Parliaments Defending Fundamental Rights: Scott Twp. native’s group nominated for Nobel Prize

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Scott Twp. native’s group nominated for Nobel Prize

BY CHRIS BIRK
STAFF WRITER

Joseph K. Grieboski believes freedom of religion is the foundation of all others.

The Scott Township native has spent the last six years working to ensure religious freedom around the world as founder and president of the Institute for Religion and Public Policy in Washington, D.C.

“Religion is the only one of the fundamental rights that’s internal. If there’s a violation of that, there can be a violation of any of these other rights,” he said. “Without freedom of religion, there are no other freedoms.”

Over the past five years, his nonprofit organization has carved out a unique path for collaboration among dozens of countries interested in issues pertaining to human rights and religious freedom. His work has culminated in a nomination for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

The institute’s Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom brings together parliament members from more than 50 countries to find common ground on issues from AIDS and human trafficking to religious freedom and national security. The annual forums give members an avenue for joint action on rights issues by enacting parallel legislation in their countries, instead of relying on the traditional and sometimes heavily politicized processes of crafting formal treaties.

The Nobel nomination came earlier this month from a parliament member from the West African nation of Burkina Faso.

“The Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom is constantly in the process of resolving issues of rising tension — religious and others — and moving the world in such a collaborative, parliamentary means to peace,” Ousseni Tamboura wrote in his nominating letter to the prize committee.

The prize committee is expected to whittle down a list of contenders in the next month. It is awarded in October.

Humbled by the nomination, Mr. Grieboski said it also serves as motivation for a group of people who want to make sure the recognition is earned.

“We’ve been nominated. Let’s be worth it, let’s actually do enough that we deserve to get it,” said Mr. Grieboski, a 1992 graduate of Scranton Preparatory School.

The institute has another Scranton tie — chief administrator Matthew Mullock also graduated from Prep before moving to Washington to attend American University. He graduated in May 2004 and joined the institute in December 2005, four years after interning for the organization. Mr. Grieboski’s mother, Pat, lives in Peckville.

Contact the writer: cbirk@timesshamrock.com

©The Times-Tribune 2007

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About the IPC

The Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom (IPC) embodies transformational potential for the institutions of global governance. By connecting the most democratic elements of governments – parliaments – rather than the least democratic elements – foreign ministries – the IPC fosters international collaboration in the service of the values, desires, dreams, goals, futures, and needs of actual human beings rather than abstract conceptions of national interest of governments. Complementing the work of traditional intergovernmental organizations like the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, NATO, the African Union, and the World Bank, the IPC is a global megaphone for the needs and best practices of community-based leadership. Directly-elected legislators can relate to one another about the local challenges and opportunities they share, as well as questions of collaborative action, not through cumbersome formal treaty processes butdirectly through parallel legislation -- identical where possible anddiffering where particular circumstances require. Interparliamentarycooperation without negotiated agreements opens a new door on DavidMittrany\'s animating vision of the process of international organizationas “binding together those interests which are common, where they arecommon, and to the extent to which they are common” articulated by InisClaude as cooperation "where, when and to the extent possible." It freesinternational cooperation from the suspicion of legislators thataccompanies the opaque processes through which it is developed andcreates an environment in which legislators learn to appreciate eachother as peers and colleagues in a global profession of democraticleadership.",0] ); D(["ce"]); //--> national and global interest. When they agree, they can take collaborative action, not through cumbersome formal treaty processes but directly through parallel legislation – identical where possible and differing where particular circumstances require. Interparliamentary cooperation without negotiated agreements opens a new door on David Mittrany's animating vision of the process of international organization as “binding together those interests which are common, where they are common, and to the extent to which they are common,” articulated by Inis Claude as cooperation "where, when and to the extent possible." It frees international cooperation from the suspicion of legislators that accompanies the opaque processes through which it is developed and creates an environment in which legislators learn to appreciate each other as peers and colleagues in a global profession of democratic leadership. The Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom has launched an aggressive program of cooperative parliamentary diplomacy in its short five year history as a project of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy. The concluding documents of the previous four sessions – included for your review – reflect the significant impact that such human diplomacy and coordinated policymaking can have. From addressing traditional and non-traditional threats to security to AIDs, from trafficking in persons to education, the IPC has taken on some of the most significant issues of our time and has created opportunities for parliaments as diverse as Israel, Libya, Romania, South Africa, South Korea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Russia, and many others to find common ground on which to address such issues. The Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom is constantly in the process of resolving issues of rising tensions – religious and others – and moving the world in such a collaborative, parliamentary means to peace. The networks built by the IPC – across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas – allow us as parliamentarians to work collaboratively toward a world without war, famine, hatred, and terrorism. The King of Morocco, His Majesty Mohammed VI addressed the Second Session of the Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom stating that “it is appropriate that this sort of initiative becomes the foundational undertaking of an international civilization where complementarity substitutes confrontation between people, and where the paramount necessity of cooperation overcomes the illusion of self-reliance and autarchy.” The work of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy and the Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom has constructed a new paradigm of peacemaking and governance. No longer are foreign policy, national security, and fundamental rights solely in the hands of national executives and administrations. Instead, legislators around the globe are now taking the responsibility at the initiative of the IPC to address questions of fundamental rights, security, wealth and poverty, global warming, and the countless other vital concerns of the global population in a collaborative, coordinated, and effective manner. The establishment of parliamentary working groups and caucuses in many national assemblies – a mandate unanimously enshrined in the Concluding Document of the 2006 Session of the IPC in Rome by the participating parliamentary delegations – is further evidence of the impact that the IPC has had and is having in the world today. The further development and institutionalization of the IPC as a new paradigm for intergovernmental relations and operations through formal adoption of legislation will change the very nature and face of the international system, guaranteeing that those involved in the formation of national and international policy are the directly-elected representatives of the peoples, the common denominator and constituency to which those policymakers will be responsible for their actions and decisions. Human security in the twenty-first century depends on the motivation and capacity of legislators to accept their responsibility in upholding fundamental rights, fighting corruption, championing disarmament and establishing moral governance. The Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy provides the tools for such movement.

Parliaments Defending Fundamental Rights

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Scott Twp. native’s group nominated for Nobel Prize

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About the IPC

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