SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Alliance Defense Fund has officially been granted special consultative status at the United Nations. This status will allow ADF attorneys to attend and intervene at treaty and convention drafting meetings and help craft language that affirms religious freedom, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
“No person--anywhere--should be punished simply for holding to Christian beliefs. Receiving special consultative status at the U.N. is a major advancement for ADF and our global legal efforts to protect and preserve religious freedom,” said ADF Director of Global Activities and Strategic Alliances Benjamin Bull.
“ADF can now have a say when U.N. treaties and conventions are drafted that directly impact religious liberty and important matters related to the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family,” Bull explained. “We look forward to the opportunity this provides us to increase the development of strategic alliances with other organizations and to make a positive difference for religious freedom at the U.N. and around the world. It also furthers our efforts to keep adverse international policies from improperly affecting U.S. law and legal precedents.”
The Economic and Social Council of the U.N. officially notified ADF on July 20 of the council’s decision to grant special consultative status. With this status, ADF attorneys can attend and participate in all compliance committee meetings and with the U.N. Human Rights Council. ADF is already accredited with the Fundamental Rights Agency, the European Parliament, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
“The U.N. plays a critical role in determining future policies affecting religious liberty,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Roger Kiska. “It is vital for a legal alliance like ADF to have input on those policies to ensure they affirm real human rights and freedoms. ADF will now be able to monitor and provide input on matters affecting those freedoms.”
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
www.telladf.org facebook.com/AllianceDefenseFund twitter.com/AllianceDefense