Poland in the Council of Europe

It was the third edition of the conference, this year – organised by Poland. The two previous editions, in 2018 and 2019, were convened by the USA. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 ministerial took a digital format.

The first day of the Ministerial to Advance Freedom of Religion or Belief was attended by representatives of almost 60 states and international organisations, including ministers of foreign affairs, deputy foreign ministers, and special envoys for freedom of religion.

The Council of Europe was represented at the conference by Mr. Daniel Höltgen, Special Representative of the Secretary General on Antisemitic and Anti-Muslim Hatred and Hate Crimes.

Opening the conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Zbigniew Rau underlined that freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right. Unfortunately, many people, particularly those belonging to religious minorities, are experiencing violations of this fundamental right, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only made this problem worse. The minister called on the conference participants to step up their efforts to protect and promote freedom of religion or belief.

In his opening speech, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thanked Poland for hosting the conference and pointed out that events such as today’s conference give hope that efforts to guarantee freedom of religion or belief will continue.  

In their addresses, many state representatives expressed their concern for the state of respect for freedom of religion or belief across the world.

Summarising the discussions, the MFA’s Secretary of State Piotr Wawrzyk mentioned a number of concrete actions, such as interreligious dialogue and the proper use of modern technologies, that the international community can take to ensure freedom of religion.

On the second day of the virtual Ministerial to Advance Freedom of Religion or Belief, the representatives of the civil society and international and religious organisations discussed the ways to further advance freedom of religion or belief and actions the international community can take to that end. The debate was opened by MFA’s Secretary of State Piotr Wawrzyk, who noted that governments, non-governmental organisations as well as other entities should unite in defending the right to freedom of religion or belief even more.

The first session on the protection of freedom of religion or belief in times of the COVID-19 pandemic was attended by Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Gayle Manchin representing the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, and David Harris, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee. The meeting was hosted by Thomas Garrett, Secretary General of the Community of Democracies. Participants discussed the priorities and actions that states and non-governmental organisations can take to protect and promote the freedom of religion or belief when faced with challenges connected with fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the second session, organised by the Polish Institute of International Affairs, participants discussed how members of religious communities could contribute to achieving development goals  specified in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development while, on the other hand, enjoying the participation in the development objectives that had already been accomplished.

The third session, devoted to the links between ensuring freedom of religion or belief and security, was conducted by a representative of the Warsaw-based Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. The discussions focused on how cooperation between various international actors could contribute to both religious freedom and security, as interdependent and complementary goals.

One of Poland’s priorities on the international stage is to consistently call for multilateral organisations to enhance their efforts for the religious minorities’ rights to be fully respected and to ensure freedom of religion and belief as well as protection of victims of religious persecution. Polish diplomacy is actively engaged in promoting freedom of religion and belief on such fora as the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Human Rights Council, the European Union, the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.