19 Aug 2015
On the weekend of August 1-2, 2015 Professor Brian Lepard participated in a roundtable of academic experts on world religions in Montreal, Canada. He and the other participants discussed the draft text of a “Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World’s Religions,” designed to complement the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948. The objective of the new document is to articulate a common religious perspective on human rights that emphasizes the positive contribution that religions and their followers can make to the full realization of human rights.
An earlier version of the text was published in The New York Times in 2005. The draft was then released for discussion in the academic and faith communities by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Madame Shirin Ebadi, at the first global conference on World’s Religions After September 11, when it met in Montreal from September 11-15, 2006. It was attended by 2025 delegates from 84 countries and a number of suggestions were received in its wake. A revised version was prepared in light of these and other suggestions, which was then released for further discussion at the second global conference on World’s Religions After September 11, when it met on September 7, 2011 in Montreal.
This conference was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama, who is a Patron of the project, along with four other Nobel Peace laureates: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Madame Shirin Ebadi, Bishop Belo of Timor Leste, and Professor Elie Wiesel. An overwhelming majority of the 3007 participants present at this conference voted in favor of bringing the project to a conclusion.
Professor Lepard participated in a conference from June 1 to 2, 2013 to discuss the text, and at this latest gathering in August 2015 the text was virtually finalized. The supporters of the project plan to release the final document at a third global conference on World’s Religions After September 11, which will meet in Montreal on September 11, 2016.
Professor Lepard is the author of numerous books and articles on international law, human rights, world religions, and ethics, including Hope for a Global Ethic: Shared Principles in Religious Scriptures (Bahá’í Pubishing, 2005) and Customary International Law: A New Theory with Practical Applications (Cambridge University Press, 2010).
Participants at the roundtable in Montreal from July 31 to August 2, 2015. From left to right: Praveen Vijayakumar, Daniel Cere, Vivian-Lee Nyitray, Amir Hussain, Arvind Sharma, Faye Sutherland, Brian Lepard and Douglas Oliver.