A/56/253 the High Commissioner held a seminar on “Enriching the Universality of Human Rights: Islamic perspectives on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”. The High Commissioner participated in the Oslo Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in August 1998, among others, and has sent messages, in particular to the Nuremburg conference in September 1999 on “Human rights: Promoted by religion, threatened by religion”. She also signed the Geneva Spiritual Appeal of 24 October 1999 at an inter-faith religious service attended by representatives of various religions and the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Health Organization. On 15 June 2001, a special publication entitled Sacred rights: Faith Leaders on Tolerance and Respect was issued, as a result of the Millennium World Peace Summit, as part of the preparations for the Durban conference. In this context, the High Commissioner called on religious leaders to establish an “annual interreligious and international day of celebration of diversity to put emphasis on the enriching character of human diversity.” Finally, it should be noted that the Durban and Madrid conferences, in accordance with the wishes of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in particular, are taking place within the framework of the Year of Dialogue among Civilizations, and therefore the dialogue among religions. 129. The Special Rapporteur also wishes to recall the relevance of the recommendations made at the Seminar on the encouragement of understanding, tolerance and respect in matters relating to freedom of religion or belief organized in December 1984 by what was then known as the United Nations Centre for Human Rights: “The seminar recommended that: “... “(h) Religious bodies and groups at every level have a role to play in the promotion and protection of religious freedoms or beliefs. They should foster the spirit of tolerance within their ranks and between religions or beliefs. Interfaith dialogue based on the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief should be pursued at all levels. The seminar also recommends that the text of the Declaration be disseminated to their members as a basis for instruction and that religious bodies consider recommending a common day of prayer or of dedication to the aims set out in the Declaration. Other groups are similarly recommended to consider a day of dedication to the aims of the Declaration.” 130. In addition to his contribution to the UNESCO Committee and to the various events mentioned above (conferences, seminars, etc.), the Special Rapporteur has always been concerned with encouraging interreligious dialogue. For example, he has made specific recommendations in his reports on in situ visits, whether so-called traditional missions or visits to the major communities of religion or belief. In that regard, it should be specified that this “new” category of visits, for instance the visit to the Vatican in 1999, has the particular purpose of examining activities undertaken in the area of interreligious dialogue and offering a pathway for all towards the objectives, methods and mechanisms of interreligious dialogue. The Special Rapporteur has also included the question of interreligious dialogue into his general reports and into the framework of the Madrid international consultative conference on school education in relation to freedom of religion or belief, tolerance and nondiscrimination (see above). 36