1 Introduction

Freedom of religion or belief means that all people have the right to practise their religion or belief, either alone or in community with others, in public or in private. Freedom of religion or belief is closely linked to freedom of assembly and association. In other words, there is a close connection between individual and collective freedoms.

Freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief is fundamental for a human being. To hold or not hold a religion or belief, and to change a religion or belief, is therefore also a right that should not be interfered with. However, the freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs, alone or in community with others, may be restricted under certain conditions, such as when necessary to protect the rights and freedoms of others. The right to freedom of religion or belief is not absolute and may not be used as grounds for discrimination against others. Appendix 1 provides a more detailed description of the normative basis for safeguarding the right to freedom of religion or belief.

In many countries, religion and religious arguments are often employed as a tool in political discourse or for recruitment to religious groups that use interpretations of holy scriptures to justify discrimination and the use of violence. This conflicts with values of importance to us, such as gender equality, freedom of expression and respect for the rights of ethnic, linguistic, religious, sexual and gender minorities. It threatens fundamental principles such as non-discrimination and equality before the law and can affect majority and minority groups alike.

Discussions on freedom of religion or belief are often rooted in opposing interests and power relations, regardless of whether they involve countries, NGOs, religious or non-religious actors. Arguments about whether one religion or belief is superior to another should not be employed; rather, the focus should be on fundamental values and the individual’s right to freely choose a religion or belief, alone or in community with others.

The Government will work to prevent infringements on democracy and human rights and fight against violations of international law and human rights wherever they take place, with particular emphasis on freedom of expression, freedom of belief and freedom of assembly.

The goals for our efforts to promote freedom of religion or belief involve ensuring that: (i) individuals and groups have legal protection and equal access to welfare services, so that there is no discrimination on the basis of religion or beliefs; (ii) civil society organisations are able to exercise freedom of religion or belief; (iii) national authorities and private actors support freedom of religion or belief in legislation and practice; and (iv) international actors challenge national actors and hold them accountable in the area of freedom of religion or belief and the rights of religious minorities.

For civil society actors, this means ensuring that groups and individuals are aware of the right to religious freedom, ensuring that they are able to document and communicate violations of religion or belief, and ensuring that they can advocate for the inclusion of freedom of religion or belief in legislation and promote the implementation of this legislation. For international actors, such as the UN and other multilateral and regional organisations, this means requiring national authorities to comply with their international human rights obligations, including the right to freedom of religion or belief.

The Section for Human Rights, Partnerships and New Technologies in the Global department (formerly the Section for Democracy, Human rights and Gender equality in the Multilateral department) has a thematic responsibility for the Norwegian Foreign Service’s work with freedom of religion and belief. It collaborates closely with the geography sections on issues affecting individual countries. The work is led by a special representative who also manages financial support for Norwegian and international partners. The Directorate for Development Cooperation (Norad) also supports work with freedom of religion and belief within the framework of cooperation with civil society.

Updated positions in Norwegian and English are available on the MFA platform “UD-intra”. The Section for Human Rights, Partnerships and New Technologies is available for questions about Norwegian positions in the field and can be contacted at the following e-mail address: seksjon.for.menneskerettigheter.partnerskap.nyteknologi@mfa.no

What is the role of the Foreign Service?

• Have insight into the status of freedom of religion or belief in the host country, with a focus on both legal and de facto constraints, as these may be defined in some countries by the authorities, families, local communities or extremist groups.
• Be in direct contact with religious groups and representatives of different minority groups, including interreligious forums that promote freedom of religion or belief based on respect for human rights.
• Be familiar with the goal hierarchy for Norway’s efforts to promote freedom of religion or belief and ensure that relevant measures are in line with these (Appendix 3 in the online version available on intranet).
• Assess whether issues related to freedom of religion or belief should be incorporated as an integral component of development cooperation and assess whether to provide financial or technical support to particularly relevant government institutions or civil society actors that work with freedom of religion or belief.
• Work to prevent individual minority groups from being systematically excluded from support schemes in development cooperation because of prevailing religious and cultural attitudes in the host country.
• Have an overview of the relevant country’s ratification status on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and find out whether the country has entered a reservation to any relevant articles.
• Play an active role in developing Norway’s recommendations to individual countries in the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in the area of freedom of religion or belief.
• Assess whether to engage parliamentarians and the government in a dialogue with civil society organisations to help promote greater openness on the issue of freedom of religion or belief.
• Include freedom of religion or belief as a part of the dialogue with the authorities and civil society organisations at country level when relevant challenges have been identified. This makes it possible to raise awareness about the importance of this issue and follow up Norwegian policy in this area.
• Identify Norwegian and international partners that work in the interface between freedom of religion or belief and gender equality and maintain a dialogue with them.
• Cooperate with likeminded countries, including within the framework of the Article 18-Alliance (formerly IRFBA). Norway is a member of the alliance, which consists of roughly 40 countries that in many cases have developed joint positions on central issues. Cooperation at country level with alliance members may be useful, even though policies in the area may differ (Appendix 4 in the online version available on intranet) .