ORAL STATEMENT
Humanists International
63rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (7 September to 9 October 2026)
Universal Periodic Review of Denmark
Speaker: Kirstine Kærn
Thank you Mr President and thank you to the Danish delegation for their presentation. I make this statement on behalf of Humanists International and the Danish Humanist Society.
In an increasingly diverse country, there is a need to broaden the concept of ‘Danishness’ to be inclusive of all religions and beliefs. The understanding of the term ‘belief’, in Danish society and legislation, should be expanded to incorporate identity-shaping convictions beyond traditional forms of religion. This would include amendments to the law of faith organizations to allow for equal recognition of non-religious life-stance organizations like the Danish Humanist Society. Unfortunately, not one of the 265 recommendations received by Denmark addresses this despite it being directly raised in a joint submission by almost 30 organizations. We hope that Denmark’s acceptance of recommendations around the treatment of religious or belief minorities can extend to this.
The right to equal treatment is especially important in the context of children’s education.
In public schools, “Knowledge of Christianity” is a compulsory subject, regardless of personal belief. Children can only opt-out if their parents or guardian provides an alternate form of “religious knowledge” education for them. We recommend that the public school syllabus encourage universal, human rights based values, such as critical thinking, and refrain from preaching any one religion.
We commend Denmark for accepting recommendations on the need to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief in the asylum system. Currently, the needs and values of non-religious asylum-seekers are poorly understood, which can result in discrimination in terms of how their case is assessed. We recommend that Denmark develop guidelines and train officials, in order to better protect asylum-seekers who are vulnerable to this form of persecution.
Thank you.
'Universal Periodic Review of Denmark', Humanists International