Reuters, Yahoo! and a number of other news channels have picked up the story of IHEU's statement to the UN Human Rights Council, opposing any resolution that seeks to limit the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Fields of Fuel, a documentary in which IHEU member organization American Humanist Association was a partner and fiscal sponsor, won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. The award was presented to the film’s director, Josh Tickell, a Humanist, at the Saturday night, January 26, awards ceremony, hosted by actor William H. Macy.

Following discussions in which IHEU representatives played an important role, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has strongly supported the separation of religion and state [1].

In 1997 some Norwegian parents started a court case to try to gain the right to withdraw their children from KRL classes (Christian, Religious and Life Stance Education), which are very much slanted towards Christianity. This case subsequently went through every level of the Norwegian courts (with the parents being supported by the Norwegian Humanist Association), but without success.

Regulations have come into effect to ban discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods, facilities and services, premises, and education throughout the whole of the UK.

Following discussions to which IHEU representatives contributed, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has strongly supported the separation of religion and state. In a wide-ranging formal Recommendation, the Assembly insisted that religious leaders must acknowledge the precedence of human rights over any religious principle and called for Humanist leaders to be included in political consultations with religious representatives.

In a second landmark Recommendation, this time on Blasphemy, religious insults and hate speech, the Council firmly concludes that blasphemy, as an insult to a religion, should not be deemed a criminal offence.

There were celebrations in the Humanist House in Oslo last Friday, when the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg found that the religious education in Norwegian schools was in violation of Article 2 of Protocol No. 1 of the European Human Rights Convention.

The 2007 award for Distinguished Service to Humanism was presented to Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of the National Secular Society, at the IHEU General Assembly. The award recognizes his tireless work for secularism and humanism over many years, both in the United Kingdom and on the international stage.

On Saturday, June 9, 2007 Robin Morgan, an award-winning poet, novelist, editor, and feminist activist, will receive the 2007 Humanist Heroine Award at IHEU member organization American Humanist Association's 66th Annual Conference.

The Ibn Rushd Fund for Freedom of Thought intends to award its Prize for 2007 to an Arab film maker (cinema or TV), who has dedicated himself/herself to freedom and democracy and has tackled the problems of social and political taboos through his/her works, critically investigating related phenomena and practices from a new perspective. The Fund seeks nominations by 31 May 2007.