The great thing about General Assemblies is the chance to meet one another again after a year of hard work in our respective Member Organisations (MOs). Of course we have to discuss the administrative items, the financial reports and the bylaws, and nobody denies that they are important, but an IHEU General Assembly (GA) is always just a little bit more! It is exciting to meet Humanists from so many places, from different traditions and with different problems – and solutions.

Humanist Week in London from 4 to 10 June offered a great series of events. Starting with the GA of the European Humanist Federation, there followed the very successful Conference on Darwin, Humanism and Science. We had eminent speakers like Professors Richard Dawkins and Anthony Grayling, and also had the opportunity to learn how teachers deal with Evolution in classrooms, even in primary schools. This was fascinating: a rocking Darwin explaining the whys and wherefores; a little girl correcting her teacher who had given a creationist explanation. Science is certainly not dull! You can find a report on this great event on Page 26.

As you can read on our website, the important news from the 2009 GA was that the proposed new IHEU Bylaws and Internal Rules were adopted unanimously. This is a landmark for IHEU, as one of the goals of these changes is to give national MOs from developing countries more influence at the GA. Under the new rules, all established, national, democratic membership organisations will be able to become Full Members of IHEU with voting rights at the GA, as well as the national and international umbrella organisations of such member groups.

Present at the GA were the Heads of all IHEU’s International Delegations to the UN, UNESCO, the Human Rights Council, the Council of Europe and the Africa Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (see P. 31 onwards). The strategic plan for 2009-2013 was approved, as was the annual report and financial statements for 2008. There were long and detailed discussions on three policy resolutions that had been submitted, on Religion in Schools; Values of Freedom and Democracy; and Astrology and the Paranormal in the Media. Following discussions, further work will be done on all three resolutions.

Roar Johnsen was re-elected as Vice-President and I was re-elected as President. I would like to use this opportunity to thank our MOs for the support they have given me over the last three years and for the renewal of my mandate.
The week was not yet finished. On 9 and 10 June we had the First World Conference on Untouchability.

Untouchability – the social exclusion of people because of the class or group they are born into – is found in many different cultures and traditions, afflicting nearly 250 million people in countries ranging from Japan to Nigeria. We learned that this type of discrimination persists even when people migrate to Western countries, and about the continuing problem in Africa, Japan and Western Asia, as well as throughout South Asia. Researchers reported studies showing that women and children often bear the heaviest burden from caste discrimination and violence. The Conference concluded with the launch of a global initiative against caste discrimination and was reported on by the BBC.

Humanist week in London brought Humanists together not only for internal organisational matters, but also to discuss the importance of science in general and more paticularly the teaching of science to young children. That is the only way to defeat superstition and enable us to make a more humane world.

Sonja Eggerickx is President, IHEU