THE 1981 U.N. DECLARATION: ARTICLE V.

5. 1 The parents or, as the case may be, the legal guardians of the child have the right to organize the life within the family in accordance with their religion or belief and bearing in mind the moral education in which they believe the child should be brought up.

5. 2 Every child shall enjoy the right to have access to education in the matter of religion or belief in accordance with the wishes of his parents or, as the case may be, legal guardians, and shall not be compelled to receive teaching on religion or belief against the wishes of his parents or legal guardians; the best interests of the child being the guiding principle.

Of course, parents have the right to raise their children in accordance with their own religion or belief, but, as clearly stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the evolving capacities of the child to form his/her own opinion have to be taken into account as well. -  Mr. Piet de Klerk, Ambassador-at-Large of the Netherlands on Human Rights, November 25, 2006

5. 3 The child shall be protected from any form of discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief. He shall be brought up in a spirit of understanding, tolerance, friendship among peoples, peace and universal brotherhood, respect for the freedom of religion or belief of others and in full consciousness that his energy and talents should be devoted to the service of his fellow men.

Our educational systems need to provide children with a broad orientation: from the very beginning, children should be taught that their own religion is one out of many and that it is a personal choice for everyone to adhere to the religion or belief by which he or she feels most inspired, or to adhere to no religion or belief at all. - Mr. Piet de Klerk, Ambassador-at-Large of the Netherlands on Human Rights, November 25, 2006

Another important step was taken exactly five years ago, when the Final Document on School Education in relation with Freedom of Religion or Belief, Tolerance and Non-discrimination was adopted in Madrid. There have been promising follow-up activities by governments and NGOs during global meetings of experts and exchanges of minds on regional levels. However, these implementation efforts need a fresh impetus in order to further develop strategies on how religious intolerance and discrimination can be prevented and how freedom of religion or belief can be promoted through education. - Asma Jahangir, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, November 25 2006

5. 5 Practices of a religion or belief in which a child is brought up must not be injurious to his physical or mental health or to his full development, taking into account Article 1, paragraph 3, of the present Declaration.

According to my experience as the UN Special Rapporteur, particular attention needs to be given to the vulnerable situation of certain groups, such as women, children, religious minorities, migrant workers, refugees and persons deprived of their liberty. - Asma Jahangir, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, November 25, 2006

The Tandem Project: a non-profit, non-governmental organization established in 1986 to build understanding and respect for diversity of religion or belief, and prevent discrimination in matters relating to freedom of religion or belief. The Tandem Project has sponsored multiple conferences, curricula, reference materials 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.

The Tandem Project initiative was launched in 1986 as the result of a co-founder representing the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) at a 1984 United Nations Geneva Seminar, Encouragement of Understanding, Tolerance and Respect in Matters Relating to Freedom of Religion or Belief, called by the UN Secretariat on ways to implement the 1981 UN Declaration. In 1986, The Tandem Project organized the first NGO International Conference on the 1981 UN Declaration.

The Tandem Project Executive Director: Michael M. Roan, mroan@tandemproject.com. 

Human Rights Education Manual on the 1981 UN Declaration: http://www.tandemproject.com