Danish Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief
Summary of the previous meeting in the danish forum for freedom of religion or belief Danish forum for freedom of religion or belief, 28 May 2024
The latest meeting of
the Danish Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief took place on 28 May 2024 at
the Danish Institute for Human Rights. The theme was “Exploring intersectionalities between the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB),
Indigenous peoples’ rights, climate change and environmental protection”.
Participants included
a delegation representing the Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN) in Cambodia,
civil society organisations, representatives from human rights organisations
and others, who work within the field of freedom of religion or belief. The
meeting was moderated by Julie Koch, Secretary General for Danmission.
Special Representative
for Freedom of Religion of Belief, Karen Grønlund Rogne, welcomed the Forum,
emphasizing the value of sharing experiences and knowledge on working with
FoRB.
Martin Rosenkilde
Pedersen, Programme Director, Danmission, presented Danmission's project with
the PLCN. The project highlights the complexities of working with FoRB and
environmental protection in a Cambodian context where the right to FoRB is
restricted, and the rate of deforestation is very high. The Cambodian
delegation explained the importance of protecting the places of worship in the
forest since they are sacred to the Indigenous population and that this
objective is conflicted by deforestation as well as restrictions imposed by
authorities in accessing sacred sites and practising the Kuy people's faith
traditions.
The FoRB project was
therefore essential in both protecting natural resources and understanding
Indigenous practices and identity.
The Deputy Director of
the Essex Human Rights Centre and former UN Special Rapporteur on FoRB, Ahmed
Shaheed, shared important insights into how it can be crucial to engage with
human rights and intersecting issues, including the specific complexities of
human rights and Indigenous peoples. Danmission's former Cambodia director,
Ernst Jürgensen, added specific examples from his work in Cambodia. He
explained how government restrictions on community access to the Prey Lang
forest left Indigenous communities with no choice but to practice their
religion outside the forest.
Questions during the Q&A
session focused on the situation of both FoRB and Indigenous peoples' rights,
how deforestation has affected the situation of Indigenous peoples, and how to
protect the forest areas and communities with support from either Danmission
projects or EU projects.
The meeting provided a
good opportunity to broaden the scope of the Forum by focusing on concrete examples
of projects which promote the rights of FoRB on the ground.