The IHEU General Assembly 2007 will be held in Torino (Turin), Italy, on Sunday 17th June 2007 (10.00 am to 5.30 pm) and on Monday 18th June 2007 (9.00 am to 1.00 pm). The IHEU GA will be held after the European Humanist Federation 2007 GA. We now have full details of the programme and agenda available.

Member Organisations are asked to note that there will be no hard copies sent out. Delegates will need to print out and bring with them the papers provided here.

IHEU supports projects in the Indian sub-continent and in Africa. The plans which IHEU has already announced are bound to give a great boost to the humanist movement in those parts of the world where Humanism is desperately needed. However, this does not mean that all is well in Europe and in the Americas. Indeed there is a lot of work ahead.

5th IHEYO Conference in Vijayawada, India

Truly International

You could hear the sound of a madel drum, coming from the roof of the house. A mixture of Nepalese voices, laughter and noise wafted in from the late night celebrations. The ambience was magic and this was all happening at the Atheist Centre in Vijayawada where 43 young people from 11 different countries (four continents) came together to fill the night with international music, native dresses, traditional food and mirth.

Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its formal inception dates from 1950, after the Assembly passed resolution 423 (V) inviting all States and interested organizations to adopt 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day.

The second Annual Conference on Global Bioethics was held on April 21-23, 2006 in New York. It was organized by the IHEU-Appignani Center for Bioethics in NYC and sponsored by Genetics Policy Institute and the Alden March Bioethics Institute of Albany. About 150 people attended the cocktail reception, among them UN missions, representatives of the IHEU member organizations from all over the world, diplomatic missions in the US, and humanist activists and academics. Approximately 70 people attended the conference sessions on Saturday and Sunday.

The Sixth World Atheist Conference will be held in Vijayawada, India on 5, 6 & 7 January 2007

Discuss aspects of atheism such as promotion of scientific temper, secular social work, human rights, and striving for an alternative value system. Join a galaxy of distinguished atheists and Humanists from all over the world.

Registration: US$ 150. (Cheques/bank drafts in the name of "ATHEIST CENTRE" payable at Vijayawada).

Over 12,000 demonstrators marched from the Place de la Republique to the Place Richelieu-Drouot in Paris to commemorate and defend the 1905 French Law of Separation of Religion and State. IHEU's Executive Director Babu Gogineni was one of the three speakers who addressed the demonstrators at the end of the march. Here is a translation of his speech in French:

Dear Friends,

Today we celebrate and commemorate a law which is of vital significance to modern civilisation. We meet here today also to pay homage to the contributions of our spiritual ancestors, the Freethinkers Aristide Briand and Emile Combes who helped create a law that indeed defines the French republic. The 1905 legislative measure is the promulgation into law of a vital concept for the survival of democracy. It is a concept which will not allow any citizen to be discriminated against on the basis of religion. It is a concept which denies privilege or unjust advantage - whether one is a member of the clergy, whether one professes a religion or whether one has rejected religion, all are equal in the eyes of the law.

World Summit Commits to Universal Access to Reproductive Health by 2015

The largest ever gathering of world leaders resolved in September to achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015, promote gender equality and end discrimination against women, at a recent three-day World Summit.

They adopted the Summit Outcome recommended by the General Assembly and will integrate the goal of access to reproductive health into national strategies to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to end poverty, reduce maternal death, promote gender equality and combat HIV/AIDS.

Full reports, overview of workshops, background information etc. is available at the IHEYO web site: www.iheyo.org. This article gives a brief outline of the conference.

In 2005, IHEYO organised its fourth annual international humanist youth conference parallel to the IHEU World Congress. Actually, the tradition of this event started at the previous IHEU World Congress in 2002! This year, it was co-organised with La Ligue de l'Enseignement and with a focus on interculturalism and young active citizenship. It took place from 9 to 14 July in Paris. Around 50 young humanists and human rights activists gathered for a week of intense collaboration, inspiration and fun.