BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson has been elected as a Vice President of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), with delegates unanimously approving his appointment at IHEU’s General Assembly in Brussels, 5-7th August. IHEU is the world umbrella organisation embracing humanist, atheist, rationalist, secularist, skeptic, laique, ethical cultural, freethought and similar organisations globally. Its mission is to build and represent the global humanist movement that defends human rights and promotes humanist values world-wide. Andrew’s election means he will join the executive committee of IHEU which is responsible for developing and implementing IHEU’s strategy and objectives.
Fighting superstition, supporting people accused of witchcraft, providing inclusive schools for secular education, representing humanist values and promoting secularism in international political forums, including at the UN in New York and Geneva, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and UNESCO in Paris, were just some of the activities undertaken by IHEU in the past year and reported on at the IHEU General Assembly.
Speaking about his appointment to the Executive Committee, Andrew Copson said, ‘The BHA was involved right at the beginning of IHEU and in recent years BHA supporters have been particularly generous with their time and money in supporting the development of pioneering schools in Uganda that promote freethinking, protect students against religious or other indoctrination and offer hundreds of children a liberal education. I look forward to maintaining and strengthening the BHA’s contribution to international Humanism during my own time as a Vice President.’
Notes
The British Humanist Association is the national charity representing and supporting the interests of ethically concerned, non-religious people in the UK. It is the largest organisation in the UK campaigning for an end to religious privilege and to discrimination based on religion or belief, and for a secular state.
IHEU’s 18th World Humanist Congress will be held in Oslo, Norway, August 2011. Read more and register at www.human.no/oslo2011
IHEU is the world union of over 100 Humanist, rationalist, secular, ethical culture, atheist and freethought organizations in more than 40 countries. The mission of IHEU is to represent and support the global Humanist movement. The goal of IHEU is a Humanist world in which human rights are respected and all can live a life of dignity. www.iheu.org