There will be a webcast of the public launch on Saturday. The event will be Live Streamed at 3 pm Central European Time (9 am Eastern Standard Time). The website will go live on Saturday.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom initiated this effort with Baroness Elizabeth Berridge, who leads the All Parties Parliamentary Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief in the British Parliament, to build an international coalition of parliamentarians committed to advocating against religious persecution and supporting religious freedom for all.
In a very real sense, the gathering of parliamentarians in Oslo is an attempt to counter the dark networks of ISIS, al Qaeda and others focused on religious persecution and violence, with one committed to freedom of thought, religion and belief. The hope is to marshal an international response for a rights – based effort that pushes back against their violent ideology, as well as authoritarian governments that persecute their citizens.
Confirmed parliamentarian participants include a diverse array of countries representing different regions, religions, and political views: Brazil, Burma, Canada, Germany, Nepal, Norway, South Africa, Tanzania, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay.
In addition, Dr. Heiner Bielefeldt, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, will attend. The entire effort is grounded in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. All participating MPs agree to a proposed Charter for Freedom of Religion or Belief, which lays out the core commitments of this group, which is the full application of UDHR Article 18 (right to believe or hold no belief, right to change faith, right to peacefully practice, etc.). It will be the touchstone of the platform.
Parliamentarians will sign the Charter at the launch at which time it will be made public.