{"id":35128,"date":"2016-09-12T10:00:05","date_gmt":"2016-09-12T10:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/queme.org\/en\/?p=35128"},"modified":"2017-02-22T14:16:13","modified_gmt":"2017-02-22T14:16:13","slug":"conference-religious-freedom-vietnam-importance-regional-global-security-washington-dc-12-september-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/conference-religious-freedom-vietnam-importance-regional-global-security-washington-dc-12-september-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Conference on Religious Freedom in Vietnam: Its Importance for Regional and Global Security<\/em> – Washington DC, 12 September 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"forbvietnam2016b\"<\/p>\n

The Vietnam Committee on Human Rights<\/strong>, with the co-sponsorship of the Center for Religious Freedom<\/strong> of the Hudson Institute<\/strong>, cordially invites you to the Conference:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cReligious Freedom in Vietnam:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Its Importance for Regional and Global Security\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Monday 12th September 2016<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>12.00 to 2.00pm<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>at the Center for Religious Freedom, Hudson Institute<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 400<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Washington, DC 20004<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Speakers include\u00a0Elliott Abrams<\/strong>, Former US Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and former Deputy National Security Adviser;\u00a0Kristina Arriaga de Bucholz<\/strong>, Executive Director of the Becket Fund for Religious Freedom and USCIRF Commissioner;\u00a0Nina Shea<\/strong>, Director of the Hudson Institute\u2019s Center for Religious Freedom;\u00a0Vo Van Ai<\/strong>, President of the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights and representatives of Vietnamese religious communities.<\/p>\n

The Conference will feature a panel discussion on\u00a0\u201cReligious Freedom and American Policy in the Next Administration\u201d<\/strong>, and a panel on\u00a0\u201cViolations of the right to freedom of religion or belief in Vietnam\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0with testimonies from Buddhists, Catholics, Hmong Christians, Montagnards, Khmer Krom Buddhists. A roundtable session on strategies and best practices for interfaith coalition building to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief in Vietnam and South East Asia will be held from 2.00pm to 4.00pm.<\/p>\n

A light lunch will be served at 11.30am.<\/p>\n

Please reply to Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (name and email contact) –\u00a0vietnam.committee@gmail.com<\/a>\u00a0or Penelope Faulkner:\u00a0penelope.faulkner@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please note that\u00a0online registration<\/strong>\u00a0at the\u00a0Hudson Institute is also mandatory<\/strong>. Due to limited capacity, we suggest that you register early to secure your seat. The link to register is:\u00a0https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/27005145116<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

VIETNAM COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS
\n<\/strong>BP 60063, 94472 Boissy Saint L\u00e9ger Cedex (France),
\nTel. +33 1 45 98 30 85 – Fax: +33 1 45 98 32 61
\nE-mail :\u00a0vietnam.committee@gmail.com<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0http:\/\/www.queme.net<\/a><\/p>\n

******************************<\/p>\n

Concept Note<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vietnam is home to a wide diversity of religions. A majority Buddhist country, it also has Asia\u2019s second-largest Catholic population, a fast-growing Protestant community, indigenous religions such as Cao Dai and Hoa Hao and religious minorities including Khmer Krom Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Bah\u00e1’\u00ed. Throughout history, religions have played an active role in all aspects of the nation\u2019s life. This is particularly exemplified with the Buddhists, who have a tradition of independence and social engagement unique in South-East Asia.<\/p>\n

Today, in Vietnam\u2019s one-Party state, religious organizations and leaders continue to assume this crucial role, in addition to their activities in purely religious and spiritual matters. In the absence of opposition parties, a free press, independent trade unions and NGOs, the religious movements are essential voices of civil society, putting forth the people\u2019s grievances and pressing for social and political reforms. Largely as a result, they are subjected to persecution in every form. Hanoi has set up \u201cstate-sanctioned\u201d Churches under Communist Party control. It imposes a draconian system of registration, and a system of police enforcement that includes the intimidation, brutality and detention of religious followers with impunity. A new Law on Belief and Religion will soon be adopted that further restricts the right to freedom of religion or belief. Yet this ongoing repression finds little notice in the international press.<\/p>\n

Why should this matter to Western democracies? The US has been a leader in the movement for international religious freedom. With the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, religious freedom for all groups became an institutionalized component of US foreign policy. The European Union is following with the adoption of EU Guidelines on the Protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief (2013) and the appointment in April 2016 of a Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the European Union. Efforts for increased transatlantic and global cooperation are underway to advance this basic freedom worldwide.<\/p>\n

US foreign policy is deepening its engagement in Asia. President Obama\u2019s \u201credressment to Asia\u201d aims to strengthen the US presence in a region overshadowed by an expanding China. With its allies, the US has the vision and capacity to counterbalance Beijing\u2019s advancement and maintain peace and security in the region. A freer, more democratic Vietnam would be a vital ally for the US, yet Hanoi\u2019s newly appointed leadership is hardline and pro-Chinese. In April, the independent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that Vietnam be included on the U.S. official listing of \u201ccountries of particular concern\u201d for its record of religious persecution. In spite of this, President Obama visited Vietnam last May and lifted the U.S. arms embargo without securing any concessions for religious groups or their members. Will the next administration continue this trend or pursue policies that encourage meaningful reform?<\/p>\n

The Conference aims to give voice to Vietnam\u2019s persecuted religious communities; survey the current violations of religious freedom in Vietnam; explore policy options to promote religious freedom and develop a civic culture of tolerance and compassion; help lay the foundations of lasting peace in this region and in the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Vietnam Committee on Human Rights, with the co-sponsorship of the Center for Religious Freedom of the Hudson Institute, cordially invites you to the Conference:   \u201cReligious Freedom in Vietnam: Its Importance for Regional and Global Security\u201d Monday 12th September 2016 12.00 to 2.00pm at the Center for Religious Freedom, Hudson Institute 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":434,"featured_media":35122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[113,64],"tags":[312],"class_list":["post-35128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-news","category-vchr","tag-death-penalty"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/434"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}