Human Rights

New publication! “Religious Diversity in Europe and the Rights of Religious Minorities”. Now available for download and print from Globethics.net. Click image to go to Globethics.net websit
Human Rights are a significant focus for international organisations such as the European Union, Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and United Nations.
CEC Member Churches advocate for the promotion and protection of human rights at the highest standards inside Europe and beyond its borders.
We monitor and advocate for the implementation of civil and political rights, as well as social, economic and cultural rights vis-à-vis International Organisations and European Institutions. We devote attention to a number of specific issues including freedom of religion or belief, anti-discrimination legislation, and developing resources for training and human rights education.Recent consultations on freedom of religion or belief and religious minorities in culturally diverse societies have produced statements on these topics.
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- Communique: Have hope not fear! Responses to populism from a religious and human rights perspective
- Conclusions from Academic Conference on “Freedom of Religion or Belief in Montenegro, Podgorica, May 2019
- Communique from conference on “Towards Peaceful co-existence in the Middle East: challenges and opportunities”, 2018
- Communiqué on the legal status und protection of ‘places of worship’ and ‘holy sites’ 2017
- Endorsement of the CEC Governing Board of the Final
Freedom of Religion or Belief: A guide to biblical insights – with contribution from Dr Elizabeta Kitanovic. Click here for a digital copy!
Communiqué on the Issue of the Places of Worship and Holy Sites in Europe and the Middle East, 2017
- Communique of the consultation on Religious Minorities as Part of Culturally Diverse Societies, Zagreb, 21 and 22 October 2016
- Statement of the consultation on Advancing Freedom of Religion or Belief for All, Halki Theological School, 7 to 9 September, 2015
Following are speeches from 2018 CEC debate on 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights & European Parliament seminar in the framework of Article 17
- Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb and Ljubljana of the Serbian Orthodox Church
- Bishop Porfyrios of Neapolis of the Church of Cyprus
- Rev. Dr Daniel Topalski of the United Methodist Church in Bulgaria and Romania
Video: 5th Summer School on Human Rights in Málaga
Video: Justice for Spanish Pastors
Video: Standing UP for Minority Rights
Let us work together for creation of a human rights culture!
For more information on these issues please contact Dr Elizabeta Kitanovic.

Related posts
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5 May, 2009
The Report of the Second meeting of the Fundamental Rights Platform Vienna
The second meeting of the Fundamental Rights Platform of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) took place from 5-6 May in Vienna. Ninety-three European Human Rights experts from civil society were glad to see that the EU Fundamental Rights Agency sticks to the commitment to continue the cooperation with the Civil Society.
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25 Nov, 2008
60th Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Conference of European Churches (CEC) has a long-standing record in being involved in promoting human rights. This year, on 10th December, we celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted in 1948. On this occasion, the Church and Society Commission of CEC offers you the human rights card and bookmark.
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11 Sep, 2008
Building a Europe For and With Children
From 8 to 10 September 2008, a CEC representative participated in a conference organised under the auspices of the Swedish Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Stockholm under the headline: "Building a Europe for and with children - towards a strategy for 2009-2011."
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4 Jul, 2008
Explanatory Memorandum on European Commission directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment
The aim of this proposal is to implement the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation outside the labour market. It sets out a framework for the prohibition of discrimination on these grounds and establishes a uniform minimum level of protection within the European Union for people who have suffered such discrimination. The Commission propose new initiatives to complete the EU anti-discrimination legal framework.
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4 Feb, 2008
Position paper on human rights and members of the armed forces
Position adopted by the Conference of European Churches (CEC) on the meeting report of the meeting of the DH-DEV group on human rights of members of the armed forces.
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22 Mar, 2007
Churches stay committed to Human Rights
From 20 to 21 March delegations of experts from the Russian Orthodox Church and from the Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) met in Moscow to discuss about human rights.
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28 Feb, 2007
The Church and Society Commission welcomes the inauguration of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency
The Church and Society Commission welcomed the inauguration of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (on 1 March 2007 ) which was formerly called the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC).
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4 Mar, 2004
CEC/LWF Human Rights Training Workshop
In March 2004, the Conference of European Churches partnered with the Lutheran World Federation to host a human rights training workshop on human rights and religious freedom. It took place in Bratislava (Slovakia) from 3 to 7 March and brought together representatives of protestant and Orthodox churches from 15 countries in central and eastern Europe.
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4 Sep, 2000
Work programme of the Working Group on Human Rights and Religious Freedom
Please click here for a PDF version of the work programme of the Working Group on Human Rights and Religious Freedom from 2000.
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4 Aug, 2000
Contribution of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) to the European Ministerial Conference on Human Rights
The NGOs with consultative status with the Council of Europe are very appreciative of the opportunity given them to present comments on the two "Preliminary Drafts of Resolutions no. 1 and 2" set out in the document CDDH-GR(00)8 of 23 May 2000.