Ambassador Sam Brownback to speak at UN for first time Friday
Will participate in transatlantic meeting of religious freedom leaders
WHO: U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback; Ministerial Commissioner and Member of the National Assembly of Hungary Dr. Hajnalka Juhász; Jos, Nigeria Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama; Religious Freedom Institute President Dr. Thomas Farr; and President of the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief and ADF International Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom Kelsey Zorzi
WHAT: Panel discussion: “International Religious Freedom: A New Era for Advocacy in Response to a New Age of Challenges and Threats”
WHEN: Friday, March 1, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST
WHERE: United Nations Headquarters, 405 E. 42nd St., ECOSOC Chamber, New York
NEW YORK – What is the current state of international religious freedom, and what should the United Nations do about it? That will be the topic of discussion on Wednesday, when the Non-Governmental Organizations Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations will host a benchmark event on religious freedom at U.N. Headquarters in New York. The event will feature some of the highest-ranking international leaders on religious freedom, including U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, together for the first time.“No person or group should be persecuted for their faith,” said ADF International Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom Kelsey Zorzi, president of the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion and Belief. “It’s time for the United Nations to stay true to its commitment to the freedom of religion and belief. This event could become a milestone for upholding the right to religious freedom around the world. With the help of some of the highest-ranking experts in the field, we hope to bring forward the discussion and understanding within the U.N. concerning global religious freedom.”
Zorzi will be co-chairing the event. The panel members will discuss and strategize how the U.N. should respond to the growing global assault on religious freedom. The aim is to raise awareness of the global threats to religious freedom along with the necessary strategies for governments to counter violations of this fundamental right across the world. ADF International notes that the event comes at a crucial time, as little has been done to uphold religious freedom, as documented in the ADF International white paper “The UN’s Failure to Promote and Protect Religious Freedom.”
ADF International is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
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ABOUT Kelsey Zorzi
Kelsey Zorzi serves as Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom with ADF International. She leads efforts to address and counter global persecution against Christians and other religious minorities. Based in New York City, Zorzi engages with relevant UN and international bodies as well as U.S.-based institutions, including the U.S. State Department, U.S. Congress, and USCIRF, in order to reassert freedom of religion as foundational to the international human rights framework. In 2018, she was elected president of the United Nations’ NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief. Zorzi earned her J.D. at the George Washington University Law School, where she participated in the GW-Oxford International Human Rights Law Program and won first place in the 2013 National Religious Freedom Moot Court Competition. She is admitted to the state bars in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.