Jean-Claude Pecker gave the following speech as IHEU Representative at UNESCO in September 2003. Prof. Pecker is a distinguished scientist and a Member of the French Academy of Sciences. Speech translated by Babu Gogineni.

Mr. President, Mr. Director General, Ladies and gentlemen,

The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU – in French l’Union Internationale Humaniste et Laïque), was founded in 1952 by Sir Julian Huxley, Director General of UNESCO. Since then, IHEU has ceaselessly participated in the General Conference, supporting UNESCO’s ideals, which it shares. Scientific Humanism, which IHEU has made its own, imposes on us Humanists an obligation with regard to respect for Human Rights, as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations. This present century is already three years old and unacceptable violations of these rights persist. In parts of the world women are still born to be slaves; elsewhere, children are forced to become prostitutes; in other places young immigrants are forced into quasi- slavery; and in still others societies try to kill so-called blasphemers. Almost everywhere, deadly hunger exists alongside shameless wealth. And yet, an overwhelming majority of our Member States have adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights... Lamentable it is – especially when several of these same member states fight with each other. Their wars are violent; they are conducted with savagery, and do not respect the Geneva Conventions. Death, life-long disability, pain, new resentments, new threats are accumulating in all corners of the planet.

The world situation is disturbing, and it would be difficult not to point out our fears and worries. And it would also be difficult not to articulate our beliefs.

It is notable that very often it is in the name of God that terror and interminable wars and Manichean combats are being waged ... but which God? Each of the combatants thinks that his God is the true one. Is it reasonable? Either there is only one God; and why then would He side more with one side than with the others? Or there are several of them, all rivals ... What does this concept of God signify ...? It has no meaning ...

Underlying these wars being waged for three millennia in the name of God and history, it is obvious that God is very often but an excuse. We know that hidden behind the excuses are cocaine, petrol, gold, diamonds, opium, cocoa, and such other things. This is still not reassuring, though. Because even if opium, cocoa, diamonds, gold, petrol or cocaine are the real causes of war, millions of foot soldiers participating in war are animated by religious sentiments, one would even say very real, fanatical religious sentiments.

IHEU affirms that religion should remain in the private sphere. We ourselves affirm that belief in an almighty God is not necessary for a Humanist ethics. Quite the contrary. And Humanism, much more than any religion, can become an agent of peace and unification.

We believe that all of us on this planet are together embarked on the same adventure: men and women, white, yellow or black, believers or non-believers. We are all united in a fraternity and comradeship which goes beyond that limited groupism invoked by groups and communities to reinforce their wars against other groups. All wars, all terrors are, for us Humanists, fratricidal.

Just as unbelief in a God is acceptable, so is whichever kind of belief in a God – so long as the liberty of others is not imperilled.

A concern for universal fraternity must be the only defining mark of actions of organizations such as the UN, and of course of UNESCO. It is to this universal fraternity and its necessary condition of complete separation of religion and state that we are appealing today, as an indispensable condition of the peace to which we aspire.

Thank you for your attention.