Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief

A/RES/61/161View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 67b Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, published in 2007.

What other versions does this mandate have?

10 versions · 1977–2012

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/66/168

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2012	A/RES/66/168	Elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief	2,364	98%Compare
2011	A/RES/65/211	Elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief	2,339	79%Compare
2010	A/RES/64/164	Elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief	2,048	51%Compare
2009	A/RES/63/181	Elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief	2,384	33%Compare
2008	A/HRC/RES/6/37	Elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief	2,512	31%Compare

What’s in this document?

36 operative paragraphs

Welcomes the work and the report of the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on freedom of religion or belief;⁸

⁸See A/61/340.

Condemns all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief;

Encourages the efforts made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to coordinate in the field of human rights the activities of relevant United Nations organs, bodies and mechanisms dealing with all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief;

Urges States:

To ensure that their constitutional and legislative systems provide adequate and effective guarantees of freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief to all without distinction, inter alia, by the provision of effective remedies in cases where the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, or the right to practise freely one’s religion, including the right to change one’s religion or belief, is violated;

To exert the utmost efforts, in accordance with their national legislation and in conformity with international human rights law, to ensure that religious places, sites, shrines and symbols are fully respected and protected and to take additional measures in cases where they are vulnerable to desecration or destruction;

To review, whenever relevant, existing registration practices in order to ensure the right of all persons to manifest their religion or belief, alone or in community with others and in public or in private;

To ensure, in particular, the right of all persons to worship or assemble in connection with a religion or belief and to establish and maintain places for these purposes and the right of all persons to write, issue and disseminate relevant publications in these areas;

To ensure that, in accordance with appropriate national legislation and in conformity with international human rights law, the freedom of all persons and members of groups to establish and maintain religious, charitable or humanitarian institutions is fully respected and protected;

To ensure that no one within their jurisdiction is deprived of the right to life, liberty or security of person because of religion or belief and that no one is subjected to torture or arbitrary arrest or detention on that account and to bring to justice all perpetrators of violations of these rights;

To ensure that all public officials and civil servants, including members of law enforcement bodies, the military and educators, in the course of their official duties, respect different religions and beliefs and do not discriminate on the grounds of religion or belief, and that all necessary and appropriate education or training is provided;

Recognizes with deep concern the overall rise in instances of intolerance and violence directed against members of many religious and other communities in various parts of the world, including cases motivated by Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and Christianophobia;

Expresses concern over the persistence of institutionalized social intolerance and discrimination practised against many in the name of religion or belief;

Condemns any advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, whether it involves the use of print, audio-visual and electronic media or any other means;

Stresses the need to strengthen dialogue, inter alia, through the Global Agenda for Dialogue among CivilizationsError: Reference source not found and the Alliance of Civilizations;

Invites States, the Special Rapporteur, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other relevant entities of the United Nations system, such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and other international and regional organizations and civil society to consider promoting dialogue among civilizations in order to contribute to the elimination of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief, inter alia, by addressing the following issues within the framework of international standards of human rights:

The rise of religious extremism affecting religions in all parts of the world;

The situations of violence and discrimination that affect many women as a result of religion or belief;

The use of religion or belief for ends inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations and other relevant instruments of the United Nations;

Urges States to step up their efforts to eliminate intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief, notably by:

Taking all necessary and appropriate action, in conformity with international standards of human rights, to combat hatred, intolerance and acts of violence, intimidation and coercion motivated by intolerance based on religion or belief, as well as incitement to hostility and violence, with particular regard to religious minorities, and devoting particular attention to practices that violate the human rights of women and discriminate against women, including in the exercise of their right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief;

Promoting and encouraging, through education and other means, understanding, tolerance and respect in all matters relating to freedom of religion or belief;

Undertaking all appropriate efforts to encourage those engaged in teaching to cultivate respect for all religions or beliefs, thereby promoting mutual understanding and tolerance;

Invites Governments, religious bodies and civil society to continue to undertake dialogue at all levels to promote greater tolerance, respect and understanding;

Emphasizes the importance of a continued and strengthened dialogue among and within religions or beliefs, including as encompassed in the dialogue among civilizations, to promote greater tolerance, respect and mutual understanding;

Also emphasizes that equating any religion with terrorism should be avoided, as this may have adverse consequences on the enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief of all members of the religious communities concerned;

Further emphasizes that, as underlined by the Human Rights Committee, restrictions on the freedom to manifest religion or belief are permitted only if limitations are prescribed by law, are necessary to protect public safety, order, health or morals, or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others, and are applied in a manner that does not vitiate the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion;

Encourages the continuing efforts in all parts of the world of the Special Rapporteur to examine incidents and governmental actions that are incompatible with the provisions of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief⁹ and to recommend remedial measures, as appropriate;

⁹See resolution 36/55.

Stresses the need for the Special Rapporteur to continue to apply a gender perspective, inter alia, through the identification of gender-specific abuses, in the reporting process, including in information collection and in recommendations;

Welcomes and encourages the continuing efforts of all actors in society, including non-governmental organizations and bodies and groups based on religion or belief, to promote the implementation of the Declaration, and further encourages their work in promoting freedom of religion or belief and in highlighting cases of religious intolerance, discrimination and persecution;

Recommends that the United Nations and other actors, in their efforts to promote freedom of religion or belief, ensure the widest possible dissemination of the text of the Declaration in as many different languages as possible by United Nations information centres and by other interested bodies;

Decides to continue its consideration of measures to implement the Declaration;

Welcomes the work of the Special Rapporteur, and urges all Governments to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur and to respond favourably to her requests to visit their countries and to provide her with all necessary information so as to enable her to fulfil her mandate even more effectively;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the Special Rapporteur receives the necessary resources to enable her to discharge her mandate fully;

Requests the Special Rapporteur to submit an interim report to the General Assembly at its sixty-second session;

Decides to consider the question of the elimination of all forms of religious intolerance at its sixty-second session under the item entitled “Promotion and protection of human rights”.

Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Table of contents