UNITED NATIONS' DECLARATIONS
ON RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE
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We have found two UN declarations related to religious freedom. One resolution (adopted
by the 36th session of the United Nations General Assembly on 1981-NOV-25) is shown below.
A second resolution (adopted by the 48th session on 1993-DEC-20)
is also listed.
1981 Resolution
It includes declarations on the topics of:
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religious intolerance |
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freedom of religion |
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discrimination on the basis of religion or belief |
TITLE:
Resolution Adopted By The General Assembly. 36/55.
Declaration On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Intolerance And Of Discrimination Based
On Religion Or Belief
TEXT:
The General Assembly,
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Considering that one of the basic principles of the Charter of the United Nations is
that of the dignity and equality inherent in all human beings, and that all Member States
have pledged themselves to take joint and separate action in cooperation with the
Organization to promote and encourage universal respect for and observance of human rights
and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or
religion, |
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Considering that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International
Covenants on Human Rights proclaim the principles of non-discrimination and equality
before the law and the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, |
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Considering that the disregard and infringement of human rights and fundamental
freedoms, in particular of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or
whatever belief, have brought, directly or indirectly, wars and great suffering to
mankind, especially where they serve as a means of foreign interference in the internal
affairs of other States and amount to kindling hatred between peoples and nations, |
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Considering that religion or belief, for anyone who professes either, is one of the
fundamental elements in his conception of life and that freedom of religion or belief
should be fully respected and guaranteed, |
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Considering that it is essential to promote understanding, tolerance and respect in
matters relating to freedom of religion and belief and to ensure that the use of religion
or belief for ends inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations, other relevant
instruments of the United Nations and the purposes and principles of the present
Declaration is inadmissible, |
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Convinced that freedom of religion and belief should also contribute to the attainment
of the goals of world peace, social justice and friendship among peoples and to the
elimination of ideologies or practices of colonialism and racial discrimination, |
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Noting with satisfaction the adoption of several, and the coming into force of some,
conventions, under the aegis of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies, for
the elimination of various forms of discrimination, |
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Concerned by manifestations of intolerance and by the existence of discrimination in
matters of religion or belief still in evidence in some areas of the world, |
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Resolved to adopt all necessary measures for the speedy elimination of such intolerance
in all its forms and manifestations and to prevent and combat discrimination on the ground
of religion or belief, |
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Proclaims this Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of
Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief: |
Article 1
- Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right
shall include freedom to have a religion or whatever belief of his choice, and freedom,
either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his
religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
- No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have a religion or
belief of his choice.
- Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as
are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health or morals
or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
Article 2
- No one shall be subject to discrimination by any State, institution, group of persons,
or person on grounds of religion or other beliefs.
- For the purposes of the present Declaration, the expression "intolerance and
discrimination based on religion or belief" means any distinction, exclusion,
restriction or preference based on religion or belief and having as its purpose or as its
effect nullification or impairment of the recognition, enjoyment or exercise of human
rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis.
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Article 3Discrimination between human beings on grounds of religion or belief constitutes an
affront to human dignity and a disavowal of the principles of the Charter of the United
Nations, and shall be condemned as a violation of the human rights and fundamental
freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and enunciated in detail
in the International Covenants on Human Rights, and as an obstacle to friendly and
peaceful relations between nations.
Article 4
- 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.
- All States shall make all efforts to enact or rescind legislation where necessary to
prohibit any such discrimination, and to take all appropriate measures to combat
intolerance on the grounds of religion or other beliefs in this matter.
Article 5
- 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.
- 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.
- The child shall be protected from any form of discrimination on the ground of religion
or belief. He shall be brought up in a spirit of understanding, tolerance, friendship
among peoples, peace and universal brotherhood, respect for 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.
- In the case of a child who is not under the care either of his parents or of legal
guardians, due account shall be taken of their expressed wishes or of any other proof of
their wishes in the matter of religion or belief, the best interests of the child being
the guiding principle.
- Practices of a religion or beliefs 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.
Article 6In accordance with article 1 of the present Declaration and subject to the provisions
of article 1, paragraph 3, the right freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief
shall include, inter alia, the following freedoms:
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(a) To worship or assemble in connection with a religion or belief, and to establish and
maintain places for these purposes; |
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(b) To establish and maintain appropriate charitable or humanitarian institutions; |
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(c) To make, acquire and use to an adequate extent the necessary articles and materials
related to the rites or customs of a religion or belief; |
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(d) To write, issue and disseminate relevant publications in these areas; |
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(e) To teach a religion or belief in places suitable for these purposes; |
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(f) To solicit and receive voluntary financial and other contributions from individuals
and institutions; |
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(g) To train, appoint, elect or designate by succession appropriate leaders called for
by the requirements and standards of any religion or belief; |
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(h) To observe days of rest and to celebrate holidays and ceremonies in accordance with
the precepts of one's religion or belief; |
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(i) To establish and maintain communications with individuals and communities in matters
of religion and belief at the national and international levels. |
Article 7
The rights and freedoms set forth in the present Declaration shall be accorded in
national legislation in such a manner that everyone shall be able to avail himself of such
rights and freedoms in practice.
Article 8
Nothing in the present Declaration shall be construed as restricting or derogating from
any right defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International
Covenants on Human Rights.
1993 Resolution
TITLE:
Resolution Adopted By The General Assembly. 48/128.
ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE
TEXT:
The General Assembly,
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Recalling that all States have pledged themselves, under the Charter of the United
Nations, to promote and encourage universal respect for and observance of human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion, | |
Recognizing that those rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human person, | |
Reaffirming that discrimination against human beings on the grounds of religion or
belief constitutes an affront to human dignity and a disavowal of the principles of the
Charter, | |
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 47/129 of 18 December 1992, in which it requested the Commission
on Human Rights to continue its consideration of measures to implement the
Declaration, | |
Taking note of Commission on Human Rights resolution 1993/25 of 5 March 1993, | |
Reaffirming the call of the World Conference on Human Rights for all Governments
to take all appropriate measures in compliance with their international obligations and
with due regard to their respective legal systems to counter intolerance and related
violence based on religion or belief, including practices of discrimination against women
and the desecration of religious sites, recognizing that every individual has the right to
freedom of thought, conscience, expression and religion, | |
Recalling Commission on Human Rights resolution 1992/17 of 21 February 1992, in
which the Commission decided to extend for three 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, and recalling also Economic and Social Council
decision 1992/226 of 20 July 1992, | |
Welcoming the appointment of Mr. Abdelfattah Amor as Special Rapporteur of the Commission
on Human Rights, and calling upon all Governments to cooperate with the Special
Rapporteur to enable him to carry out his mandate fully, | |
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, | |
Conscious of the importance of education in ensuring tolerance of religion and belief, | |
Alarmed that serious instances, including acts of violence, of intolerance and
discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief occur in many parts of the world, as
evidenced in the report of the former Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human
Rights, Mr. Angelo Vidal d'Almeida Ribeiro, | |
Reaffirming the dismay and condemnation expressed by the World Conference on Human
Rights at the continued occurrence of gross and systematic violations and situations
that constitute serious obstacles to the full enjoyment of all human rights, including
religious intolerance, | |
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
hatred, intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief,
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1. Reaffirms that freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief is a human right
derived from the inherent dignity of the human person and guaranteed to all without
discrimination; |
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2. Urges States to ensure that their constitutional and legal systems provide full
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; |
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3. Recognizes that legislation alone is not enough to prevent violations of human
rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief; |
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4. Urges all States therefore to take all appropriate measures to combat hatred,
intolerance and acts of violence, including those motivated by religious extremism, and to
encourage understanding, tolerance and respect in matters relating to freedom of religion
or belief; |
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5. Urges States to ensure that, in the course of their official duties, members of law
enforcement bodies, civil servants, educators and other public officials respect different
religions and beliefs and do not discriminate against persons professing other religions
or beliefs; |
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6. 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 those purposes; |
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7. 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; |
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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
that appropriate measures are taken to this end in the World Public Information
Campaign for Human Rights; |
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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 the United Nations
information centres, as well as by other interested bodies; |
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10. Encourages the continuing efforts on the part 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; |
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11. Encourages Governments to give serious consideration to inviting the Special
Rapporteur to visit their countries so as to enable him to fulfill his mandate even more
effectively; |
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12. Recommends that the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of thought,
conscience and religion be given appropriate priority in the work of the United Nations
program of advisory services in the field of human rights, including work on the drafting
of basic legal texts in conformity with international instruments on human rights and
taking into account the provisions of the Declaration; |
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13. Notes with interest the adoption by the Human Rights Committee of a general
comment on article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, dealing
with freedom of thought, conscience and religion; |
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14. Welcomes the efforts of non-governmental organizations to promote the implementation
of the Declaration; |
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15. 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; |
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16. 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; |
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17. Requests the Commission on Human Rights to continue its consideration of
measures to implement the Declaration; |
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18. Decides to consider the question of the elimination of all forms of religious
intolerance at its forty-ninth session under the item entitled Human rights questions. |
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Essay created: 1996-SEP-21
Latest update: 2006-SEP-07
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