Elimination of all forms of religious intolerance : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

  • Author: UN General Assembly (45th sess. : 1990-1991)
  • Document source:
  • Date:
    14 December 1990

The General Assembly,

Conscious of the need to promote universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion,

Reaffirming its resolution 36/55 of 25 November 1981, by which it proclaimed the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief,

Recalling its resolution 44/131 of 15 December 1989, in which it requested the Commission on Human Rights to continue its consideration of measures to implement the Declaration,

Encouraged by the efforts being made by the Commission on Human Rights and by the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities to study relevant developments affecting the implementation of the Declaration,

Taking note of Commission on Human Rights resolution 1990/27 of 2 March 1990, and Economic and Social Council decision 1990/229 of 25 May 1990, by which the mandate of the Special Rapporteur appointed to examine incidents and governmental actions in all parts of the world that are incompatible with the provisions of the Declaration and to recommend remedial measures as appropriate was extended for two years,

Recognizing that it is desirable to enhance the promotional and public information activities of the United Nations in matters relating to freedom of religion or belief and that both Governments and non-governmental organizations have an important role to play in this domain,

Emphasizing that non-governmental organizations and religious bodies and groups at every level have an important role to play in the promotion of tolerance and the protection of freedom of religion or belief by, inter alia, engaging in the examination of the most effective means to promote the implementation of the Declaration,

Conscious of the importance of education in ensuring tolerance of religion and belief,

Seriously concerned that intolerance and discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief continue to occur in many parts of the world and that in some respects the incidence thereof has increased,

Believing that further efforts are therefore required to promote and protect the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief and to eliminate all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief,

Noting that the tenth anniversary of the proclamation by the General Assembly of the Declaration will occur in 1991 and that this will provide an opportunity to reinforce efforts aimed at the effective implementation of the Declaration,

1.         Reaffirms that freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief is a right guaranteed to all without discrimination;

2.         Urges States, therefore, in accordance with their respective constitutional systems and with such internationally accepted instruments as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, to provide, where they have not already done so, adequate constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, including the provision of effective remedies where there is intolerance or discrimination based on religion or belief;

3.         Urges all States to take all appropriate measures to combat intolerance and to encourage understanding, tolerance and respect in matters relating to freedom of religion or belief and, in this context, to examine where necessary the supervision and training of their civil servants, educators and other public officials to ensure that, in the course of their official duties, they respect different religions and beliefs and do not discriminate against persons professing other religions or beliefs;

4.         Calls upon all States to recognize, as provided in the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, 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;

5.         Also calls upon all States in accordance with their national legislation to exert utmost efforts to ensure that religious places and shrines are fully respected and protected;

6.         Urges all States to consider, in the context of the tenth anniversary in 1991 of the proclamation of the Declaration by the General Assembly, what further measures might be taken at the national and regional levels to promote the effective implementation of the Declaration;

7.         Invites the United Nations University and other academic and research institutions to undertake programmes and studies on the encouragement of understanding, tolerance and respect in matters relating to freedom of religion or belief;

8.         Considers it desirable to enhance the promotional and public information activities of the United Nations in matters relating to freedom of religion or belief and to ensure, especially in the context of the tenth anniversary of the proclamation of the Declaration, that appropriate measures are taken to this end in the World Public Information Campaign for Human Rights;

9.         Invites the Secretary-General to continue to give high priority to the dissemination of the text of the Declaration, in all the official languages of the United Nations, and to take all appropriate measures to make the text available for use by United Nations information centres, as well as by other interested bodies;

10.       Welcomes the efforts of non-governmental organizations to promote the implementation of the Declaration, including the Second International Conference on Ways to Promote the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, held at Warsaw from 14 to 18 May 1989;

11.       Requests the Secretary-General to invite interested non-governmental organizations to consider what further role they could envisage playing in the implementation of the Declaration and in its dissemination in national and local languages;

12.       Urges all States to consider disseminating the text of the Declaration in their respective national languages and to facilitate its dissemination in national and local languages;

13.       Welcomes the decision of the Economic and Social Council, based on the recommendation of the Commission on Human Rights at its forty-sixth session, to renew for two years the mandate of the Special Rapporteur appointed to examine incidents and governmental actions in all parts of the world that are incompatible with the provisions of the Declaration and to recommend remedial measures as appropriate;

14.       Notes that the Commission on Human Rights welcomed the working paper prepared by Mr. Theo van Boven, member of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, which contained a compilation of provisions relevant to the elimination of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief, as well as the issues and factors to be considered before any drafting of a further binding international instrument, and emphasizes, in this connection, the relevance of General Assembly resolution 41/120 of 4 December 1986 entitled "Setting international standards in the field of human rights";

15.       Requests the Commission on Human Rights to continue its consideration of measures to implement the Declaration and to report, through the Economic and Social Council, to the General Assembly at its forty-sixth session;

16.       Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-sixth session the item entitled "Elimination of all forms of religious intolerance" and to consider the report of the Commission on Human Rights under that item.

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