Upcoming Alliance of Civilizations

On April 6-7, the second Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) will be held in Istanbul, Turkey. President Obama will be in attendance. An excerpt from the UNAOC Mission Statement:

"The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is an initiative of the UN Secretary-General which aims to improve understanding and cooperative relations among nations and peoples across cultures and religions, and to help counter the forces that fuel polarization and extremism. The Alliance was established in 2005, at the initiative of the Governments of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the United Nations. In April 2007, the United Nations Secretary-General appointed Jorge Sampaio, former President of Portugal, as High Representative for the Alliance. The AoC is supported by a Group of Friends – a community of over 85 member countries and international organizations and bodies. Working in partnership with governments, international and regional organizations, civil society groups, foundations, and the private sector, the Alliance is supporting a range of projects and initiatives aimed at building bridges among a diversity of cultures and communities."

link to UNAOC site

'Defamation of Religion' as International Human Rights Violation

On March 26, 2009, the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution condemning 'defamation of religion' as a human rights violation:

"The resolution, introduced by Pakistan on behalf of a group of Muslim nations in the U.N. Human Rights Council, passed Thursday by a vote of 23-11, with 13 absentions."
link to article

This was following an adoption of a similar resolution in the General Assembly on December 18, 2007:

"Stresses the need to effectively combat defamation of all religions, Islam and Muslims in particular;"
link to resolution