Closing meeting of the Commission

UN Commission on Human Rights Closes Down

Geneva, Switzerland… The United Nations Commission on Human Rights concluded its work today, March 27, in a final session that reviewed its sixty year history.

The Commission is to be replaced by a new Human Rights Council that is intended to have greater accountability and transparency, and will meet more frequently.

Calling the transition "a quiet-or maybe not so quiet-human rights revolution," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, acknowledged the many achievements of the Commission, while accepting that they had not been perfect.

Other speakers also pointed to the problem of politics and double standards that have plagued the Commission, which, in the words of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, has been "undermined by the politicization of its sessions" and its "declining credibility has cast a shadow on the reputation of the United Nations system as a whole."

Attending this closing session was Seventh-day Adventist Church representative Dr. Jonathan Gallagher, who regretted the purely procedural nature of the last meeting.

"It is regrettable that the Commission gave no attention to human rights issues at all in its 62nd session," he observed. "All the delays and postponements caused by the backroom negotiations meant that no one had the opportunity to make any presentations on substantive issues. We came prepared to speak out on several issues, especially religious freedom violations, and were denied any chance to speak. We agree with the Ambassador of Brazil who spoke of his deep dissatisfaction over a session stripped of all substance, with no opportunity to deal with issues of concern. Similarly we echo the words of the Ambassador of the Netherlands who called for the role of non-government organizations to continue to be emphasized."

It is planned that the new Human Rights Council will take over all the work and mechanisms of the former Commission, and is expected to begin its work on June 19. [PARL News]

Dr. Gallagher in conversation with the Ambassador of Albania, encouraging the ongoing development of religious freedom

Rebekah Gallagher observes the final Commission meeting

Raquel and Viola pictured with the delegation from Iran

Adventist Women Advocate Gender Equality at United Nations

New York, New York, United States ....Five Seventh-day Adventist women added their voices to thousands of other women in calling for drastic improvements in the lives of women worldwide at the United Nations' 50th Session on the Commission on the Status of Women. The meeting ran until March 10, and was attended by the Adventist delegation from Feb. 27 to March 3.

"The denial of women's rights touches every aspect of women's lives," explained Viola Hughes, the church's Public Affairs Specialist, who led the delegation. "The conference [considered] themes in gender equality and enhancing participation of women in development," she added.

One of the statements that came out of the meetings was: Rights violations occur whenever women are denied access to property or employment, face violence within their homes or cannot claim fair representation with their government.

More than 6,000 women came to the meeting representing non-governmental organizations, all walks of life and countries, such as Vietnam, Nigeria, Lebanon, Iraq, Burma, China and Peru.

Attending for the first time from Birmingham, Alabama, was Shirley Scott who expressed the overwhelming sense of being part of a larger community. "This has been an eye-opener for me. Now I have a better perspective of what global issues women face, and I would like to use the information to educate the women in my local [church community]," she added.

Two departments at the Adventist church's world headquarters, Women's Ministries and Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, worked together to write a statement addressing the challenges women face around the world. It was first submitted to the Commission on the Status of Women last January. The statement was later modified and about 1,000 copies were distributed at this meeting. The modified statement outlines the six challenge issues women face globally: illiteracy, poverty, threats to health, workload, abuse, and lack of training, mentoring and leadership opportunities.

At the workshop entitled, Preparing Girls for Leadership, Raquel Arrais, associate director for Women's Ministries for the Adventist Church, spoke about the church's leadership certification program for women. Several people requested more information on the program, which was designed by the Women's Ministries department.

In conversation with representatives from Nigeria, Arrais, talked about female genital mutilation, trafficking of persons in Brazil and the ministry of women that she is involved in.

The meeting allowed us to network with women from all over the world on issues we have in common and also to share with them what our church is doing to help women, Arrais said. [ANN/PARL News]

Representatives of the Adventist church interviews a parliamentarian from Iran on her views of promoting democracy and freedom for women in Iran

Silver Spring, MD, USA…Responding to the media interest regarding Abdul Rahman, an Afghan citizen who could face the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity, the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church cites ongoing issues regarding conversions.

"For those who are defending religious freedom what is happening in Afghanistan is not a surprise," says John Graz, director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. "There several countries in the world that follow similar practices and the world seems to ignore that. Leaders of democratic countries must know what happens in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Sudan when a Muslim wants to change his or her religion. Apparently conversion is acceptable only in one direction. We defend the right of Muslims to change their religion and the right of everyone to become Muslim if they freely choose to do so. That is religious freedom."

United Nations Liaison director for the Adventist Church Dr. Jonathan Gallagher adds: "I am currently at the UN Commission for Human Rights, and this is very much an issue here. This case has hit the headlines, since it exemplifies the major threat posed to the free exercise of religion in under certain regimes-not just Afghanistan. It is tragic that in a country that has seen so much involvement from the world community in developing open and free government that a citizen's life is under threat simply for exercising his constitutional right to practice his religion of choice." [PARL News]

PARL leaders meeting in Silver Spring

World PARL Directors Plan Big for the Future

Silver Spring, Maryland, USA… Division Public Affairs and Religious Liberty directors meeting in Washington this week engaged in a serious review of religious freedom activities and planned priorities and programs for the next five years. The PARL Advisory brings together leaders and experts from around the world to exchange ideas and information to better promote this vital work of the Church.

"We need to coordinate what we do around the world as we face the increasing challenges to religious liberty and freedom of conscience," says John Graz, GC PARL director. It is exciting to see what is possible as we bring together all our expertise so as to better serve the needs of both the Church and the world regarding this fundamental human right."

Participants provided updates from their regions, and worked on plans for congresses, conferences and seminars to make sure religious freedom concerns are promoted and highlighted.

"This is an urgent need," says Williams Costa, PARL director for South America. "As we join forces we can really accomplish something for God, the God of freedom. We have incredible opportunities, and we have to make them into realities."

"I have appreciated the opportunity to share and learn," adds Jonathan Catolico from Southern Asia-Pacific Division. "More now than ever we face major challenges, and we cannot ignore these global issues that affect us all. As a Church we should be at the forefront of promoting the rights of all to practice religious freedom." [PARL News]