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 UNITED NATIONS, HUMAN RIGHTS,FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF
 The Tandem Project  is a UN NGO in Special Consultative Status with theEconomic and Social Council of the United Nations
 Separation of  Religion or Belief and State UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL PANEL DISCUSSION  ANDINTERACTIVE DIALOGUE ON  A CULTURE OF TOLERANCE  AND PEACE
 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.  Tuesday, 14 June 2011 Resolution  A/HRC/16/18 - Combating Intolerance, Stereotyping, Discrimination andIncitement to  Violence & Discrimination Against Persons Based on Religion or Belief
 A-HRC-16-L.38 - Resolution  Combating Intolerance, Stereotyping, Discrimination & Incitement to  Violence Against Persons Based on Religion or Belief Introduced by Pakistan on  behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference  (OIC)  adopted  by consensus without a vote. Calls  for strengthened international efforts to foster a global dialogue for the  promotion of a culture of tolerance and peace at all levels, based on respect  for human rights and diversity of religions and beliefs, and decides to convene  a panel discussion on this issue at its seventeenth session within existing  resources. 
              
 Joint Submission  by three Special Rapporteur’s at April Nairobi Experts Workshop 
               “We very much appreciate that the Human  Rights Council has – after years of debate – ultimately found a way to  unanimously address these worrying phenomena without referring to concepts or  notions that would undermine international human rights law. In this context we  would like to emphasize the principle that individuals rather than religions  per se are the rights-holders.” - Mr.  Heiner Bielefeldt, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief;
 - Mr. Frank La Rue, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the  right to freedom of opinion and expression; and
 
 - Mr. Githu Muigai, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial  discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
 OHCHR Experts Workshop  Nairobi April 2011 
              
 The Tandem Project  1986 International Conference on Tolerance for Diversity of Religion or  Belief  http://www.tandemproject.com/tolerance.pdf
  The March 2011 Resolution  A/HRC/16/18 and the June 2011 panel discussion asked for local examples and  called for strengthened international efforts to foster a global dialogue for  the promotion of a culture of tolerance and peace at all levels, based on  respect for  human rights and diversity of religions or beliefs.   Twenty-five years ago The Tandem Project called for the same approach to Tolerance  for Diversity of Religion or Belief at local levels through twenty-seven  Community Strategies in the first International Conference on how to implement  Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the  1981 UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and  Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. These Community Strategies are as applicable  in June 2011 as they were in October 1986 and are offered here as a follow-up  to resolutions A/HRC/16/18 and the UN Human Rights Council Panel Discussion and  Interactive Dialogue on a Culture of Tolerance and Peace.    COMMUNITY STRATEGIES               1. Education--ways  in which broadly-based programs of education can be developed at all levels in  schools, government, universities, voluntary organizations, and the media; 2. Law--ways in which efforts can be supported to examine international  legal structures; national constitutions, national and local legislation, to  make sure there is a legal framework for the Declaration in each nation-state  of the U.N; 3. Development--ways in which organizations of  diverse ideologies may be able to work together on humanitarian service  projects in the "name and spirit" of tolerance, with mutual  understanding and respect for each other. 4. Analysis--ways in which  special studies, research, and curricula can be developed in theological  seminaries, universities, and colleges to combat and to eliminate intolerance  based on religion or belief; 
              
  GENEVA  –  The Experts Panel for the June Discussion included: Mr. Ahmer  Bilal Soofi, Pakistan; Mr. Doudou Diene, Senegal; Mr. Mario Marazziti, Italy,  Mr. Adil Akhmetov, Kazakhstan, Ms. Somona Santoro, Poland, Ms. Suzan Johnson  Cook, United States of America.  The opening address was by Ms. Navi  Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva. H.E.  Ambassador Mrs. Bente Angell Hansen, Norway, Vice Chair of the UN Human Rights  Council,  a video from the director of the UN Alliance of Civilizations,  and a message from the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic  Conference was read by Simane Chikh, H.E. Permanent Representative of the OIC  to the UN Office in Geneva. Thirty-two UN Member States and Observers gave  inter-active remarks to the Panel Discussion. Pakistan, sponsor of the  Resolution in March 2011, United Kingdom, Turkey and the United States of  America called the three hour presentation an important “first step” in  implementation of this historic resolution.  Titles of the  Panel of Experts and the Archived video and inter-active panel discussion: http://www.un.org/webcast/unhrc/archive.asp?go=110614 
              
 HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL NEWS Human Rights CouncilAFTERNOON
 14 June 2011
   Council  holds panel discussion on strengthened efforts to foster a global dialogue for  the promotion of a culture of tolerance and peace  BENTE ANGELL-HANSEN, Vice-President of the Human Rights  Council, in her introductory remarks said that today’s panel on the promotion  of the culture of tolerance would be focused on international efforts to foster  global dialogue for the promotion of a culture of tolerance and peace at all  levels, based on respect for human rights and diversity of religions and beliefs.  This panel would provide the Council with an opportunity to focus on the  implementation of practical actions to promote a culture of tolerance and peace  and consider measures aimed at eradicating intolerance, discrimination and  violence based on religion or belief, as well and enhancing social justice,  understanding and respect in multi-cultural societies.   NAVI PILLAY, United Nations High Commissioner for Human  Rights, said that Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 of 24 March 2011 aimed  at “combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of, and  discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against persons based on  religion or belief” was itself the result of constructive engagement and  dialogue. It provided a good platform for a better understanding of the  challenges faced and how the international community can surmount them. Over  the past years, several resolutions adopted by the United Nations noted that  intolerance, including anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Christianophobia was on the  increase. These phobias fuelled suspicion and mistrust and had led to incidents  of unequal treatment and violence against members of religious groups. Negative  stereotyping in the media or by extremist political parties, advocacy or  religious hatred, together with physical violence against religions also  continued to be alarming trends across the globe.  The World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination,  Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in 2001 as well as the Durban Review  Conference, and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination  through its General Comment XXV had highlighted that multiple forms of  discrimination may affect individuals and groups. For example, women all too  often suffered from discrimination on the grounds of both gender and religion  or belief. In some countries, laws continued to discriminate against women,  such as legislation that prohibited or imposed the donning of the veil in  public because of its religious symbolism. Migrants had similarly faced discrimination  on the basis of their status as well as descent, national or ethnic origin.  Around the world today there was an increase in anti-migrant sentiment and  discriminatory practices affecting their human rights. Xenophobia was often  triggered by intolerance against groups seen or feared as outsiders because of  their origin or customs or faith. Another consideration was the role of public  discourse in fostering xenophobia or in exacerbating xenophobic sentiment and  behavior. The High Commissioner said she was concerned about the increasingly  worrisome rhetoric of the popular media, some public officials and  personalities in many parts of the world. It was often purported that freedom of expression and freedom  of religion were contradictory. This was a mistaken assumption. These freedoms  were interdependent and mutually reinforcing. A balance should be sought  between these rights and there should not be an underestimation of the  difficulty of this balancing act. Recent incidents in various places around the  globe, including desecrations and attacks on sacred sites and places of worship  come to mind. States should be vigilant and respond immediately and  appropriately to such acts. Ultimately it was the State which bore the primary  obligation to protect victims of human rights violations and prevent  occurrences of intolerance, discrimination and violence against persons based  on their religion or belief. States should also act as catalysts for  intercultural dialogue. In this regard, education was crucial in fostering  respect for all human rights and religious diversity. By committing in practice  – through laws, measures, words and deeds – to all human rights, States could  promote religious harmony and facilitate the intercultural dialogue which would  help to create peaceful and stable societies.
  Statements by the Panelists  JORGE SAMPAIO, United Nations High Representative for the  Alliance of Civilizations, in a video statement, said that eleven years after  the adoption of the Millennium Declaration, which clearly recognized that a  culture of peace and dialogue among all civilizations should be actively  promoted, it was time for bold action. Mr. Sampaio noted that what was at stake  was for governments around the world to keep the promise of achieving commitments  emanating from the Declaration. It was necessary to commit with peoples of  every country and of every culture and faith, to speak out for the respect for  their rights and their freedoms. The international community, nations of the  world as well as international and regional organizations, in particular the  United Nations system, shared a common responsibility for managing worldwide  economic and social development as well as threats to international peace and  security.   The UN High Representative further noted that the  international community held collective responsibility to support fundamental  values, to uphold the principles of human dignity, equality and equity and to  actively promote a culture of peace and dialogue among all civilization and  cultures. Mr. Sampaio noted that a strong agenda focused on education, youth  and new media was probably the best way to move forward as well as leadership  by example. The UN High Representative further noted that within the  preparations of the Fourth Global Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations, which  would take place in December, in Doha, the Organization had reflected whether a  more targeted approach to a culture of tolerance, peace and dialogue”, inspired  by the Millennium Development Goals methodology and setting clear targets and  indicators to monitor progress, could be developed.   SLIMANE CHIKH, Permanent Observer of the Organization of the  Islamic Conference to the United Nations Office at Geneva, on behalf of  EKMELEDDIN INSANOGLU, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic  Conference, said it was during the address to the fifteenth session of the  Human Rights Council in Geneva that a new approach towards evolving a consensus  against incitement to violence and intolerance on religious grounds was outlined.  It was based on a firm belief that such incitement could endanger peaceful  coexistence and was antithetical to the very notion of a globalized world. The  eight points for action at the national and international levels formed the  basis of the consensus reflected in Human Rights Council resolution 16/18. It  would be further useful to discuss practical strategies at the national and  international levels to implement the alternative approach signified by  resolution 16/18, as would the identification of ways to promote a culture of  peace and tolerance based on respect for human rights and diversity of religion  and belief. It was required to evolve a normative approach on a consensual  basis at multilateral fora like the Council while addressing the concerns of  all parties. This was of vital concern and transcendental priority at the  Organization of the Islamic Conference. As mentioned in the resolution, steps  to end double standards and racial, national and religious profiling needed to  be taken. Such acts should not be condoned by States but duly addressed through  structured and sustained engagement. The human rights framework provided a  concrete basis for a result-oriented engagement in this regard and should be  utilized accordingly.   AHMER BILAL SOOFI, Lawyer and Expert on international  humanitarian law and human rights and President of the Research Society of  International Law in Pakistan, said that preventive and remedial measures in  instances of cases where derogatory stereotyping had taken place could be  divided into pre-violence and post-violence stages. The legal treatment of both  the phases was entirely different as the burden to restrain pre-violence might  be on the offender, and post-violence on the aggrieved. The scale of advocacy  of incitement would determine the scale of response. Invoking domestic response  was appropriate if incitement was attributed to an individual or two. But if  the scale was larger, some response at a global level might be required through  an institutionalized framework. Taking the case study of Islam, the threshold  to bear religious criticism was far higher than generally believed, Mr. Soofi  said. Advocacy for inciting violence was mostly attributed to the sermon maker  who could whip up sentiments through his public speaking skills and least  researched opinion or fatwas. As a result of the alims withdrawing from the  debate of tolerance for religious criticism, sermon givers had fully exploited  the consequent gap in the jurisprudence of religious tolerance. It was  therefore highly desirable for any global reputed body to have an  institutionalized, inter-faith debate amongst genuine religious scholars.  Another approach was to outsource this proposition to venues of legal experts  like International Law Commission that could develop a more clear set of  principles or draft framework that laid down parameters of interpretations  after taking into account the domestic laws and international trends. Also, an  exercise could be commissioned whereby an extensive study was carried out by legal  experts to collect and assess the domestic laws that criminalized acts that  were insulting to other religions, which would note common legal principles  States agreed on in their state practice and also the areas of divergence. Work  needed to be carried out for model draft legislation on criminalizing  incitement to imminent violence. Places of worship and religious sites needed  to be declared as special places under domestic legislation. In closing, Mr.  Soofi said that there was a need to develop a secretariat framework for the  updates or reports on efforts regarding the Human Rights Council’s resolution  16/18.   DOUDOU DIENE, Vice Chair of Institute Internationale de  Recherche Politique et de Civilization and Former United Nations Special  Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia  and related intolerance, suggested various means to ensure that Human Rights  Council resolution 16/18 would be implemented as it was an historical landmark  by bringing together different geographical groups. Intolerance was a serious  issue because there were two mutually reinforcing dynamics occurring at the  moment: the political institutionalization of intolerance and racism, which  paid in electoral terms and required immediate address; and the intellectual  and scientific legitimization of intolerance which promoted a clash of  civilizations. Mr. Diene stressed four major points, first that it was  important for the international community to grasp that combating intolerance  required a shift from ideological proclamations to human rights. Second, that  there should be an understanding that there was a shared ethics and moral  sphere and values that all religions contained. Third, the Human Rights Council  should document cases of intolerance and discrimination and this required an  instrument that would allow acts of intolerance to be quantified, which Mr.  Diene suggested be in the form on an Observatory located in the High  Commissioner’s Office. Fourth, there should be a promotion of mutual knowledge  of religious cultures. Finally, there should be a promotion of interaction to  ensure that issues related to identity would not feed into intolerance along  with a focus on a shared memory and development of the teaching of history. The  struggle against intolerance should be organized and structured so that  resolution 16/18 contained a clear roadmap for implementation.   MARIO MARAZZITI, Journalist and Spokesperson and Member of  the International Board of the Community of Sant’Egidio, said his brief  comments were based on the Community of Sant’Egidio’s experience in over 70  countries around the world. The Community of Sant’Egidio was born European. The  great conquests of secularism were impressed in its memory, although this  carried scars of intolerance, absolute hate, the Shoah, the extermination of  the Roma people and the frightful Armenian destiny. The fear of living with  others was so strong it became a killer. Europe had been put to a test by  inequality, immigration, poverty, social crisis in some sectors, as well as new  antagonisms which were really old antagonisms. The presence of minorities in  several regional realities had helped reduce the level of distrust and of  problematic co-existence and lessened extremist opposition. The immigrants  today represented a huge excuse for European anxiety. They became a scapegoat  for politics that had taken into consideration the anxieties and growing  economic crisis and lack of jobs. This was where religion could play a major  role. Religions were relevant phenomena in international politics, but  especially in daily co-existence in the lives of individuals. Understanding  religion had become a necessity. Mr. Marazzitti proposed that new joint media  be created in crucial areas, where people from all religious and secular backgrounds  could come together to represent others and create new languages for  journalists, opinion-leaders and teachers. A long-term strategy to change  language was necessary to heal the world and resolve conflict. Mr. Marazzitti  proposed to create, in every nation, a multi-national movement of immigrants  and other citizens to create a new society of mutual understanding.   ADIL AKHMETOV, Ambassador and Personal Representative of the  Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,  said that States could show their leadership in a number of areas, namely in  policies free of discrimination. Islam was often misrepresented as a political  ideology incompatible with the principles of democracy and human rights. The  enforcement of counter-terrorism policies was the first policy area that  deserved attention, and there was a need to warn those who might exploit the  fear of those overwhelmed by multicultural societies. Mr. Akhmetov expressed  his concern by discourse requesting migrants of Muslim background to abandon  their religious and cultural identity to be part of society. Of concern were  also legislative initiatives to restrict freedom of manifestation of religion  in Europe, such as banning burquas in all public places. Because of their  discriminatory character, such restrictions might constitute a violation of  freedom of religion. To remedy the disturbing phenomena, Mr. Akhmetov  encouraged States to develop educational tools to deal with discrimination  phenomena and disseminate them. He reminded States of their responsibilities to  maintain religious freedoms for everybody and said he was deeply disturbed by  some initiatives to ban manifestations of only Islamic symbols in public life  which was a violation of freedom of religion and led to further stigmatization  of Muslim minorities. As pointed out in the Organization for Security and  Co-operation in Europe Astana Declaration on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination,  the manifestation of intolerance in public discourse should be firmly condemned,  while respecting freedom of expression as recognized under international human  rights standards. It should also be underlined that international tensions and  conflicts could not justify any form of racism and xenophobia, including  anti-Semitism and intolerance against Muslims.  SIMONA SANTORO, Adviser on Freedom of Religion or Belief,  Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Office for Democratic  Institutions and Human Rights, said the Organization for Security and  Cooperation in Europe was a regional arrangement under Chapter VIII of the  United Nations Charter. The normative framework of the Organization for  Security and Cooperation in Europe was based on political commitments agreed  upon by consensus by participating States. Since 2003, a series of Ministerial  Council decisions were adopted by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs on the topic  of tolerance and non-discrimination which had three characteristics. Firstly,  they approached intolerance both from the perspective of broad forms of intolerance,  racism and xenophobia and specific forms of intolerance, such as anti-Semitism,  intolerance against Muslims and intolerance against Christians and members of  other religions. Secondly, they linked tolerance to respect for human rights  and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion or belief and freedom  of expression. Thirdly, they committed participating States to undertake a  series of practical measures to fight intolerance, including violent forms of  intolerance, in areas such as legislation, law enforcement, education, data  collection, monitoring of hate crimes, media, constructive public discourse and  the promotion of inter-cultural dialogue.   The Organization for Security and Cooperation had provided  support in two broad areas. The first was monitoring and reporting on hate  crimes and providing assistance in the fight against hate crimes, namely  legislation, training for law enforcement, data collection and education. The  second was in protecting and promoting freedom of religion or belief and  educational tools that promoted tolerance and understanding. The Organization  had prepared teaching materials, including the Toledo Guiding Principles which  offered practical guidance for participating States. In a survey carried out  following training, more than 50 per cent of the students that had used the  materials had changed their attitudes as a result. Programmes were developed  for capacity building of civil society and training was conducted in the area  of combating hate crimes. Supporting civil society groups to come together and  learn from each other’s experience could be very beneficial even if the  environments in which they operated varied. The training of Government  officials was critical; today was the first day of training for 12 members of  the State Committee for Religious Affairs of Kyrgyzstan while in Poland  training had already been delivered to over 200,000 police officers.   SUZAN JOHNSON COOK, Ambassador-at-Large for International  Religious Freedom and Head of the Office of International Religious Freedom at  the State Department of the United States, welcomed the opportunity to raise  awareness and discuss actions the international community could take to  implement the action-oriented approach laid out in the consensus resolution that  called for the panel. It was in the interest of security and stability  worldwide to ensure fundamental freedoms for people of all backgrounds and all  faiths to understand that religious freedom was a universal human right. States  had tools at their disposal to combat religious intolerance and in many cases  what was needed was the political will to use them. Leaders should stand ready  to condemn hateful ideology and vigorously defend the rights of individuals to  practice their religion freely. Legal safeguards were essential, but it was  better to create a climate that sought to prevent discrimination and violence  before it happened than to punish it after the fact. When an extremist pastor  in Florida threatened to, and then burned a Koran, President Obama and  political leaders condemned his behavior, which was reviled and rebuked by  virtually the entire society. It would be a productive exercise for political  leaders around the world to review their own reaction to similar events in  their countries and ask whether they had used their own leadership to make such  behavior unattractive. President Obama had emphasized the importance of  interfaith collaboration as a way to advance religious freedom. Leaders were  urged to condemn offensive expression, identify areas of tensions between  communities, train officials on outreach strategies and encourage leaders to  discuss causes of discrimination and potential solutions with their  communities. The suppression of speech often raised the profile of that speech,  giving an even greater voice to speech others might find offensive.   Discussion  During the interactive dialogue on the promotion of a culture  of tolerance, speakers said that Governments, civil society and the  international community as a whole should work in tandem to create the  necessary synergies to deal with the issue of religious intolerance and  discrimination on the basis of religion and belief. Speakers asked how the  United Nations could record instances of intolerance, negative stereotyping and  stigmatization of persons based on religion and belief and what was the best  way to increase political will around the world to tackle these problems.  Speakers said that history demonstrated how societies which were able to  positively integrate different religious communities were richer and more  prosperous, while those that chose to pursue exclusion along religious lines  were ravaged by internal conflicts and inevitable decline. Speakers said that  the media should consciously recognize its social responsibility to contribute  to a tolerant environment. Institutional and legislative reforms could be  undertaken to fight racism and intolerance by adapting domestic legislation to  be in line with international treaties because international human rights law  provided a powerful framework for the challenges that came with the complexity  of modern societies. 
 A holistic approach was required for the promotion of tolerance including  legislation with effective penalties for incitement to hatred, and awareness  campaigns to stress the benefits of cultural diversity and training in  different spheres of human rights for judges, public prosecutors and lawyers.  There was a concern that in several countries around the world racism,  religious extremism, ideological discrimination and institutionalization of  discrimination was increasing. Attacks against emblematic representations of  religion were a key factor in the rise of intolerance around the world. Many  speakers stressed that the most lasting and effective way to promote tolerance  of different religious beliefs and assist in minimizing discrimination on the  basis of religion was through awareness training and the development of a  comprehensive suite of education initiatives including the development of human  rights education for primary and secondary schools.
 Speakers said that States could foster a domestic environment  of tolerance through supporting national and local interfaith initiatives that  encouraged tolerance and dialogue by building stronger bonds of understanding  and cooperation among different religious groups. Many speakers noted the need  to promote a better understanding of Islam and called on States in the Muslim  world to show that there was no false choice between Islam on the one side and  devotion to human rights on the other side. Speakers asked how domestic efforts  could be combined with international campaigns to show that Islam was  completely compatible with international human rights and thereby create  momentum for a better understanding of Islam around the world. Increasing  manifestations of intolerance based on religious beliefs were of great concern  for all States and stressed the promotion of moderation with national centres  that could display exhibits and conduct seminars to demonstrate how tolerance  could work to build a culture of peace and dialogue.
  Speaking in the interactive dialogue in the panel were  Pakistan on behalf of the Organization for the Islamic Conference, Italy,  China, Morocco, the European Union, Cuba, Malaysia, Austria, Australia,  Algeria, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,  Maldives, Palestine on behalf of the Arab Group, Ireland and Kuwait.  During the interactive dialogue on the promotion of a culture  of tolerance, speakers said that an increased number of violent attacks against  minorities in all regions over the past year were an issue of concern. Hostile  concept of the other was increasing in all parts of the world, as evidenced by  attacks on places of worship, or use of racist propaganda in politics. There  was not one multi-religious and multicultural society in the world that was  free from discrimination and intolerance today, and discussions on human rights  were still marked by far too many prejudices and shortcuts. Combating  discrimination was crucial, since eradication of stereotypes and fear was a  major contribution to preventing violence, since intolerance bred intolerance.  The phenomenon must be combated with resolution and in a comprehensive manner  with a view to guaranteeing the universal right of individuals to freely  express their religion or belief without fear of being prosecuted or  discriminated against. A speaker noted that continuation of Islamophobia  seriously threatened peace and security at the global level and that was why  the international community must respond with a series of measures aimed at  combating discrimination and religious intolerance.  That was why this panel was an avenue towards constructive  and meaningful actions that the international community could take to promote  respect for religious differences. All States must ensure that their domestic  legislation was in line with international standards and in this regard, the  role of the independent judiciary could not be over-emphasized. The March  resolution of the Human Rights Council on combating intolerance provided clear  steps and constructive actions to promote respect for religious differences.  Many existing legal instruments authorized Governments to punish incitement to  hatred on religious grounds, while the measures proposed by the Organization  for Security and Cooperation in Europe Secretary-General merited the attention  of the Human Rights Council as well. It was noted that the construction of  tolerant societies must not be left to state agents alone, but other actors  must take an active part as well, including civil society and media. Speakers  stressed the fundamental importance of education, training and  awareness-raising in the protection of human rights and in promoting a culture  of tolerance and in particular involvement of the youth in education  programmes.   During the interactive dialogue, countries provided numerous  examples of combating discrimination and promoting tolerance in their  multicultural, multi-religious and diverse societies, such as protection of  religious monuments and rehabilitation of those destroyed during conflicts,  promotion of strong anti-discrimination laws, training of the police and law  enforcement officers, bringing together of religious and local leaders to  ensure constructive communication about local issues, and others. A speaker  announced the non-governmental organization Human Rights Summit that would take  place side-by-side with the United Nations General Assembly in September which  would demand accountability for human rights violations and abuses, including  discrimination and intolerance.   Speaking in the discussion were Azerbaijan, Switzerland,  Bahrain, Sweden, Senegal, United States, Turkey, Armenia, Bosnia and  Herzegovina, France, Iran, Iraq, Russian Federation and Brazil. United Nations  Watch also took the floor.  Concluding Remarks  SIMONA SANTORO, Advisor on Freedom of Religion or Belief of  the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Office for Democratic  Institutions and Human Rights in Warsaw, said that the comments made were  interesting and would contribute greatly to future work on this subject. The  commitment of governments in fighting intolerance was a key factor. If  governments took the initiative then actions were more effective. When  education materials were put in place with the support of governments, these  materials were more broadly distributed and used. Civil society also had a key  role as it had to deal directly with cases at the local level and provided aid  to victims. Civil society could play a key role in planning and implementing  policy. Ms. Santoro was glad that many interventions focused on education. If  freedom of religion or belief was widely taught, then intolerance was better  isolated.   AHMER BILAL SOOFI, Lawyer and expert on international  humanitarian law and human rights and President of the Research Society of  International law in Pakistan, made a point based on personal experience. He  noted that as a practicing lawyer he had access to files of various people who  had been involved in terrorist activities before the high court in Pakistan. He  noted that an examination of the mind-set of those people who had literally  declared war on the state or outside states, led one to conclude that the  absence of legal remedies was key with regard to this mindset. Mr. Soofi noted  that such a lack of a legal framework for remedies could be seen with a current  terrorist case in Chicago.  DOUDOU DIENE, Vice-Chair of the Institute internationale de  recherché politique et de civilization and former United Nations Special  Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia  and related intolerance, in his closing remarks said that racist and intolerant  platforms made it impossible in many countries to win the battle on the legal  front. Incitement to religious hatred was very poorly reflected in domestic  legislation, said Mr. Diene. At the heart of the debate was the essential issue  which was the way in which States dealt with the issue of diversity, how they  understood, it, how they approached it, and how they educated about it.  MARIO MARAZZITI, Journalist and Spokesperson and Member of  the International Board of the Community of Sant’Egidio, thanked participants  for the incredibly interesting conversation. Mr. Marazziti said it was  important to take into account that every religion was for life. He thus  encouraged States to never consider the use of the death penalty to defend religion.  There was a problem of monitoring offenses and thus a system of observatories  should be established. It was necessary to promote a culture of dialogue and  foster a new culture. This could include the establishment of task forces of  opinion leaders, teachers, religious leaders and others as well as the use of  mixed media to increase a new language and new vocabulary that would speed up  the process.   ADIL AKHMETOV, Ambassador and Personal Representative of the  Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE on Combating Intolerance and Discrimination  against Muslims, noted that every country or participant country had  unanimously supported the targets of the meeting. Judging by the speeches made,  every country was committed to the targets set by the panel. He quoted the Late  Reverend Paul the second, saying that the international community must not be  surprised by the differences between cultures, religions and civilizations,  rather that it should be surprised by the commonalities between cultures,  religions and civilizations.  SUZAN JOHNSON COOK, Ambassador-at-Large for international  religious freedom and Head of the Office of International Religious Freedom at  the State Department of the United States, in her closing remarks said that the  comments by delegations were constructive. Deliberate destruction of religious  objects was despicable and the United States authorities condemned such  actions. Apart from prosecution, there were other measures to deal with racism,  intolerance and racial discrimination, such as through education and creation  of links and collaborative networks between communities, together with the  creation of global inter-religious dialogue. _______________________________________________________________________________
 The Tandem Project a  non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1986 to build understanding,  tolerance, and respect for diversity of religion or belief, and to prevent  discrimination in matters relating to freedom of religion or belief. The Tandem  Project has sponsored multiple conferences, curricula, reference material and  programs on Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political  Rights- Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and  religion – and the 1981 United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of All  Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
 In 1968 the United  Nations deferred work on a legally-binding treaty on religious intolerance as  too complex and sensitive and passed a non-binding declaration in its place.  The Tandem Project believes until a core legally-binding human rights  Convention on Freedom of Religion or Belief  is adopted international  human rights law will be incomplete. It may be time to begin to consider  reinstating the 1968 Working Group to better organize and bring all matters  relating to freedom of religion or belief under one banner, a core  international human rights legally-binding treaty.  Documents Attached:  Background - Human Rights & Freedom of Religion or Belief; Can a Person who is Muslim Choose a Religion Other than Islam; USA - Universal Periodic Review & Freedom of Religion or Belief; United Nations History - Religion, Science & Inquiry |