A/HRC/25/66 In its general comment No. 22 (1993) on the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, the Committee further stressed that the terms “belief” and “religion” should be broadly construed and that application of article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights must not be limited to traditional or established religions. The State must therefore also ensure non-discrimination and equal enjoyment of human rights for smaller, dispersed or newly arrived religious communities. The right for individuals to selfidentify as belonging to a religious minority or not to do so must be recognized, and discussions should not be limited to officially recognized groups. 8. The term “religious minorities” as used in the present document therefore encompasses a broad range of religious or belief communities, traditional and nontraditional, whether recognized by the State or not, including more recently established faith or belief groups, and large and small communities, that seek protection of their rights under minority rights standards. Non-believers, atheists or agnostics may also face challenges and discrimination and require protection of their rights. Attention should likewise be given to the situation of religious minorities where they form the minority in a particular region or locality, but not in the country as a whole. 9. The diversity that exists within minority religious groups must be recognized. The rights of every single member of such minority groups must be respected fully. Religious minorities may also be national, ethnic or linguistic minorities. Discrimination against them may be compounded, intersectional, and based not only on their religious identity but also on their ethnic, linguistic or other identity, and on perceptions of them as being the “other” or not fully belonging. Women and girls belonging to religious minorities may experience multiple or intersectional forms of discrimination in the course of their interactions within and outside their group. A gender perspective that takes into account the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that minority women and girls might face is critical when addressing minority rights and the situation of minority women and girls in a given religious minority group, and in a particular country. 10. In their efforts to guarantee the rights of religious minorities, all stakeholders are encouraged to refer to the substantive and action-oriented recommendations made at the five previous sessions of the Forum, focusing on the key thematic areas of minorities and the right to education, effective political participation, effective participation in economic life, ways to guarantee the rights of minority women and girls, and effective implementation of the Declaration.1 These recommendations equally apply to religious minorities and should be considered as complementary to the recommendations contained in the present document, which are aimed at addressing particular areas of concern to religious minorities. 11. All measures taken with a view to implementing the recommendations made at the Forum session should be, to the fullest extent possible, developed, designed, implemented and reviewed with the full and effective participation of religious minorities, including women. The conditions allowing for such collaboration and the mechanisms to facilitate consultation should be put in place by all actors involved. Efforts should also be made to ensure that the diverse views within minority groups, including those of religious leaders but also of other members of the community, are sought and taken into account in the process. All efforts should be made to ensure that the principle of self-identification/selfunderstanding of members of religious minorities is respected. 1 4 See previous recommendations of the Forum in A/HRC/10/11/Add.1, A/HRC/13/25, A/HRC/16/46, A/HRC/19/71 and A/HRC/22/60.