The origins of this worldview or philosophical category are in the ancient world, in the European Renaissance (15th century) and the Hindu Renaissance (19th century). In the West the worldview is predominantly nontheistic because of the dominant Christian view of one Creator God, whereas in the East and in Africa it is often combined with pantheistic worldviews. A global representative body for the modern secular branch of the movement, Humanist International, was founded in Amsterdam in 1952 and initially brought together American, British, Austrian and Dutch humanist organisations. Humanist International is a non-governmental organisation and powerful lobby group for human rights, registered in New York with headquarters in London and now comprises member organisations across Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America and Oceania. It has Special Consultative Status with the United Nations, General Consultative Status at the Council of Europe and Observer Status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Although it is the predominant Humanist organisation in the world and nominative global representative body of the Humanist movement, Humanist International only represents the secular branch of humanism. Other iterations of Humanism that may differ in specific ways include Theistic humanism, Buddhist humanism, Chinese or Confucian humanism, Christian humanism, Humanistic Judaism, Transhumanism, Marxist humanism, Womanist humanism, African humanism and Integral humanism. Humanism has no doctrine or prophets and eschews fixed definition but is based on the ethics of equal worth of every human on earth and universal human rights. Early figures who have inspired the Humanist movement include Chinese philosopher Confucius (d. 479 BCE) Greek philosophers Socrates (d. 399 BCE) and Plato (d. 347 BCE), Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BCE–43 BCE), Italian poet Francesco Petrarca (1304–1374), Dutch theologian Desiderius Erasmus (d. 1536), English philosopher Sir Thomas More (1478–1535), Italian philosopher Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494), French writer François Rabelais (d. 1553), English theorist Charles Darwin (1809–1882), French scientist Marie Curie (1867–1934) and Indian spiritual and political leader Mahatma Ghandi (1869–1948). The best known early major female humanist in the West is Italian writer Isotta Nogarola (1418–1466). Prominent and more contemporary figures associated with humanism include American activist, writer and two-time president of the American Humanist Association Vashti McCollum (1912–2006), South African writer and activist Es’kia Mphahlele (1919–2008), African-American writer and activist James Baldwin (1924–1987), British philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872–1970), Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe (1930–2013), American activist and writer Gloria Steinem (b. 1934). Canadian writer and activist Margaret Atwood (b.1939) and Indian activist and writer Arundhati Roy (b. 1961). The number of self-identifying followers of humanism is estimated to be between 4 and 5 million throughout the world. Humanism is the stated national philosophy of Zambia and of the major Indian political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), where it emerged in large part as a response to postcolonial independence. By contrast, although the Humanist Association of Nigeria achieved official registration in 2017, its president, Mubarak Bala, was sentenced in 2022 to 24 years imprisonment for blasphemy. There is an overlap in people who identify as humanist and those who identify as ‘atheist’, ‘agnostic’ or not religious. Since Humanism is anti-dogmatic, there are no dietary or other restrictions: followers are left to interpret the call to be socially responsible according to their own judgment. There are no universally prescribed rituals. Humanist marriages are becoming legalised in an increasing number of nations. Legalised in Scotland in 2005, by 2019 Scotland had more Humanist marriages than marriages from any other belief group, including Christianity. Humanists International created World Humanist Day in the 1980s. It falls each year on 21 June, intentionally around the solstice. It is a day for publicity, solidarity and belonging, celebration and/or education and/or ceremony. The US and some other places celebrate HumanLight on 23 December each year, a secular commemoration of the December holiday season founded by the New Jersey Humanist Network in 2001 and now more broadly recognised.