Institute on Religion and Public Policy

The Institute on Religion and Public Policy [http://www.religionandpolicy.org] (IRPP) is an international, inter-religious non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring freedom of religion as the foundation for security, stability, and democracy. President Joseph Grieboski founded the Institute in 1999. The Institute's Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom [http://www.interparliamentary.org/] was nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Programs

Charter on Freedom of Expression and Journalistic Ethics in Relation to Respect for Religion or BeliefIn the wake of the controversy over the publication of religious cartoons in a Danish newspaper, the Institute sought to cooperate on a set of guidelines that encourage the freedom of the press to be used in a manner that also respects religious belief. The Media Charter was written drawing from journalistic ethics and professional codes with the aim of preserving both religious freedom and the freedom of expression.

Expert Committee on Legislation and Implementation

International Consortium on Religion, Culture, and DialogueThe International Consortium consists of colleges and universities that collaborate on freedom of thought. Through the Consortium institutions of higher learning are able to network to contribute directly to understanding and resolution of the struggle for religious freedom.

Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious FreedomThe Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom is composed of members of national and supranational parliaments from around the globe. IPC allows members of parliaments to meet and address the issues of human rights and freedom of conscience with common understanding and background as parliamentarians.

The Conference and its members examine, monitor, and act in coordination as a body and in their respective parliaments to address either human rights/freedom of conscience situations in specific countries or territories or on major phenomena of human rights/freedom of conscience violations worldwide in thematic processes.

The main themes addressed by the Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom focus on the question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms – particularly freedom of religion, belief, and conscience – in any part of the world. Among these are freedom of expression, religious intolerance, the human rights of minorities and displaced persons, trafficking in persons, and the general promotion and protection of human rights.

From time to time the Conference identifies areas in which existing standards need to be further developed to confront new and growing concerns. While not dealing with specific individual cases of violations of freedom of conscience or human rights, the Conference will review and study individual cases to determine whether or not a systematic discrimination or denial of rights of religious believers/non-believers by a government. Or a systematic governmental or social persecution of religious believers/nonbelievers is taking underway.

The Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom uses as its guide and measure international standards of human rights and freedom of conscience. Among the paradigms used by the Conference are the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Optional Protocol to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Helsinki Final Accords, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the Vienna Concluding Documents. Consequently, the Conference devotes time to examining issues of implementation and legislation in national and supranational bodies to guarantee adherence to international standards.

Where problems are identified, the Conference takes action to address them. The Conference provides expert advice, human rights seminars, national and regional training courses and workshops, fellowships and scholarships, and other activities aimed at strengthening national capacities for the protection and promotion of human rights.During its regular annual meeting, the Conference may adopt resolutions, decisions and statements on matters of relevance to human rights and freedom of conscience in all regions and circumstances. It is assisted in this work by the Secretariat of the Conference – headquartered and staffed by the Institute on Religion and Public Policy – working groups established by the Conference, and a network of individual experts, representatives and rapporteurs mandated to report to it on specific issues.

Iran Information Center

Roundtable with the Ambassador The Roundtable is held once a month with a different ambassador in an informal, open, off-the-record forum.