Last weekend (Feb 25/26), we were able to hold our first European Policy Forum meeting of 2006 hosted in their usual warm and generous spirit by Heiner and Carolyn Handschin in Switzerland.

Since the European Policy Forum ("EPF") was inaugurated last year, we have a clearer and more specific vision for how to develop on both the Global and the Regional (continental) levels. One key method of outreach is to be through "Standing Committees", which are designed to ensure that the key areas of UPF's mission (Good Governance, Human Rights, Media and Peace, Human Development and Peace Building) are represented by strong programs and activities. They will operate on the Global, Regional (continental) and (eventually) national levels. They will be composed of key Ambassadors for Peace with expertise in the relevant areas and key representatives from UPF's affiliated organizations. The role of EPF, therefore, will be to help set up these standing committees in Europe and to disseminate their fruits to those who can appreciate and use them (M.P.s, media, government officials, academe etc.).

Standing Committees on the Global level were set up and held their first meetings in Seoul at the inaugural UPF Assembly in early February. The subject area was human rights and responsibilities, and we chose as the theme for this event "Absolute Human Rights and the Culture of Heart - a new model for Human Rights".

Through intensive discussion and debate, policy proposals were formulated. One unanimous resolution was that the Committee should be very much action-oriented and not be content with just debating issues. To that end, it was resolved to recommend that after each meeting there should be a press release. The release agreed focused on the issue of violation of the feelings of faith groups (as in the Moslem cartoon controversy and the David Irving "holocaust denial" trial) (see copy below). It was also resolved to recommend that the Committee focus primarily on European issues, on the basis that Europe should first put its own house in order as far as Human Rights abuses are concerned.

Considerable time was taken in agreeing a list of 36 key areas in which human rights issues needed to be addressed in Europe. Later it was agreed that three should be focused upon initially, as being ones in which UPF could make a clear and distinctive contribution. The three areas are: 1) Human Rights education (this is not usually given in schools and colleges across Europe and only rarely to police, military and government officials); 2) The rights of religious minorities (unequal and unfair treatment of minorities as manifested by the phenomena of "islamophobia", "anti-semitism" and "anti-cultism"); and 3) The prejudice and bigotry shown in the Schengen listing of Rev. Moon.

The Universal Peace Federation ("UPF") in Europe Standing Committee on Human Rights & Responsibilities held its inaugural meeting February 25/6 at UPF's Swiss H.Q. in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Its distinguished panel of international Human Rights experts held wide ranging discussions over 2 days on topics of current concern relating to the theme of "Human Rights and the Creation of a Culture of Peace".

Special attention and concern were focused on issues relating to offence caused to religious minorities by statements and cartoons, such as the riots and unrest caused in Moslem nations by derogatory cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed and statements on the holocaust by historian David Irving, which resulted in his conviction in Austria for "holocaust denial", and the acquittal of Nick Griffin, leader of the far right "British National Party", on charges of inciting racial hatred against Moslems.

Committee members emphasized the need for Europe to "put its own house in order" as far as Human Rights violations were concerned, so as not to impair its moral authority to speak out on such matters in the wider world.

The Committee particularly emphasized the importance of the following in ensuring that in future offence was not given unnecessarily to faith communities:-

1) The right to disagree with the tenets or practices of a religion should be upheld, but only to the extent that this right did not extend to mischaracterization, mockery or vilification of the Faith in question.

2) Human Rights Education should be adopted as a key element of citizenship education in schools so that young people across Europe are raised with a proper awareness of the sensitivities of particular Faith Communities. The absence of human rights education may be seen as a key element in contributing to the tensions that have arisen in this area.

3) European governments should harmonize their laws to protect the human rights of all European citizens. The disparity between such laws weakens Europe's ability to respond effectively to challenges to Human Rights.

4) Those media which contributed to current tensions by publishing the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed should in future be urged to consider more carefully the rights and sensitivities of religious minorities.

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