This session focused on the individual and collective experiences and contributions of governments, civil society, religious and secular actors to address the pandemic. Particular attention was devoted to the role of the Special Envoys for the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief in the different national contexts.
The following questions were addressed:
- What is the current state of the art of the missions of Special Envoys?
- What is the role of Special Envoys in the context of the pandemic?
- What is the future of Special Envoys?
- How is the Covid-19 crisis impacting Freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in the world? Will it eventually change FoRB as we know it?
Chair:
Dr. Jan Figel', former European Commission's Special Envoy on the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the European Union (2016-2019)
Panelists:
Ambassador Michael Suhr, Special Representative for Religious Freedom or Belief, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark
Mr. Tristan Azbej, PhD., State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians and for the Hungary Helps Program – Prime Minister’s Office, Hungary
Ms. Emanuela C. Del Re, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy
Ms. Daria Wołosiuk, Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Religious Freedom, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Poland
The series is organized by the Cambridge Institute on Religion and International Studies, the Center for Religious Studies at Bruno Kessler Foundation, the Center for Justice and Society at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) Law School-Rio de Janeiro, the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University Law School, the European Union Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the University of Siena.
