Lepard to Unveil “Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World’s Religions” in Montreal on September 15

09 Sep 2016    

Professor Brian Lepard

On Thursday, September 15, 2016 Professor Brian Lepard will help unveil a “Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World’s Religions” at a major conference held at the Palais des Congrès in Montreal, Canada.  The conference is entitled “Third Global Conference on World’s Religions After September 11.” The program for the conference, including Professor Lepard’s unveiling of the Universal Declaration, is available online. 

Speakers at the conference will include influential experts and activists in the field of world religions and interreligious dialogue, such as Dr. Arvind Sharma of McGill University, who is convening the conference; Deepak Chopra; Sri Sri Ravi Shankar; Dr. Harvey Cox; Dr. Karen Armstrong; Dr. Susannah Heschel; and Dr. Charles Taylor.   

The Universal Declaration is intended 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.  Nobel Peace Prize laureates His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Madam Shirin Ebadi, Bishop Belo of Timor-Leste, and Professor Elie Wiesel are patrons of the project for a Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World’s Religions. 

Professor Lepard assisted in drafting the document, along with many other scholars and religious leaders. He was interviewed last year about the current status of human rights and the world’s religions.

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 Publishing, 2005), Customary International Law: A New Theory with Practical Applications (Cambridge University Press, 2010), and Reexamining Customary International Law (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming 2016).

UPDATE: 

On Thursday, September 15, 2016 Professor Brian Lepard helped unveil a “Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World’s Religions” at a major conference held at the Palais des Congrès in Montreal, Canada.  

In unveiling the Declaration, Professor Lepard declared before a crowd of about 500 attendees:  “This new declaration is proposed not as a replacement for the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights [of 1948], which has played such an important role, but rather as a complement to it.  Its purpose 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.”  A video of the conference presentations, including Professor Lepard’s presentation during the afternoon, can be found here (the introduction to his talk begins at 45:30).   The text of Professor Lepard's remarks is also available.

Nobel Peace Prize laureates His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Madam Shirin Ebadi, Bishop Belo of Timor-Leste, and Professor Elie Wiesel are all patrons of the project for a Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World’s Religions, and Madame Ebadi delivered a message to the conference by video.

Professor Brian Lepard, Dr. Daniel Cere, Dr. Arvind Sharma, Dr. Vivian-Lee Nyitray, and Dr. Amir Hussain, principal drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World’s Religions
From left to right: Professor Brian Lepard, Dr. Daniel Cere, Dr. Arvind Sharma, Dr. Vivian-Lee Nyitray, and Dr. Amir Hussain, principal drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World’s Religions

Professor Lepard assisted in drafting the document, along with many other scholars and religious leaders.  While in Montreal, he was interviewed about the document by Montreal radio station Radio Ville Marie in French as part of an hour-long program on the conference.  During the interview, Professor Lepard discussed the significance of September 11, 2001 in regard to religions and human rights, why a Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World’s Religions is necessary and relevant, and some of the unique features of  the declaration that distinguish it from the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  A recording of the program, which was broadcast on September 25, can be found here.

Professor Brian Lepard during his radio interview with Radio Ville-Marie