The purpose of the three-day conference was to highlight the international community’s commitment to promoting religious freedom as a fundamental human right and to work out measures to ensure lasting improvements in this area. The participants looked into concrete measures to address religious persecution, taking into account the experience of last year’s meeting in Washington and regional discussions. Individual panels discussed the ways in which international development and humanitarian assistance could contribute to promoting freedom of religion and belief.

The conference brought together representatives of governments, NGOs, and religious communities from over 80 countries. In his address, Minister Jacek Czaputowicz pointed out to Poland’s efforts to defend religious minorities. He recalled Poland’s initiative at the UN to designate 22 August as the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.

“We believe that the new International Day will give Member States, international organisations, and civil society the opportunity to be involved in activities protecting religious minorities and in helping the victims, who are too often forgotten and abandoned,” said the Polish minister. In late May 2019, the UN General Assembly adopted, by consensus, a resolution on this subject on the initiative of Poland. The first official celebrations of the International Day will take place this year. On 22 August, Poland will organise a meeting at the UN Security Council to assess the scale of religious persecution worldwide and debate possible measures to combat it.

During today’s conference, Minister Jacek Czaputowicz met with Nadia Murad, a Yazidi activist and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who was also honoured with the Pro Dignitate Humana Prize of the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs. They spoke about the possibilities of Poland’s assistance to the Yazidi people in Iraq. 

On the sidelines of the ministerial, a working lunch was held with representatives of Poland, the United States, Hungary, the United Kingdom, and Italy, hosted by the Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. The discussion focused on strengthening cooperation between the represented states in promoting religious freedom and combating persecution, in particular against Christians.

MFA Press Office

 

photo Tymon Markowski / MFA