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Roar Johnsen, First Vice President of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, IHEU
You just held your World Humanist Congress from 12 to 14 August 2011 at the Oslo Congress Center. If you look back what will come to your mind first?
Definitely, the global participation. We are delighted that we had delegates from more than 50 countries in all parts of the world at the Congress this year. The IHEU has a travel grant program for representatives of Member Organizations that have small financial resources to come to the Congresses. This year we were able to help about 40 delegates with a grant due to generous donations from the Norwegian Humanist Association and many of its regional departments.
When you heard about the bombing in Oslo and the massacre at Utøya on 22 July, did you think of postponing or moving your Congress?
The first few days after the terrorist attack were filled with activities related to that horrible incident, as I personally, and the Humanist organization as such, were involved in some of the support action for the survivors. When it was very quickly clear that the terrorist had been apprehended and that he was most probably alone in his crimes, we decided that we wanted to go on with the congress as planned.
Since our venue was very close to the bomb site we had to discuss the matter with the management there. When they told us the venue had some broken windowpanes but was otherwise in full functional order, the conclusion was given. The Congress theme on peace was so important that we had to go on. And we do not know of any delegates who have cancelled their participation because of this.
Why did you choose the Norwegian capital as destination for your 18th World Humanist Congress?
The IHEU wants the congresses to be held in various parts of the world, and invites Member Organizations to bid for each congress. When the Norwegian Humanist Association (NHA) made an invitation to Norway in 2011, it was an easy decision to accept that offer. The Norwegians have hosted the congress successfully twice before, in 1962 and in 1986. They are the largest of the IHEU Member Organizations and are renowned for their organizational talent. We know that the NHA considered several Norwegian cities on venue quality, hotel capacity and international flight cost before deciding on Oslo as their Congress city.
The theme, venue and time were chosen four years ago, but the attacks have given them a new significance, you said immediately after the tragedy. Could you please explain?
The basic idea of the Congress program was to discuss various reasons for unrest, conflict and war. This can vary from resource scarcity, poverty and unemployment to power struggles, religious disputes and corruption. One of the speakers would address the problem of totalitarian ideologies and political religion and how to identify and defuse extremist views, a theme that exactly matched the situation with the Norwegian terrorist.
This year’s theme was “Humanism and Peace”. How can your tri-annual global congresses help build a more peaceful world?
Our congresses usually discuss topics that are more specific for the global Humanist movement, but all of us also want to work on the wider perspectives for mankind. The delegates will therefore go back to their organizations and engage their own members in similar discussions, and hopefully support local initiatives to alleviate some of the reasons for unrest and conflict. The Congress also adopted resolutions on peace and against international corruption, calling upon both governments, international NGO’s and our own Member Organizations to take action on these issues.
What are the main challenges for International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) these days?
We are in a very positive period for international humanism, with groups being established in new countries every year, and many of our member organizations are growing steadily. In many countries it has been problematic to come forward as a humanist, atheist, freethinker or other non-religious identification, but this is now changing rapidly. There are a lot of opportunities for our lifestance. Many of our organizations are poor, so finding more financial support is definitely our main challenge these days. Our main income is membership dues from the Member Organizations, and donations of various kinds. We are working to improve our fundraising capabilities, and really hope to attract some large donors at some point in the future. With better funding, we can continue to work on our vision of a humanist and secular world; a world in which human rights are respected and everyone is able to live a life of dignity.
Founded in 1952, the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) is a federation of more than 100 humanist and atheist groups from more than 40 countries. It has consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, Council of Europe and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. IHEU organizes the triennial World Humanist Congress. The 18th World Humanist Congress was held from 12 to 14 August 2011 at the Oslo Congress Centre and attracted more than 500 delegates from 50 countries. www.IHEU.org, www.human.no/oslo2011