This statement from the Bahá’í International Community is at once a description of present conditions and an appeal to further action. It begins:

Over fifty years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights boldly proclaimed the inherent dignity and the equal rights of all memmbers of the human family. Guided by the vision of equality for all, the Declaration enshrined the fundamental right of every human being to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Despite the international community's unanimous adoption of this Declaration and its codification in subsequent instruments of international law, the world bears witness to persistent intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief...