Baha'is mark 60th anniversary of Human Rights Declaration

NEW YORK, 7 December (BWNS) - Many Baha'i communities around the world are observing Human Rights Day this week - which this year has special significance because it marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In New York, the Baha'i International Community will host a one-day seminar on "Freedom of Religion or Belief: Perspectives and Challenges after Sixty Years of United Nations Protection."

The seminar, on 8 December, will entail two panel discussions featuring, among others: Felice Gaer of the Jacob Blaustein Institute who serves on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; Azza Karam of the United Nations Population Fund; Cole Durham of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University; and Malcolm Evans of the University of Bristol School of Law.

"Human Rights Day is especially significant this year because human rights seem to be under attack from many directions," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations, who will also speak at the event in New York. "This year, given that it is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights' 60th anniversary, it is all the more important, as that document sets the strongest normative standards for freedom of religion or belief."

A number of Baha'i communities at both the national and local levels have also planned events.

Human Rights Day is commemorated each year on 10 December.


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