Freedom of Religion and Belief reaffirmed as cornerstone of democracy at Prague Summit

Globethics Executive Director Fadi Daou participated in the High-Level International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance Conference, hosted in Prague from 12-13 November under the auspices of Czech President Petr Pavel. Bringing together leading global experts, policymakers, and human rights advocates, the Summit offered a critical platform to address the growing challenges facing Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB) in an era marked by polarisation, nationalism, and widening democratic fragility.

For Fadi Daou, the message from Prague was clear: FoRB is not a peripheral right—it is foundational. “Freedom of Religion and Belief is the mother of all freedoms,” he emphasised. Without it, freedom of thought, expression, and assembly cannot be guaranteed, and democratic governance itself becomes impossible. In a time of surging religious nationalisms, advocating for FoRB is therefore inseparable from building inclusive societies and sustainable democracies.

A central theme of the Summit was the urgent need to restore trust in global governance and human rights frameworks. Fadi stressed that FoRB, when approached responsibly and consistently, can help rebuild credibility in international systems. This requires resisting the instrumentalisation of FoRB for foreign policy agendas and confronting double standards in both domestic and international practice. A powerful intervention by His Holiness the Dalai Lama echoed this call for principled, non-politicised engagement.

Dr Daou’s participation in Prague represents the natural continuation of Globethics’ longstanding commitment to FoRB. In recent years, Globethics has convened multi-stakeholder processes addressing the role of religious actors in contexts of war, atrocities, and polarisation—work that resulted in the Open Statement with Wilton Park on the responsibilities of religious leaders in times of crisis. This framework was recently cited by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his report on combating intolerance, discrimination, and violence based on religion or belief—an affirmation of the global relevance and impact of this work.

Looking ahead, Fadi will continue advancing these discussions at the Doha Forum on 8 December, alongside leading scholars and practitioners. His engagement in Prague reinforces Globethics’ conviction that FoRB is essential to human dignity, social cohesion, and ethical leadership worldwide—and that safeguarding it remains central to our mission.

In parallel with these global engagements, Globethics is currently developing a white paper on inclusive peace with partners OHCHR - Faith4Rights, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and Wilton Park. The paper draws on the full breadth of insights generated throughout our multi-year process of dialogue and research, including the Wilton Park dialogue, the IPU's Second Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue, the Living Together in Harmony dialogue at UN Geneva, and the Global Ethics Forum 2025. This forthcoming publication synthesises contributions from diverse stakeholders—faith-based actors, policymakers, scholars, and civil society—highlighting practical pathways for strengthening social cohesion and human rights in fragile contexts.