Archbishop of Nigeria addresses Princeton R20 Conference on Human Rights
PRINCETON, New Jersey — On 13 – 14 December 2023, international religious authorities and scholars representing the world’s major faith traditions gathered in Princeton to discuss the future of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and build upon the momentum of previous G20 Religion Forum (R20) summits held in Bali, Surabaya, and Jakarta, Indonesia.
Princeton University’s James Madison Program for American Ideals and Institutions hosted the conference, which was co-sponsored by the world’s largest Muslim organization, Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama, the Center for Shared Civilizational Values (CSCV), the R20, and the global Humanitarian Islam movement.
Following a two-day exchange of ideas and substantive discussion, participants adopted a twelve-point R20 Princeton Declaration, which concludes:
- THEREFORE, we urge the United Nations General Assembly to recommend that all UN Member States distribute an electronic and/or hard copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in their national language(s), to all school children, through their respective ministries of education; and
- We urge religious authorities of every faith and nation to marshal the power and influence of their respective spiritual traditions and communities to impact decision-making circles; halt armed conflicts raging in the Middle East, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, and other regions of the world; develop effective mechanisms for dialogue and negotiation that may lead towards the peaceful resolution of such conflicts; and join Nahdlatul Ulama as well as the G20 Religion Forum (R20) in expanding and strengthening the global Movement for Shared Civilizational Values……
In his keynote remarks, Archbishop Henry C. Ndukuba, Primate of the Anglican Church of Nigeria and Bishop of Abuja, spoke bluntly about the West’s failure to acknowledge and defend the human rights of his fellow Nigerians:
The UN and leading nations of the world should take prompt action to protect Christian communities in Nigeria from the frequent massacres and expulsions perpetrated by terrorists who are motivated by ethnic and religious hatred. In parts of Nigeria, Christians are becoming an endangered species. Innocent Christians have been lynched by Muslim mobs, incited by flimsy accusations of blasphemy, without these murders ever being punished by law. Impunity reigns, as Christian victims are denied fundamental human rights, including the right to justice.
A false narrative among Western powers that the widespread massacres and displacement of Christian communities in northern and central Nigeria are a consequence of climate change — and policies that deny foreign aid to African countries that refuse to legally endorse same-sex relations — must be jettisoned. The international community must focus its attention on the indisputable evidence that well-organized, well-equipped, and well-funded militias — with links to Ansaru, al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram terrorist groups — are operating in many parts of northern and central Nigeria, devastating vulnerable Christian communities. The fact that these massacres continue unabated, despite significant funds being poured into security measures, equipment, and training of the nation’s military, casts enormous doubt on the politically correct narratives that the international community continues to embrace, ostrich-like.
Read the full report here
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