The International Liaison Committee of Atheists and Freethinkers (ILCAF), meeting in Washington, DC on 4 June 2008, resolved to begin preparatory debate towards the proposed formation of an International Organization of Freethought in Norway in 2011.

Australian Humanists, meeting in national convention in Sydney, at Humanist House, 10 Shepherd St, Chippendale, resolved on 3rd May, 2008 as follows:

‘That CAHS requests the Australian Government to do its utmost to secure a total global ban on all cluster munitions.’

Support for and interest in IHEU's work for freedom of expression at the UN has come from many commentators, following the appalling events at the Human Rights Council on 16 June 2008. Among the news and web reports was a particularly well-argued piece by Robert Spencer in FrontPage magazine, "Free Speech Dies at the UN".

New IHEU member organization The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain was one year old on June 21. Maryam Namazie writes: In the short time since CEMB was launched in June 2007, it has achieved much with volunteers alone.

Christopher Hitchens, author of the bestseller God is not Great, gave a thought-provoking keynote address on the final day of the IHEU World Humanist Congress. Videos of this address are now available.

IHEU's 2008 General Assembly was held in Washington, DC, USA on the 5th and 8th June 2008 before and after the 17th World Congress on Reclaiming Humanist Values. President Sonja Eggerickx opened the meeting with her address (attached) covering the increasing work that IHEU has achieved over the past year.

Australian Humanists, meeting in national convention in Sydney, presented the Australian Humanist of the Year 2008 Award to Senator Lyn Allison.

The UN Human Rights Council is not allowed to judge religions, according to president Doru Romulus Costea of Romania. Criticism of Sharia law or fatwas is now forbidden.

This ruling follows attempts by the Egyptian and Pakistani delegates at the Council to silence criticism of human rights abuse in the Islamic world.

In a statement delivered to the UN Human Rights Council on 17 June 2008, IHEU has called attention to racism and intolerance in Sudan and India, and criticized the “Islamophobia” industry of victimisation.

It took one hour and twenty-five minutes for a three-minute joint statement by the Association for World Education with IHEU to the Human Rights Council to be completed yesterday (16 June 2008), following 16 points of order - seven from Egypt - condemning any mention of Sharia law in the Council.