The Baháʼí International Community, or the BIC, is an international

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

(NGO) representing the members of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the ...

; it was first chartered in March 1948 with the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

, and currently has affiliates in over 180 countries and territories.

Hilda Yen Hilda Yank Sing Yen () or sometimes Yan, was one of the leading figures of Chinese American society for some decades. Coming from a high-profile family traditionally serving Chinese governments and society, she left the East while continuing to b ...

was a founding and key figure in the establishment of the BIC according to Mildred Mottahedeh. Mottahedeh underscored Yen's service upon her death in 1970: "This noble lady played an important role in the development of the Baha'i Faith in the international field, and it was through her efforts that the Baha'is began their work with the United Nations", and wrote a memorial.Baha'i World, XV, 1968-73, pp. 476-78."In Memoriam; Hilda Yank Sing Yen 1905 - 1970" by Mildred Mottahedeh. The BIC seeks to "promote world peace by creating the conditions in which unity emerges as the natural state of human existence" by promoting and applying principles which are derived from the teachings of the Baháʼí Faith to develop a united and sustainable civilization. The BIC also works on the advancement of

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

, the advancement of women, universal education, the encouragement of just economic development, the protection of the environment, and a sense of

world citizenship Global citizenship is the idea that one's identity transcends geography or political borders and that responsibilities or rights are derived from membership in a broader class: "humanity". This does not mean that such a person denounces or waives ...

. To achieve its purpose, the BIC cooperates with governments, the United Nations and other inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations; in May 1970 it gained consultative status with the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

(ECOSOC) and in 1976 with the

United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...

(UNICEF). Then in 1989 the BIC developed a working relationship with the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

, and it also has a working relationship with various other United Nations agencies and enterprises including the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...

(UNEP). The BIC has also undertaken joint development programs with various other United Nations agencies; in the 2000

Millennium Forum The Millennium Forum is a theatre and conference centre in Newmarket Street, Derry, Northern Ireland. It was the first purpose-built theatre in Derry and opened in 2001. It has a seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who ...

of the

a Baháʼí was invited as the only non-governmental speaker during the summit. The Baháʼí International Community has offices at the

in New York and

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

and representations to United Nations regional commissions and other offices in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

, and

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. In recent years an Office of the Environment and an Office for the Advancement of Women were established as part of its United Nations Office. There also exists an Office of Public Information which is based at the

Baháʼí World Centre The Baháʼí World Centre is the name given to the spiritual and administrative centre of the Baháʼí Faith, representing sites in or near the cities of Acre and Haifa, Israel. Much of the international governance and coordination of th ...

Haifa, Israel Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

; that office distributes information about the Baháʼí Faith and publishes ''One Country'', a quarterly newsletter. On 4 March 2009, the Baháʼí International Community released an open letter to Iran's Chief Prosecutor, Ayatollah Qorban-Ali Dorri-Najafabadi, addressing his statements regarding the administrative affairs of the Baháʼís of Iran.

References

External links

Baháʼí International Community
official website
Statements and publications
of the BIC
Baháʼí World News Service
news stories and press releases by the BIC Office of Public Information
One Country
quarterly newsletter
Baha'i International Community and International Organizations
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:International Community, Baha'i Bahá'í institutions Global policy organizations

See also

References

External links