Oslo: November 16, 2014. (PCP) The Members of Parliament from around the world who gathered in Oslo, Norway to create a new International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFRB). The group pledged to work together to see an end to belief-based persecution and included parliamentarians of different beliefs from Brazil, Canada, Germany, Nepal, Norway, South Africa, Dominican Republic, Burma, Pakistan, Malaysia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Argentina, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka and Italy. Gathered at the Nobel Peace Center, the IPPFRB’s first action was to sign a charter reaffirming their commitment to freedom of religion or belief as outlined in Article 18 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As our first joint initiative, we co-signed three letters: One to His Holiness Pope Francis, urging him to convene a meeting of world religious leaders to discuss and promote freedom of religion and belief; one to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, urging guarantees for minorities to practise their religion freely; and, one to the President of Myanmar, Thein Sein, urging guarantees for religious minorities, including the Rohingya minority. The establishment of an international panel of parliamentarians who cooperatively address the need for freedom of religion or belief is timely and significant. These rights are critical to a healthy democracy and yet are frequently misunderstood and under increasing attack in many parts of the world. It is incumbent on us to do all we can to ensure that they are accurately understood and adequately protected both at home and around the world. According to David Anderson, Member of Parliament of Canada, a letter of concern from IPPFRB was sent to Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharif on IPPFRB concern on religious freedom in Pakistan and on recent incident of burning alive of Christian couple by Muslim mob on accusations of blasphemy.