Dialogue and partnership across religious and belief communities vital to strengthen human rights and security

Dialogue and partnership across religious or belief communities play an invaluable role in strengthening human rights and security, participants agreed at the launch of a new guide entitled Belief, Dialogue and Security by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) during the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference this week.

“Dialogue is essential to respond to the ever-changing challenges to human rights and democracy and finding ways to work together peacefully,” said Susan Kerr, ODIHR’s Senior Adviser on Freedom of Religion or Belief. “Our thanks go to the many people from across the OSCE area who helped make the guide’s recommendations relevant to all OSCE states.”

Interfaith and interreligious dialogue can help to combat fear, prejudice and hatred by promoting mutual understanding. Participants noted that meaningful dialogue is only possible when based on freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief and underscored the need for governments to demonstrate real commitment to protecting this right for all. They concluded that states must be even-handed in engaging with religious and belief communities, and work hard to build trust if they are to fully realise the potential of dialogue and joint action.

“Full respect for human rights, equality and the autonomy of religious and belief communities should be central to every dialogue. It is the obligation of every stakeholder involved, but primarily of the state, to respect fundamental human rights. The success of the Council of Religions, which has been functioning under the Ombudsperson’s umbrella in Georgia for almost two decades, is an excellent example of this. The equality of every member has been the key to its success and can inspire other interfaith and inter-religious dialogue initiatives,” said Mariam Gavtadze from Georgia’s Tolerance and Diversity Institute.

The new guide was made possible by the knowledge and experience of ODIHR’s panel of experts on freedom of religion or belief. The launch brought together state representatives, civil society, and members of religious and belief communities to discuss dialogue and joint action partnerships in the OSCE area. The discussions illustrated the benefits of the guide's practical recommendations, which are designed to assist OSCE states in implementing their commitments to interfaith dialogue and freedom of thought, conscience, religion, or belief.