All States shall take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in the recognition, exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all fields of civil, economic, political, social and cultural life.

Introduction

When the 1981 U.N. Declaration was in draft stage, proposals were submitted on ways to promote tolerance and prevent discrimination in such areas as employment, education, housing, citizenship, voting, etc. These proposals were all wrapped into what became Article 4 of the 1981 U.N. Declaration. 22 The U.N. made it clear that all fields of society were to be included in a holistic strategy to promote tolerance and prevent discrimination based on religion or belief. States, institutions, groups of persons and persons (Article 2 classifications) were to be challenged to promote tolerance and prevent discrimination by supporting specific solutions in all fields of civil, economic, political, social and cultural life.

Objectives

Learn to record the depth and breadth of an effective policy to promote tolerance based on religion or belief in a community, by using the following civic areas identified by Article 4 of the 1981 U.N. Declaration.

• Civil
• Economic
• Political
• Social
• Cultural

Article 4: Effective Measures is the way in which solutions are recorded in the Community Resources Database, Community Information Database, and Community Report on Human Rights and Freedom of Religion or Belief. Read explanations for each civic field below and answer the questions in the Q&A for this study topic.

Term 4.1.1: Civil

Promoting tolerance and preventing discrimination in the civil context of Article 4 includes measures and programs in the public domain. Civil liberties include freedom of expression and security of a person along with the duties and responsibilities of citizenship. The civil service, in most countries, includes employment in government administration, i.e. civil engineers. Civil disobedience means non-violent opposition to government policies on grounds of conscience. Programs in all of these and many other areas of civil life are needed.

Term 4.1.2: Economic

Promoting tolerance and preventing discrimination based on religion or belief in an economic meaning has to do with the material needs of people, i.e. households, business, community or government. Economic prejudice or favoritism, of one religion or belief over another, is expressed in the production, distribution and consumption of wealth. Programs to prevent discrimination based on religion or belief in economic endeavors includes ensuring fairness and equal economic opportunity in both small and large businesses, community enterprises, non-state institutions, non-governmental organizations, hiring and employment.

Term 4.1.3: Political

The political area of community life, in the context of Article 4, is defined as participation in determining the form and objectives of government. This includes exercising political liberties such as voting, choosing officials, making laws and ways to participate in political parties. Programs directed at political parties are especially important as a way of teaching responsible citizenship in matters relating to religion or belief. In countries where the ideology and objectives of political parties identify with or are the same as a religion or belief, educational efforts in interfaith dialogue with politicians not of the majority party will help to ensure fair and equal treatment in the formation of laws affecting persons of all beliefs.

Term 4.1.4: Social

The definition of social in the context of Article 4 has to do with human beings living together as a nation, a group or a community of interest in which dealings with one another affect their common welfare. It includes such social areas as education, health, housing, welfare and the offering of assistance such as social services to the poor or handicapped, public playgrounds and recreation. Education curricula in public, private and religious schools, to promote tolerance and prevent discrimination based on religion or belief is obviously especially important as well as other forms of education such as libraries, newspapers and electronic media.

Term 4.1.5: Cultural

Culture is defined as the ideas, customs, skills and arts of a given group of people transferred, communicated or passed on from generation to generation. An international goal of this manual is “to increase understanding and respect for peoples of all cultures, civilizations, values and ways of life with a view to promoting dialogue on religion or belief.” Interfaith dialogue with a focus on cultural values is important to understanding between people of diverse religions or beliefs.

Related Examples

There have been numerous recommendations made by conferences over the years of what might be done to promote tolerance based on religion or belief. Unfortunately, few of these recommendations have been implemented. 23 Such recommendations include; the introduction of national and international standards in school and university curricula, organization of training courses for teachers, training members of law enforcement bodies and other public officials, encourage non-governmental organizations to establish a documentation center for violations, ask UNESCO to launch a world-wide campaign of posters, brochures and audio-visual materials, encourage mass media to exercise sensitivity in dealing with religious conflicts and minority groups, create multi-faith calendars and diaries, ensure the development of curricula at the primary, secondary, college and university levels, etc. The key to an effective community report on human rights and freedom of religion or belief is to develop solutions similar to these recommendations and actually promote their implementation as action programs at a local level.

Learning Experiences

Fill out the Community Resources List identifying each resource by one of the five civic fields. The name of each community resource should become a potential source for promotion of tolerance and prevention of discrimination based on religion or belief in your community. Additional learning experiences might include a research paper to document existing efforts in the fields of civil, economic, political, social and cultural life in the community. There should be examples in each community of acts of hope, charity and love for other people. Promoting programs in education and interfaith dialogue is an effective way of implementing the positive goals of the 1981 Declaration. A project might be to put together an educational program on this curriculum in churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and other religious settings. Article 4 enables you to categorize effective programs by civic fields and exchange information on programs in each of these fields with other monitors in other countries and communities. There is a section in Part III: Community Report on how to include best practices in your report to the United Nations.

TOPIC NOTES

PARAGRAPH 4.1: FIELDS OF CIVIC ACTIVITY

All States shall take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on grounds of religion or belief in the recognition, exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all fields of civil, economic, political, social and cultural life.

Term 4.1.1: Civil

Update your Community Resources List. Write the titles of five government or non-governmental civil programs that are candidates for listing in the solutions and best practices section of your community report.

Term 4.1.2: Economic

Update your Community Resources List. Write the titles of five government or non-governmental economic programs that are candidates for listing in the solutions and best practices section of your community report.

Term 4.1.3: Political

Update your Community Resources List. Write the titles of five government or non-government political programs that are candidates for listing in the solutions and best practices section of your community report.

Term 4.1.4: Social

Update your Community Resources List. Write the titles of five government or non-governmental social programs that will be candidates for the solutions and best practices section of your community report.

Term 4.1.5: Cultural

Update your Community Resources List. Write the titles of five government or non-governmental cultural programs that will be candidates for the solutions and best practices of your community report.

22. Ibid, footnote 20, p. 174 back

23. The United Nations held a two week seminar in Geneva Switzerland in 1984 for governments and non-governmental organizations on how to implement the 1981 U.N. Declaration. The seminar on Encouragement of Understanding, Tolerance and Respect in Matters Relating to Freedom of Religion or Belief, drafted seventeen recommendations for implementing the Declaration (U.N. Doc. A/39/51). back