September

UN Update: IRLA reports from the 70th General Assembly in New York

Posted September 30, 2015

More than 150 world leaders gathered in New York City last week for the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. This year, the stakes are high on issues as diverse as climate change, global development goals, peacekeeping, geopolitical conflicts, and extremism.

Religious Freedom Takes Center Stage in Madagascar at IRLA-Sponsored Festival

Posted September 29, 2015

More than 17 thousand people rallied last week in a sports arena in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, to pledge their support for religious liberty. The day-long “Festival of Religious Freedom,” held September 26, was the first such event to be held in the Indian Ocean island nation of Madagascar.

An Unlikely Alliance of Global Lawmakers Call to End Religious Persecution

Posted September 22, 2015

An extraordinarily diverse group of lawmakers from around the world met in New York City last week to call for greater global efforts to end religious persecution and repression. The “International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religious or Belief” produced an unlikely alliance of political leaders.

“The World is One Family”: Visiting Indian Diplomat Calls for Tolerance and Inclusiveness

Posted September 15, 2015

One of India’s most experienced diplomats, retired Ambassador T.P. Sreenivasan, was honored September 8 at a lunch hosted by the International Religious Liberty Association.

Inter-faith Dialogue and the Future of the African Continent: A Major Conference Explores New Paths to Peace and Prosperity

Posted August 31, 2015

A landmark pan-African symposium held recently in Cotonou, Benin, has released a document calling for a renewed emphasis on interfaith and intercultural dialogue as a means to combat social conflict and violent extremism, and to build a strong, peaceful and prosperous African continent.