UN event to bring together top international leaders on religious liberty
Ambassador Sam Brownback will speak at UN for first time
** UPDATE: This event has been cancelled. Another advisory will be posted if it is rescheduled. **
WHO: U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, Special Representative for Religious Freedom and Belief Ambassador Michael Suhr, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN Archbishop Bernardito Auza, U.N. Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion or Belief Ahmed Shaheed, and NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion and Belief President Kelsey Zorzi (moderator)
WHAT: Panel discussion: “Article 18 at 70.” All are invited. A U.N. guest pass is required for those without a U.N. badge.
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT. Please RSVP by 11:59 a.m. EDT on Oct. 22.
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 four of the highest-ranking international leaders on religious freedom together for the first time.“It is time for the United Nations to stay true to its commitment to the freedom of religion and belief. No person or group should be persecuted for their faith. Wednesday’s event could become a milestone for upholding the right to religious freedom around the world,” said ADF International Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom Kelsey Zorzi, who is also president of the Non-governmental Organization Committee on Freedom of Religion and Belief.
Zorzi will be co-chairing and moderating 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.”
The title of the event, “Article 18 at 70,” refers to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which provides for the right to the freedom of religion or belief. The declaration will see its 70th anniversary on Dec. 10. ADF International is commemorating the anniversary with a global campaign named “I’m Human, Right?”
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.