Annual Report 2022

The NHC Centre for Freedom of Religion or Belief implements a wide range of initiatives to advance the right to freedom of religion or belief for all through the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB) and the Freedom of Belief Initiative in Turkey (FoBI).

In 2022, we took a pivotal step toward advancing the impact of our work with parliamentarians. The IPPFoRB Academy, held in Oxford, was an excellent opportunity to assess differences while engaging in conversations about spaces of interrelation and opportunities to collaborate across various regional lines.

After a prolonged period of on-screen meetings and long-distance connections, we were excited to welcome parliamentarians from Ghana, Malawi, Malaysia, and Indonesia, as well as colleagues from our partner organizations in the West African and Southeast Asian regions. This year we were glad to receive the former UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed, who has contributed to the IPPFoRB Academy since 2018. In one of the most interactive academies we have ever conducted, parliamentarians deliberated on the intersections between freedom of religion or belief, gender, education, and the development of their countries and regions. The Academy created the perfect atmosphere for parliamentarians to structure national and regional political commitment toward protecting and promoting this human right in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Immediate results following the Academy have been seen in Africa. In Malawi, our partners from the Africa Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) and African Parliamentarians Association for Human Rights (AfriPAHR), brought together parliamentarians, religious leaders, and civil society organizations to brainstorm and deliberate on issues related to freedom of religion or belief in Malawi and on the African continent. In Ghana, our partners from AfriPAHR and ACEPA and civil society organizations held a pre-inaugural roundtable meeting in Accra. The roundtable announced the Ghana caucus on freedom of religion or belief planned to be inaugurated in 2023.

In 2022, the IPPFoRB network in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia expanded and became impressively diverse. We keep offering opportunities for parliamentarians and our partners to interact with each other to identify common grounds and build strategies to fill up gaps regarding context-specific FoRB challenges.

The Freedom of Belief Initiative in Turkey

The Freedom of Belief Initiative in Turkey (FoBI) has continued to advocate for everyone’s right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion in Turkey. Based on our monitoring work we published numerous reports and policy briefs, including An Appeal to Move Forward from Aspirations to Actions – Monitoring Report on the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Turkey and Hate Crime Motivated by Bias Against Religion, Belief or Non-Belief in Turkey. Our advocacy work utilized both reports vis-a-vis Turkish authorities and United Nations and Council of Europe human rights compliance control mechanisms. Our international advocacy efforts resulted in an important decision by the Committee of Ministers on implementing the European Court of Human Rights judgments on cases that impactedthe largest religious minority in Turkey, the so-called Alevi-cases. Similarly, through our submissions, the UN Human Rights Committee and the Committee on the Rights of the Child engaged with the Turkish authorities on critical freedom of religion or belief issues.

Based on the firm belief that all human rights are universal, interdependent, and interrelated, we advocate for freedom of religion or belief and gender equality. To contribute to a more holistic approach to these rights and create a platform for an exchange, we organized the International Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Gender Equality in Turkey bringing together diverse actors. Working on the issues at the intersection of freedom of religion or belief and gender equality offers a unique and much-needed contribution to creating synergies between these rights, often viewed as conflicting rights.