A/HRC/19/60/Add.1 I. Introduction 1. The Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief undertook a visit to Paraguay from 23 to 30 March 2011. The purpose of his visit was to identify both good practices and possibly existing or emerging obstacles to the full enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief in the country, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 6/37 and 14/11. 2. First and foremost, the Special Rapporteur would like to express his gratitude to the Government of Paraguay for having invited him as part of the standing invitation to all thematic special procedures mandate holders. The Special Rapporteur met with representatives of the Government, including the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for the Interior and the Vice-Minister for Worship, as well as high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Education and Culture. The Special Rapporteur also held meetings with the Human Rights Network of the Executive chaired by the Ministry of Justice; the Prosecutor General; the President of the National Institution for Indigenous Populations; the Ombudsman; and with provincial authorities in Ciudad del Este and Filadelfia (Chaco region). He also met with the United Nations agencies, funds and programmes present in Paraguay. 3. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur had meetings with representatives of a broad range of civil society organizations, members of different religious groups and representatives of indigenous peoples. In Asunción, Ciudad del Este and Filadelfia, he held talks with, inter alia, Adventists, Anglicans, Atheists, Buddhists, Candomblé communities, Evangelicals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews, Lutherans, Mennonites, Muslims, Protestants, Roman Catholics, Russian Orthodox Christians and Ukrainian Orthodox Christians. 4. In his meetings and discussions, the Special Rapporteur encountered a high degree of open and frank dialogue in diverse settings, and he greatly appreciated the precious input provided by the various stakeholders. The Special Rapporteur is also very grateful for the excellent support provided throughout his visit by the United Nations system in Paraguay, in particular by the team of the Human Rights Adviser of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the staff members of the United Nations Development Programme and the Resident Coordinator’s Office. II. International human rights standards 5. The right to freedom of religion or belief is enshrined in various international human rights instruments.1 These include articles 2, 18 to 20 and 26 and 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; article 2 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; article 5 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; articles 2, 14 and 30 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; and article 12 of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Paraguay has ratified all of the other above-mentioned human rights treaties, as well as Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169) of the International Labour Organization . 1 4 See E/CN.4/2005/61, paras. 15-20, and E/CN.4/2006/5, annex. See also the compilation of excerpts from reports on the mandate by the mandate holder, available from www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Religion/RapporteursDigestFreedomReligionBelief.pdf.