International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance

The principles and objectives of the Alliance are set out in the Declaration of Principles of the IRFBA. The aim of the Alliance is to connect states and governments to promote freedom of religion or belief worldwide. In doing so, the Alliance refers to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), in which freedom of religion or belief is enshrined as a universal human right. In addition, the Alliance refers to the 1981 UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, the EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief and the OSCE Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Security. In line with this understanding of freedom of religion or belief, which follows the human rights approach, freedom of religion or belief accordingly includes the right of the individual to have or not to have any faith, to change religion or belief and to manifest his or her religion or belief alone or in community with others in worship, rites, practice and teaching. The promotion of religious freedom should be based on the principle that human rights, which include freedom of religion or belief, are universal and inseparable. The Alliance aims to pay particular attention to the protection of members of religious minorities and the fight against discrimination and persecution on the grounds of religion or belief. The Alliance's activities are intended to complement existing work to promote freedom of religion or belief in the context of the United Nations and other multilateral and regional organisations. == Members ==