A/67/303 to manifest one’s religion or belief 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”. Thus, limitations imposed on the right to try to convert others require a legal basis; they must pursue one of the legitimate aims exhaustively listed in article 18 (3); they should be clearly and narrowly defined; they must be proportionate; and they should not be implemented in a discriminatory manner. By contrast, general provisions against “proselytism”, a term that often remains undefined or merely vaguely circumscribed while typically carrying negative connotations would not suffice to meet the criteria prescribed in article 18 (3). 29. The Special Rapporteur notes that some religious communities, interfaith organizations and non-governmental organizations have developed voluntary ethical guidelines or voluntary codes of conduct on how to undertake and not to undertake missionary activities. 18 Those subscribing to such guidelines commit to respecting ethical principles, such as avoiding negative stereotypes, showing sensitivity for different cultural contexts and not linking charity work or humanitarian aid to expectations of conversion. While appreciating the significance of such ethical guidelines, which can have a beneficial effect on interreligious communication and cooperation, the Special Rapporteur emphasizes that they should be respected as voluntary and cannot be enforced by States. Moreover, reference to such voluntary guidelines or codes of conduct must not become a pretext for States to circumvent the criteria set out in article 18 (3) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights when imposing limitations on the right to try to convert others by means of non-coercive persuasion. 4. Rights of the child and of his or her parents 30. Pursuant to article 18 (4) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, States parties undertake “to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions”. This provision has been reaffirmed by article 5 (1) of the 1981 Declaration, which states: “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.” 31. At the same time, the Convention on the Rights of the Child recalls that parents’ rights must always be seen in conjunction with the human rights of the child. Article 14 (1) of the Convention requires States to “respect the rights of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion”. Article 14 (2) obliges States __________________ 18 12-46130 See World Council of Churches, Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, World Evangelical Alliance, “Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct” (Bangkok, 2011). See also Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, “Guidelines for Review of Legislation Pertaining to Religion or Belief”, 2004; Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief, “Missionary Activities and Human Rights: Proposing a Code of Conduct regarding Missionary Activities”, 2008; International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), “Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Disaster Relief”, 1994, available from www.ifrc.org/en/publications-andreports/code-of-conduct/. 11