To come: Faith and Freedom Summit IV in Panama!

24-25 September 2024

In the Latin American Parliament

See the location, dates, speakers, etc. And register! CLICK HERE

 Sign the Pledge!

The Original Pledge and Purpose

The Faith and Freedom Summit is not an organization. It’s a campaign proposed and run by a large coalition of faith-based and non faith-based NGOs and supported starting by many EU stakeholders and has now increased to international stakeholders. It was launched on June 28, 2018 with a high-level launch event. This non-partisan event gathered high-level thought-leaders to highlight where religious freedom is hindered in European Union today, to assess areas that need to be improved as regards the protection of freedom of religion or belief, and to be a force of proposal to outline policies toward a greater respect of religious diversity in Europe. The Summit launched a pledge that now calls for all Members of Parliaments to sign, that reads as following:

"I pledge that I will uphold and defend the freedom of conscience and religion of all individuals by rejecting and speaking out against bigotry, discrimination, harassment and violence; and so build a more equitable society for all."

The signature of the pledge was inter alia supported by Mr Ahmed Shaheed, then UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion or Belief (see here).

Original Mission

When we launched the summit, we were believing (and we still believe) that the time had come to address Freedom of Religion or Belief as an important topic to be tackled in the EU.

We, as others, are committed to freedom of religion or belief and believe that the decision makers of the world should have more involvement than only tackling these issues in its external relations, as it is the case nowadays. The scope of the EU Special Envoy for Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief is outside the European Union. If we want to have a legitimate influence outside of EU borders in the field of freedom of religion, we must be beyond reproach within our borders. Unfortunately, this is not the case today.

We strongly believe that EU citizens must enjoy a real freedom of religion or belief, at every level, and that this fundamental right is not given the importance it deserves in the EU institutions, and in the EU instruments to protect the various freedoms of EU citizens.

It is for these reasons that our mission is to propose and develop initiatives that will put Freedom of Religion or Belief in Europe back in the spotlights. We will see a great deal of committed stakeholders from various backgrounds (scholars, human rights fighters, religious leaders, politicians) joining in to become a real force of proposal for a better Europe, a Europe which cares about freedom. 

International Extension

Global observance shows the need to advance Freedom of Religion or Belief not only in Europe, but everywhere else, and finding supranational entities to work on this has become of utmost importance and need. That’s why the Faith and Freedom Summit is now extending its reach to other continents.

Join the campaign

If you are an elected or appointed member of the European Union institutions, the Latin American Parliament, Organization of American States, the United States Congress, or of any other national political body, please contact us to sign the pledge and become part of this non-partisan initiative that is aimed at guaranteeing all citizens’ freedom of religion or belief.

If you are an NGO and want to join the campaign and be part of the coalition, please contact us with all the details.

If you are an individual wanting to support the campaign, please register below by signing the pledge. You will receive all news of the campaigns and be invited to all events we organize.