AIDLR
Association International pour la Défense de la Liberté Religieuse, International Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty in English,
is a Non-Governmental Organization dedicated to promoting and defending freedom of conscience, worship, and religion around the world.
Founded in 1946 by Dr. Jean NUSSBAUM assisted by Mrs. Eleanor ROOSEVELT, the first President of the Honorary Committee of the AIDLR.
Mr. Mario Brito was born in Praya, Cabo Verde where he lived for 18 years, after he emigrated to Lisbon, Portugal. Mario Brito is licentiates in Theology and holds a Master of Divinity by Andrews University, Michigan, USA.
Adama Dieng is a prominent Senegalese jurist and human rights advocate with decades of experience in international law, justice, and the prevention of mass atrocities.
He began his legal career in Senegal, serving as Registrar of the Regional and Labour Courts and later of the Supreme Court. He then joined the International Commission of Jurists, where he served as Secretary-General from 1990 to 2000. During this time, he played a key role in the creation of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and contributed to drafting the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.
From 2001 to 2008, Mr. Dieng was Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. In 2012, he was appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, a position he held until 2020 under both Ban Ki-moon and António Guterres. He led several global initiatives, including the 2017 launch of the “Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors to Prevent Incitement to Violence” at the UN Headquarters.
After his UN mandate, Mr. Dieng continued his international engagement, serving as Special Adviser to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and to the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity. He is also a member of the UN Internal Justice Council.
In recognition of his contributions to peace and human rights, he was appointed President of the Honorary Committee of the International Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty in 2018. Mr. Dieng continues to lecture worldwide and advise international organizations on law, governance, and human rights.
Mr. Paulo Macedo holds a degree in International Relations and a master’s degree in Strategic Communication. He has an extensive experience, having worked in the Portuguese Section of AIDLR since 2006. His action has mainly focused on freedom of conscience, worship and religion, and also State-Church relationship.
“It is a privilege to serve as Secretary General of this prestigious and generous organisation”, Macedo said. “It is also a great responsibility to follow the path of my honourable predecessors, from our founder, Dr. Jean Nussbaum, to religious liberty champion Dr. Liviu Olteanu, that just ended his successful term. Our intention is to keep defending and promoting freedom of conscience, worship and religion, cooperating with all actors to support the respect for peace, human rights and diversity. As Dr. Nussbaum explained, we stand for the principle of religious liberty, not for interests”, he added.
AIDLR 1946-2026
80 Years Promoting Religious Liberty and Freedom of Religion and Belief everyday, everywhere.
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