A/74/358 I. Activities 1. In its resolution 40/10, adopted on 21 March 2019, the Human Rights Council extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief for a period of three years. The current mandate holder, Ahmed Shaheed, assumed his mandate on 1 November 2016, following his appointment by the Council during its thirty-second session. 2. An overview of the activities of the mandate holder between 1 August 2018 and 28 February 2019 is provided in the report presented to the Human Rights Council at its fortieth session (A/HRC/40/58). In addition, the Special Rapporteur undertook a country mission to the Netherlands from 28 March to 5 April and to Sri Lanka from 15 to 26 August 2019. The Special Rapporteur participated in workshops that examined the overlaps between freedom of religion or belief and the Sus tainable Development Goals, held in Geneva and in Oslo, and organized workshops in Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Tunis, Colombo and Geneva to assess the relationship between gender equality and freedom of religion or belief. He also addressed the informal meeting of the General Assembly on combating antisemitism and other forms of racism and hate, held in New York on 26 June. In July, he participated in the Global Conference for Media Freedom, held in London, and in the ministerial conference on religious freedom held in Washington, D.C. 3. The details of the consultations that he conducted for the present report are listed in paragraph 8 below. II. Combating antisemitism to eliminate discrimination and intolerance based on religion or belief 4. Amidst an apparent surge in hate motivated by religious animus worldwide, hostility, discrimination and violence motivated by anti semitism have received scant attention as a human rights issue. Overall, data collection worldwide is limited, and in many States antisemitic harassment is significantly underreported. 1 Nevertheless, reports of hostility, discrimination and violence motivated by anti semitism have increased in many parts of the world. 2 Official and non-governmental monitors worldwide recorded a significant rise in the number of antisemitic incidents in 2017 and 2018, and reports of violent manifestations of antisemitism (physical attacks with or without weapons) increased by 13 per cent globally in 2018. 3 Studies also demonstrate that anxiety is high among Je wish communities in numerous jurisdictions. In one survey, it was found that 85 per cent of respondents felt that antisemitism was a serious problem in their respective countries, 34 per cent reported that they avoided visiting Jewish events or sites because of safety concerns, and 38 per cent had considered emigrating because they did not feel safe as Jews. 4 Additionally, some States impose formal barriers to the enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief by Jewish persons, including measures that prohibit the donning of religious attire or impose, though not necessarily out of anti semitic motivations, limits on the religious rite of male circumcision and restrictions on kosher slaughter practices. __________________ 1 2 3 4 19-16257 Based on consultations with Jewish communities conducted by the Special Rapporteur. See www.kantorcenter.tau.ac.il/sites/default/files/Antisemitism%20Worldwide%202018.pdf . See also A/74/253. See www.kantorcenter.tau.ac.il/sites/default/files/Antisemitism%20Worldwide%202018.pdf . European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Experiences and Perceptions of Antisemitism: Second Survey on Discrimination and Hate Crime against Jews in the EU , pp. 16 and 31. 3/23