Missionary Activities and Human Rights: Aims and Objectives
Main aims: Through this project, the Oslo Coalition wishes to contribute to the reduction of conflicts resulting from missionary activities through the increase of awareness of human rights standards on relgion or belief.
Objectives: In the first place, the project should contribute to increased knowledge among those who carry out missionary activities on what UN convensions and declarations, the UN Human Rights Committee, the European Court of Human Rights and other regional human rights courts and commissions say about missionary activities.
In the second place, the project should increase the awareness of how human rights ethic both commit and ensure the rights of those involved in conflict situations where missionary activities are the source of the conflict. The focus will primarily be on the the right to freedom of religion or belief, and then especially on the followinig perspectives: (a) the right to receive information on one's own and others' religions, (b) the right to bear witness to and inform on one's own religion, (c) the right to convert to another religion and (d) the right to not be exposed to unwarranted pressure from missionary activities and humanitarian work.
For further information, see the document The right to try to convince the other: Proselytism and human rights.
Results: The project will contribute to an exchange of experiences, network building and an increase in awareness around different forms of missionary activity seen in the light of human rights
Another possible result will be the production, through a long dialogue involving many different actors, of a concrete Code of Conduct for Missionary Activities. These will be discussed in a large international forum, hopefully resulting in a resolution. Whether the project results in concrete Code of Conduct or more general discussions, and brochure spelling out the main points connecting mission and human rights will be designed and spread
In addition, a collection of articles on missionary work and human rights will be published.
