use the moment to turn words into
action.
“Participants include the Most Rev and Rt Hon , , Chief Rabbi
Ephraim Mirvis, Islamic Scholar Sheikh Abdallah Bin-bayyah,
and Archbishop Bashar Warda of the Chaldean Catholic church in
Erbil, Iraq. It will be an incredibly diverse gathering,
reflecting interest from across the religion and belief spectrum,
government and civil society in this important issue.
“I look forward to discussing how we can best prevent persecution
and protect and promote individuals’ right to freedom of religion
or belief.”
