A/56/253 human rights and to the emergence of attitudes and conduct reflecting tolerance and non-discrimination. School, as the essential element in the educational system, can therefore be an essential and preferred vehicle for preventive action. 109. Let us recall that, in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the World Conference on Human Rights reaffirmed that:5 “States are duty-bound, as stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and in other international human rights instruments, to ensure that education is aimed at strengthening the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The World Conference on Human Rights emphasizes the importance of incorporating the subject of human rights education programmes and calls upon States to do so. Education should promote understanding, tolerance, peace and friendly relations between the nations and all racial or religious groups and encourage the development of United Nations activities in pursuance of these objectives. Therefore, education on human rights and the dissemination of proper information, both theoretical and practical, play an important role in the promotion and respect of human rights with regard to all individuals without distinction of any kind such as race, sex, language or religion, and this should be integrated in the education policies at the national as well as international levels.” 110. On the basis of Commission resolution 1994/18 of 25 February 1994 entitled “Implementation of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination based on Religion or Belief”, whereby the Special Rapporteur was encouraged to examine the contribution that education could make to the more effective promotion of religious tolerance, the Special Rapporteur undertook, in 1994, a survey by means of a questionnaire sent to States, on problems relating to freedom of religion or belief as seen in the curricula and textbooks of primary or elementary and secondary educational institutions. 111. From the review of the results of the analysis of the responses of 77 States to this questionnaire and other information drawn from research done on countries which have not responded, as well as the experiences of certain international, regional, national, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, the Special Rapporteur saw a need to hold an international consultative conference on school education in relation to freedom of religion or belief, tolerance and nondiscrimination. 112. This conference, which is to be held in Madrid from 23 to 25 November 2001 with the cooperation of the Government of Spain, has the following goal and objective: Goal of the conference 113. The goal of the conference will be the preparation of an international school strategy centred on the right to freedom of religion and belief among primary or elementary and secondary school. The conference will consider a draft document containing a set of recommendations to guide the preparation of school curricula and textbooks and the training of teachers on education for tolerance and nondiscrimination on the basis of religion or belief, taking into account the relevant international human rights instruments (art. 18 of the Universal Declaration of 32