24 June 2013: The EU Delegation presented today in Geneva the EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief.
On the occasion of the event "Three Years after the Uprisings – Religious Minorities in the Middle East", organised by the Austrian Mission and the non-governmental organisation Minority Rights Group International, the EU Delegation laid out the guidelines, which were adopted this summer by the Council of the European Union. As a universal human right, freedom of religion or belief (FORB) is a priority under the EU's human rights policy. The EU defends and promotes freedom of religion or belief as a fundamental right to which everyone is entitled, within and outside the EU. The EU guidelines on FORB underline this strong commitment to the promotion and protection of this universal human right without any discrimination.
The EU Guidelines underline the right of all persons to manifest their religion or belief either individually or in community with others; persons who change or leave their religion or belief, as well as persons holding non-theistic or atheistic beliefs should be equally protected, as well as people who do not profess any religion or belief.
The guidelines lay out the following overriding operational principles:
• The universal character of freedom of religion or belief;
• The freedom of religion or belief as an individual right which can be exercised in community with others;
• The primary role of States in ensuring freedom of religion or belief
• The connection with the defence of other human rights and with other EU guidelines on human rights
Background:
The FORB guidelines complete a set of altogether ten guidelines the EU currently has on the death penalty, torture, children in armed conflict, human rights defenders, rights of the child, violence against women, promotion of international humanitarian law, human rights dialogues with third countries and the promotion and protection the enjoyment of all human rights by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons. The guidelines are an integral part of the EU's Human Rights Policy on issues of importance to the Union.
EU guidelines are not legally binding, but because they have been adopted at ministerial level, they represent a strong political signal that they are priorities for the Union. Guidelines are pragmatic instruments of EU Human Rights policy and practical tools to help EU representations in the field better advance the EU's Human Rights policy.