News Release

International Center for Law and Religion Studies to Host Virtual Law and Religion Symposium
‘Religious Freedom: Rights and Responsibilities’

The International Center for Law and Religion Studies will host the 27th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium from 4-6 October with the theme, “Religious Freedom: Rights and Responsibilities."

                     

In past years, delegates from around the world ─ including Australia, New Zealand and the islands of the Pacific ─ have attended the International Law and Religion Symposium at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, USA.

This year’s symposium will be held online and all sessions will be open and streamed to the general public on iclrs.org and on the Centre’s YouTube channel.  Live broadcast on YouTube will be in English only.

There will be three plenary sessions with a global reach (translation into French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian languages). They include a welcome from President Henry B. Eyring, Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the opening session and a panel discussion including Sharon Eubank, Counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, on Tuesday.

The opening plenary is 5:00 – 6:30 PM UTC-6 on Sunday, 4 October.

Following the welcome, speakers will discuss the various “Dimensions of Rights and Responsibilities of Religious Freedom.”

Opening plenary speakers are:

  • Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Baha’i International Community at the United Nations; one of the Co-Chairs of the Multifaith Advisory Council to the Interagency Task Force on Religion and Development;
  • Azza Karam, Secretary General of Religions for Peace; Professor of Religion and Development, Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam; Lead Facilitator for the United Nations’ Strategic Learning Exchanges on Religion, Development and Diplomacy; and
  • Heiner Bielefeldt, Professor of Human Rights and Human Rights Policy, University of Erlangen; former U.N. Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion or Belief

On Monday and Tuesday, plenary sessions begin at 8:00am UTC-6 with break-out sessions from 9:30 to 10:30am UTC-6.

All sessions will remain posted on the website after the event for later viewing.

The International Center for Law and Religion Studies is part of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University.

For more information visit the International Center for Law and Religion Studies website.

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