Who We Are

Vision & Mission

We are Christian human rights advocates who believe that every man and woman is created in God’s image, has freedom of religion, with inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights.

Our vision is that all people can exercise their right to freedom of religion, belief, and conscience within the broader context of respect for freedom, peace, and human rights.

Modeled after the approach of 19th-century British parliamentarian William Wilberforce who led a successful movement to end the slave trade, the single greatest violation of human rights of his time. He used a sustainable framework for social change — to help engage and coordinate “top-down” policymaker action with “bottom-up” grassroots mobilization, empowerment, and collective action.

Wilberforce for the 21st Century. We empower the local church to collaboratively support persecuted communities, challenge repression, and expand freedom of religion and belief globally.

21Wilberforce Team

Wissam al-Saliby

President
Biographical Summary

Talar Haidostian

Operations & Program Coordinator
Biographical Summary

Trent Martin

Advocacy & Training Coordinator
Biographical Summary

Lou Sabatier

Director of Communications
Biographical Summary

What We Do

We are equal partners with the local church working to transform local attitudes and behavior and reform or develop political and judicial systems that advance and protect this right by:

  • Mobilizing and resourcing churches and Christian leaders in countries experiencing persecution in support of their national and international engagement, advocacy, and initiatives for sustainable freedom and flourishing of communities,
  • Mobilizing churches and faith partners in the West to partner with churches and Christian leaders in countries experiencing persecution,
  • Helping influence policy decision-making, intervention, and advocacy in governments, multilateral agencies, and international forums to support human rights, dignity, and freedom of all people.
WISSAM AL-SALIBY, PRESIDENT

Wissam al-Saliby

Prior to his appointment as President of 21Wilberforce, Wissam al-Saliby was the Advocacy Officer and then the Director of the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland for the World Evangelical Alliance, a network of 140 national alliances representing 600 million evangelical Christians. Under his leadership, the Geneva Office has engaged the United Nations in direct advocacy in approximately 20 country situations each year. Al-Saliby has also pioneered new efforts to help national alliances strengthen their religious freedom training and empower them as religious freedom leaders.

Before his work engaging with the United Nations, al-Saliby served as the Development and Partner Relations Manager at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS). In his role as Manager of Development and Partnership Relations at ABTS, al-Saliby was a member of the leadership team that set the vision of the seminary and helped shape its ministry. In addition to nurturing and cultivating existing relationships, he identified and built new relationships with churches, foundations, and individuals in the United States, Europe, and the Arab World.

Al-Saliby previously co-founded and managed the Summer School on Law and Armed Conflict in Lebanon. He has also served as the National Coordinator and Lead Trainer for Geneva Call in Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and traveled across the Middle East region for seven years training numerous multi-faith religious leaders, civil society groups, armed groups, and political parties in strengthening human rights and the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

Al-Saliby graduated from Lebanese University with a bachelor’s degree in law and then earned from the Université Paul Cézanne, France a master’s degree in international law with a specialization in Protection and Human Security.

Talar Haidostian

Talar Haidostian

Talar Haidostian serves as the Operations and Program Coordinator at 21Wilberforce, where she works directly with the president to ensure all administrative operations, partner relations, and worldwide programs are in check.

An Armenian, born, raised, and educated in Beirut, Lebanon, worked in Armenia, and studied in the United States of America, she has learned the values of both the eastern and western sides of the world.

Her passions center around analyzing human, cultural, religious, and international factors and trends influencing community development. With degrees in Business Administration and Public Policy, a background in service, exposure to diverse nationalities and languages, and a passion for balanced humanity, she advocates encouraging dialogue and valuing human rights to bring sustainable change in the local and global community.

Trent Martin, Advocacy & Training

Trenton Martin

Trent Martin is the Advocacy and Training Coordinator at 21Wilberforce, where he helps develop impact-based solutions using advocacy tools, training, and strategic connections. Trent collaborates with the 21Wilberforce team and partners to strengthen at-risk communities, develop advocacy networks, and cultivate the next generation of religious freedom advocates.

Trent helps advance international religious freedom policy advocacy through engaging with religious freedom forums, action teams of churches, diaspora communities, grassroots advocates, global faith networks, partner organizations, and UN connections. He has coordinated research teams on critical projects related to freedom of religion and belief data and UN engagement, driving insights and policy recommendations.

In addition, Trent has played a key role in developing 21Wilberforce’s global youth and emerging leaders training programs, coordinating and implementing initiatives designed to equip young advocates with the skills and knowledge necessary for effective advocacy.

Lou Sabatier, Director of Communications

Lou Ann Sabatier

Lou Ann Sabatier directs communications training and oversees the design and management of the website, newsletters, social media, collateral materials, press, and key strategic communication publications.

She co-authored both The 20th Anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act: A Retrospective, and the 25th Anniversary of the Religious Freedom Act: A Retrospective featuring reflections from key international religious freedom participants and a timeline of the collaborative efforts that ensued to integrate international religious freedom within U.S. foreign policy.

She is the co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable Women’s Working Group and a co-founder of FoRB Women’s Alliance.

Throughout her career, Sabatier served in senior management for publishing operations in the U.S. and globally and provided ongoing consulting to publishers and content creators.