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 conference, three thematic sessions are planned related to, among others, links between the freedom of religion or belief and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The conferees – representatives of civil society and religious organisations – will also discuss the way international cooperation between entities committed to the freedom of religion can contribute to advancing the latter in the challenging time of the pandemic.

You can follow the discussion here: https://www.gov.pl/web/diplomacy/watch

The conference starts tomorrow, on 17 November, at 1 p.m. Warsaw time.

 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Office

Photo: Tymon Markowski / MFA