State Secretary Kravik’s speech  commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief

Dear Mayor, Member of Parliament, special rapporteur, representatives from the civil society, excellencies, ladies, and gentlemen.

Today on the International Day of Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, I am glad to make this statement, which is sadly still so relevant. I am also pleased to receive the summon prepared for this conference, with concrete recommendations.

In the political platform of our government, we state that Norway shall fight against violations of international law and human rights, with particular emphasis on promoting freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion or belief.

You may ask: Why is freedom of religion and belief a foreign policy priority? The answer is: Because democracy and human rights are under pressure. Also, in our immediate areas.

Totalitarian states' suppression of people's basic freedoms, for example, creates fertile ground for conflict and unstable societies. This threatens the world order we have built together after the Second World War. It threatens peace. And a peaceful world is in our interest. Therefore, we must constantly defend the values on which our society is built. These are values we cannot take for granted.

The use of religion for political purposes is not a new phenomenon. For centuries, religious beliefs, doctrines, traditions, and practices have been used to justify discrimination and violence against girls and women, and sexual and gender minorities.

The rise in discrimination and persecution due to religion or belief which we see in many countries, is a negative development we view with great concern.

We need to step up our efforts to prevent such violations from happening and to provide the victims with appropriate care.

Let me give one example of what we are doing:

Norway along with international partners, has supported people facing discrimination based on religion or belief, including the non-religious.

This support has provided help to address threats of violence, help with medical needs resulting from violent assault, relocation to safe housing, and replacement of equipment that has been damaged or confiscated because of harassment.

To date, Norwegian support has helped more than five hundred persons, both survivors of persecution as well as advocates defending freedom of religion and belief, especially in Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, as well as Sub-Saharan Africa. These cases have indirectly benefitted more than two thousand two hundred known individuals, and many more family members, congregants, and community members. This is just one example. We need to do more.

To better equip the Foreign Service to support efforts to promote the right to freedom of religion or belief as a human right, the government has recently developed new guidelines which we hope will be a useful tool when discussing these issues internationally. The guidelines will soon be translated into English.

The guidelines highlight areas where there is a special need to strengthen efforts to protect and promote freedom of religion or belief. This includes a greater focus on the role of gender and gender equality in this work, as well as on the interaction between freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief.

Policies that promote inclusion, tolerance and diversity are essential to fully realize the right to freedom of expression. While freedom of religion or belief protects the individual, it cannot be used as an argument to prohibit or censor criticism of religious faith or practices. Criticism of religions must be tolerated. At the same time, there are different views on how to balance considerations relating to the right to freedom of expression with the right to freedom of religion or belief. There is a need to have a thorough understanding of these issues as well as respect of each other’s view to be able to conduct a constructive dialogue.

I sincerely believe that an open, constructive, and respectful debate of ideas, as well as interreligious, interfaith, and intercultural dialogue, at the local, regional, national, and international levels, can play a positive role in combating religious hatred, incitement, and violence.

We need to work with international and national partners, alliances of civil society and academia to prevent violence based on religion and belief. The summon you have prepared for today is important and I will consider these recommendations carefully.

Thank you.