A/69/261 openly discriminate against religious or belief minorities within their staff, this will likely have negative spillover effects on private employers who may feel encouraged to impose similar restrictions on their own staff. By contrast, policies that create an atmosphere of religious tolerance for employees working in public institutions can also serve as positive models for private sector employers. 44. Besides this special responsibility concerning the employment policies of State institutions, States are obliged to create effective anti-discrimination laws for the society at large, including the private sector. Such laws must also cover discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief. The Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief sends a strong message by proclaiming, in article 3, that “discrimination between human beings on the grounds of religion or belief constitutes an affront to human dignity and a disavowal of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations”. State responsibility to overcome religious discrimination in this area includes the regulation of employment in public institutions and the private sector through non-discrimination stipulations in general labour laws and other measure s. Finally, the State is responsible for tackling the root causes of religious intolerance and related abuses, for instance, by providing anti-bias education in schools or by taking steps to counter negative stereotypes presented in the media. 18 45. While States have undertaken formal obligations under international human rights law, non-State actors also have a responsibility to combat intolerance and discrimination in the workplace. This particularly concerns employers, trade unions and consumer organizations. They should all use their specific potential to contribute to a climate of open-mindedness and an appreciation of diversity in the workplace as part of normal life. 2. Tackling concealed and indirect forms of intolerance or discrimination 46. Apart from straightforward expressions of religious intolerance and direct discrimination against religious minorities, intolerance and discrimination can also occur in more concealed or indirect forms which are not always easy to detect. They often remain hidden by seemingly “neutral” rules which, although on the surface applying to everyone equally, can have disproportionately negative effects on some people. For instance, the management of holidays at the workplace typically reflects the dominant religious and cultural tradition in a country. Whereas adherents of majority religions usually do not encounter great problems when trying to combine their work-related obligations with the celebration of their religious holidays, the situation of religious or belief minorities may be much more complicated. Additional problems may arise for people who feel a religious obligation not to work on specific days during the week. For instance, some Jews or Seventh -DayAdventists have lost their jobs as a result of their r efusal to work on Saturdays, and the same has happened to both Muslims and Christians who objected to working on Fridays or Sundays, respectively. Another example of possible indirect discrimination concerns dress code regulations which, in the name of “co rporate identity” or for other reasons, prohibit employees from wearing religious garments. While on the surface such regulations may appear to affect all staff members equally, in practice they can impose disproportionate burdens on members of __________________ 18 14-58756 See the Rabat Plan of Action on the prohibition of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence (A/HRC/22/17/Add.4), appendix. 13/23