Qom, 16 May 2007 (UNIC)— “Every one has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. These fundamental human rights are explicitly set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights” and other human rights instruments, said Mr. Knut Ostby, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Iran.

Mr. Ostby was speaking at the inauguration of the Fourth International Conference on Human Rights on the subject of ‘Human Rights and Religion’, organized at the Mofid University here.

He said that the core values of human rights are deeply rooted in all cultures. “Equality and dignity of human beings as God’s creatures are emphasized in the sacred texts” of all religions.

Speaking about the issue of human right to freedom of religion, Mr. Ostby said that this includes among others the right to manifest one’s religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching, right to freedom from discrimination based on religious beliefs or activities, right to freedom of expression and association, right to conscientious objection on grounds of religious belief.

He stated that the core goals of the UN are to help secure civil, political, cultural, social and economic rights for all people. “This commitment is based on the recognition that, without a pervasive observance of and support for human rights, no society can achieve and sustain human development and peace will remain elusive”.

Mr. Ostby stated that there is a close link between human rights and human development, which are two sides of the same coin. Human development is about expanding choices for people – to education, health, livelihoods, political participation and access to justice. UNDP is engaged in close partnership with the Government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the pursuit of sustainable human development, he added.
UNDP is sponsoring the two-day conference at Mofid University in the context of its five year human rights and access to justice project.