Together with our partners Search for Common Ground, Religions for Peace and One World in Dialogue, we continue the implementation of the Code of Conduct of Holy Sites project. In 2014, new field projects were started in Indonesia and Nigeria.
In 2011 the «The Universal Code of Conduct on Holy Sites» was established, created to protect sacred places worldwide. This initiative aims to give guidelines to secure religious adherent the safe use of their sacred places. Providing practical guidelines for safeguarding holy sites, the Code have been applied in local context in pilot-projects in Bosnia Herzegovina, Israel and Palestine.
Attacks on mosques and churches continues in Bosnia – Herzegovina, even though it is 16 years since the civil war ended. Criminal acts based on ethnically and religiously motived hatred towards minority communities are unfortunately still taking place, across the country.
Joint condemnations on attacks on Holy Sites in Bosnia and Hercegovina indirectly builds trust and improves communication among religious communities. The Oslo Center visited recently our local partners in the country.
The Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights attended meetings in Rome 5-7 October with their partners Search for Common Ground, Religions for Peace and One World in Dialogue on the project ‘A Universal Code on Holy Sites.’ The purpose was to discuss status and developments in the project.
The arrest of Mladic is of great importance, but the work towards achieving reconciliation and real inter-ethnic cooperation between the people on the ground in Bosnia-Hercegovina (BiH), will need to continue as before. The Oslo Center with partners have together developed a universal code for protection of holy sites. As part of this project, we are conducting a pilot in BiH.
Religious leaders from Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities in Europe and the Middle East have agreed on a code to protect holy sites.
On Monday 27th of July political and religious leaders gather in Trondheim to create a code to protect holy sites and turn them into bacons of peace.
Religious leaders, academics, politicians, and members of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities from different parts of Europe and the Middle East met together to discuss the issue “Holy Sites – Places for Conflict or Dialogue”. The hope is that this meeting will be a first step in a process which can lead to a universally shared Code on Holy Sites.
