IHEU regrets to report that Jeanette Klein-von Baumhauer, better known to IHEU as Nettie Klein, died on 29 June 2008 in Amsterdam. Nettie Klein was born in 1927 and had her first contact with international Humanism at the 1962 Oslo Congress. In 1966 she became Honorary (that is, volunteer) Organizing Secretary of IHEU, and from 1982 to 1996 she was General Secretary. In the 1990s she wrote 'Nettie's Column' in International Humanist News. In 1996, at the Mexico City Congress, Nettie Klein was presented with the International Humanist Award, for her long-standing merits for IHEU. Examples of her writing and other work are available on our web site.

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.

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

‘To express our dismay at recent events in the United Nations Human Rights Council, which seriously challenge the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights in this its sixtieth anniversary year.’

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.

Following elections at the IHEU General Assembly in Washington, DC on 8 June 2008, IHEU has a new Executive Committee. Newly elected to the Executive Committee as Vice Presidents, for terms of three years, are Mel Lipman and Ron Solomon.