In a written statement to the UN Human Rights Council, IHEU has highlighted the overriding, universal status of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the wide divergence between the UDHR and the 1990 Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam.

IHEU's campaign for freedom of expression at the UN Human Rights Council has been highlighted by Macleans, the Canadian news magazine. In a wide-ranging article concluding that Islamic states are trying to stifle freedom of speech in the guise of anti-defamation rules, the magazine quoted the recent ruling at the Council that NGOs could not refer to Sharia law.

News has reached us that, following an appeal from IHEU, the UN Economic and Social Council has dismissed the complaint against the World Union of Progressive Judaism which, if upheld, would have cost the WUPJ its consultative status at the UN.

Support for and interest in IHEU's work for freedom of expression at the UN has come from many commentators, following the appalling events at the Human Rights Council on 16 June 2008. Among the news and web reports was a particularly well-argued piece by Robert Spencer in FrontPage magazine, "Free Speech Dies at the UN".

Australian Humanists, meeting in national convention in Sydney, at Humanist House, 10 Shepherd St, Chippendale, resolved on 3rd May as follows:

‘To express our dismay at recent events in the United Nations Human Rights Council, which seriously challenge the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights in this its sixtieth anniversary year.’

In a session at the 2008 General Assembly on Human Rights, triggered by the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Roy Brown outlined just how ineffective the UNHRC was, indeed that it was at best passively shielding Human Rights abuses from examination and at worst an obstructing action against them. Roy gave examples to show that by some measures the Council had deteriorated to the level of its discredited predecessor, the UN Commission on Human Rights. Keith Porteous Wood was invited to suggest how IHEU member organisations and supporters should react.

The UN Human Rights Council is not allowed to judge religions, according to president Doru Romulus Costea of Romania. Criticism of Sharia law or fatwas is now forbidden.

This ruling follows attempts by the Egyptian and Pakistani delegates at the Council to silence criticism of human rights abuse in the Islamic world.

In a statement delivered to the UN Human Rights Council on 17 June 2008, IHEU has called attention to racism and intolerance in Sudan and India, and criticized the “Islamophobia” industry of victimisation.

It took one hour and twenty-five minutes for a three-minute joint statement by the Association for World Education with IHEU to the Human Rights Council to be completed yesterday (16 June 2008), following 16 points of order - seven from Egypt - condemning any mention of Sharia law in the Council.

In a statement delivered to the UN Human Rights Council on 17 June 2008, IHEU has urged greater empowerment of women and gender equality in the food cycle and called for recognition of the centrality of reproductive health programs to the human rights of women.