The 2010 General Assembly and Annual Conference of the European Humanist Federation (EHF) will be held in Stockholm, Sweden at the end of May. Events will start with an open meeting in the morning of Friday, May 28, followed by the General Assembly in the afternoon. The next day – Saturday, May 29 – EHF is holding a one day conference on Women and Religion, as detailed below.

Humanism continues to take root and grow in the Southern African nation of Malawi. An inaugural conference in 2008 and a second national conference in 2009 were both funded by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU). Now the Association of Secular Humanism (ASH) in Malawi is taking part in a high-profile debate—titled “Which is Good for Malawi: Christianity or Secular Humanism?”—which will be broadcast live on national radio on December 27.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) has joined with more than 100 other groups from more than 20 countries to protest a so-called “global blasphemy law” proposed by the United Nations (UN). Last month, for the first time ever, a UN body proposed a legally-binding treaty to combat the “defamation of religions.”

More than 200 civil society organizations from 46 countries, including Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Secular, Humanist and Atheist groups, have endorsed a statement jointly sponsored by IHEU, UN Watch, Freedom House and the Becket Fund for Religious Freedom, urging member states of the UN Human Rights Council to reject the resolution: "Combating Defamation of Religions" due to be voted on in Geneva on 26 March 2009.

In a new written statement to the UN Human Rights Council, IHEU has called the continuation of child marriage, 55 years after the UN General Assembly resolved to abolish the practice, "a disgrace to the entire human rights movement".

Four French Member Organizations of IHEU want to reaffirm the principles of secularism on the occasion of the announcement of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to France, September 12 -15, at the invitation of the Bishops’ Conference of France. This visit is aimed at “celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin to Bernadette Soubirous in the grotto of Lourdes”.

Do you have anything interesting to say to our readers? Have you had a personal experience that has strengthened your belief in Humanism? Have you ‘converted’ anyone? Is there anything going on in your part of the world that you think others would like to hear about? Are there organisations out there that have found something path breaking in the course of their work? Then do send in to the IHN at your write-up of not more than 1000 words, and, subject to suitability we will publish it in the May 2008 issue of the International Humanist News.

IHEU member organization Libre Pensée has condemned the decision of the Council of Europe to reject Guy Langagne’s report on the dangers of creationism in education, and has demanded that the report be placed on the agenda for the next meeting of the Council’s parliamentary assembly.

IHEU member organization IHEYO is seeking a Communications Officer - 20 hours or more per week.

The Communications Officer's primary task is to make the communication channels of IHEYO more vibrant. IHEYO is an international youth organisation that carries out international projects among young people in Europe, Asia, Africa and elsewhere.

The International Liaison Committee of Atheists and Freethinkers has now a multilingual website. Important contributions, such as the report of the World Congress of the Freethought (Paris - 4 July, 2005) are published on-line. Articles from advocates of the separation of Religions and the State living in different countries on many continents are also available.