Religion at the United Nations: Rights as Weapons

• In Event: Religion and Political Theory

Abstract

Religious non-governmental organisations (RNGOs) have been a presence at the United Nations (UN) since the organisation's founding. Their activities are not however officially recognised by powerful state actors at the UN. Despite this, several RNGOs - such as the Pope/Vatican and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation - are important components of wider debates at the UN on various topics, including international development, climate change, blasphemy, gender equality, and conflict resolution. Such topics involve interpretations of human rights. Cliff Bob's (2019) recent book - Rights as Weapons - discusses how many NGOs use the UN as a forum to focus on and pursue their preferred interpretations of rights. The paper identifies RNGOs that pursue rights at the UN, examines the religious foundations of their rights interpretations, assesses the partnerships they develop to pursue their goals, and explains why, following Bob, they often use rights as weapons.

Author

• Jeffrey Haynes, London Metropolitan University