Combating Defamation of Religions

A/RES/64/156View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 69b Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, published in 2010.

What else is in this group?

10 documents · 2006–2011

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 2011).

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2011	A/RES/65/224	Combating defamation of religions	2,898	–
2010	A/HRC/RES/13/16	Combating defamation of religions	1,991	–
2010	A/RES/64/156	Combating defamation of religions	2,863	–
2009	A/HRC/RES/10/22	Combating defamation of religions	—	–
2009	A/RES/63/171	Combating defamation of religions	2,646	–

This group bundles related documents that are not individually ordered.

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report · 2010

Year	Symbol	Title		Mandate resolution
2010	A/65/263	Combating defamation of religions report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/64/156

What’s in this document?

29 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;¹³

¹³A/64/209.

Expresses deep concern at the negative stereotyping of religions and manifestations of intolerance and discrimination in matters of religion or belief still evident in the world;

Strongly deplores all acts of psychological and physical violence and assaults, and incitement thereto, against persons on the basis of their religion or belief, and such acts directed against their businesses, properties, cultural centres and places of worship, as well as targeting of holy sites and religious symbols of all religions;

Expresses deep concern at the programmes and agendas pursued by extremist organizations and groups aimed at creating and perpetuating stereotypes about certain religions, in particular when condoned by Governments;

Notes with deep concern the intensification of the overall campaign of defamation of religions, and incitement to religious hatred in general, including the ethnic and religious profiling of Muslim minorities in the aftermath of the tragic events of 11 September 2001;

Recognizes that, in the context of the fight against terrorism, defamation of religions, and incitement to religious hatred in general, become aggravating factors that contribute to the denial of fundamental rights and freedoms of members of target groups, as well as to their economic and social exclusion;

Expresses deep concern, in this respect, that Islam is frequently and wrongly associated with human rights violations and terrorism;

Reiterates the commitment of all States to the implementation, in an integrated manner, of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which was adopted without a vote by the General Assembly on 8 September 2006¹⁴ and reaffirmed by the Assembly in its resolution 62/272 of 5 September 2008, and which clearly confirms, inter alia, that terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group, stressing the need to reinforce the commitment of the international community to promote a culture of peace, justice and human development, ethnic, national and religious tolerance, and respect for all religions, religious values, beliefs or cultures and prevent the defamation of religions;

¹⁴Resolution 60/288.

Deplores the use of the print, audio-visual and electronic media, including the Internet, and any other means to incite acts of violence, xenophobia or related intolerance and discrimination against any religion, as well as targeting of religious symbols;

Emphasizes that, as stipulated in international human rights law, everyone has the right to hold opinions without interference and has the right to freedom of expression, the exercise of which carries with it special duties and responsibilities and may therefore be subject to limitations as are provided for by law and are necessary for respect of the rights or reputations of others, protection of national security or of public order, public health or morals;

Reaffirms that general recommendation XV (42) of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination,¹⁵ in which the Committee stipulated that the prohibition of the dissemination of all ideas based upon racial superiority or hatred is compatible with freedom of opinion and expression, is equally applicable to the question of incitement to religious hatred;

¹⁵See Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 18 (A/48/18), chap. VIII, sect. B.

Takes note of the work undertaken by the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in accordance with their mandates defined by the Human Rights Council in its resolutions 7/34 and 7/36 of 28 March 2008;¹⁶

¹⁶Ibid., Sixty-third Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/63/53), chap. II.

Strongly condemns all manifestations and acts of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance against national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and migrants and the stereotypes often applied to them, including on the basis of religion or belief, and urges all States to apply and, where applicable, reinforce existing laws when such xenophobic or intolerant acts, manifestations or expressions occur in order to eradicate impunity for those who commit xenophobic and racist acts;

Reaffirms the obligation of all States to enact the legislation necessary to prohibit the advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, and encourages States, in their follow-up to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, to include aspects relating to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities in their national plans of action and in this context to take forms of multiple discrimination against minorities fully into account;

Invites all States to put into practice the provisions of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief;Error: Reference source not found

Urges all States to provide, within their respective legal and constitutional systems, adequate protection against acts of hatred, discrimination, intimidation and coercion resulting from defamation of religions, and incitement to religious hatred in general;

Also urges all States to take all possible measures to promote tolerance and respect for all religions and beliefs and the understanding of their value systems and to complement legal systems with intellectual and moral strategies to combat religious hatred and intolerance;

Recognizes that the open, constructive and respectful debate of ideas, as well as interfaith and intercultural dialogue at the local, national and international levels, can play a positive role in combating religious hatred, incitement and violence;

Welcomes the recent steps taken by Member States to protect freedom of religion through the enactment or strengthening of domestic frameworks and legislation to prevent the defamation of religions and the negative stereotyping of religious groups;

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

Underscores the need to combat defamation of religions, and incitement to religious hatred in general, by strategizing and harmonizing actions at the local, national, regional and international levels through education and awareness-raising, and urges all States to ensure equal access to education for all, in law and in practice, including access to free primary education for all children, both girls and boys, and access for adults to lifelong learning and education based on respect for human rights, diversity and tolerance, without discrimination of any kind, and to refrain from any legal or other measures leading to racial segregation in access to schooling;

Calls upon all States to exert the utmost efforts, in accordance with their national legislation and in conformity with international human rights and humanitarian 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;

Calls upon the international community to foster a global dialogue to promote a culture of tolerance and peace at all levels, based on respect for human rights and diversity of religion and belief, and urges States, non-governmental organizations, religious leaders and bodies and the print and electronic media to support and foster such a dialogue;

Affirms that the Human Rights Council shall promote universal respect for all religious and cultural values and address instances of intolerance, discrimination and incitement of hatred against members of any community or adherents of any religion, as well as the means to consolidate international efforts in order to combat impunity for such deplorable acts;

Welcomes the initiative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the expert seminar on freedom of expression and advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, held on 2 and 3 October 2008, and requests the High Commissioner to continue to build on this initiative, with a view to concretely contributing to the prevention and elimination of all such forms of incitement and the consequences of negative stereotyping of religions or beliefs, and their adherents, on the human rights of those individuals and their communities;

Takes note of the efforts of the High Commissioner to promote and include human rights aspects in educational programmes, particularly the World Programme for Human Rights Education proclaimed by the General Assembly on 10 December 2004,¹⁷ and calls upon the High Commissioner to continue those efforts, with particular focus on:

¹⁷See resolutions 59/113 A and B.

The contributions of cultures, as well as religious and cultural diversity;

Collaboration with other relevant bodies of the United Nations system and regional and international organizations in holding joint conferences designed to encourage dialogue among civilizations and promote understanding of the universality of human rights and their implementation at various levels, in particular the Office of the United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the unit within the Secretariat mandated to interact with various entities within the United Nations system and coordinate their contribution to the intergovernmental process;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on the implementation of the present resolution, including the correlation between defamation of religions and the intersection of religion and race, the upsurge in incitement, intolerance and hatred in many parts of the world and steps taken by States to combat this phenomenon, to the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session.

Combating Defamation of Religions

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What else is in this group?

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