E/CN.4/1987/35 page 26 V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusions 88. From the information collected by the Special Rapporteur, it is apparent that intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief is a common phenomenon throughout the world. Although the adoption of a Declaration in November 1981 was undoubtedly an important step in combating it, manifestations of intolerance and discrimination in matters of religion or belief nevertheless continue to occur in many countries. Occurrences such as the forced assimilation of religious minorities, arbitrary intervention by the State in religious or spiritual questions, confrontations between supporters of different ideologies or beliefs and persecution and discrimination for reasons of religion or belief are unfortunately very widespread. 89. The practice of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief occurs in varying degrees in nearly all economic, social and ideological systems and in all regions of the world. Using the information made available to him, the Special Rapporteur has noted manifestations of this practice in more than 40 countries; although he has observed them in countries where there is a single dominant religion, he has also found them in large countries where, despite the co-existence of many religions, political or ideological factors sometimes contribute to interfere with freedom of worship. 90. Although most countries establish freedom of thought, conscience and religion in their legislation, and often in their Constitution, the existence of a contradiction is often noted between these general provisions and other texts of laws or administrative decrees establishing measures that infringe the right to freedom of religion and belief. 91. Chapter IV, section B, provides a summary of the various forms religious intolerance may take. Sometimes, the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion is repressed at its very core, by a ban on any manifestation of a religion or belief. In other cases, however, the enjoyment of this right is impeded in one of its specific manifestations, such as, for example, certain acts of worship. Between these two extremes, there is a spectrum of measures and actions inconsistent with the provisions of the 1981 Declaration; in the majority of cases, a series of restrictions in different areas affect the followers of one or several beliefs in one particular country. 92. No religion or belief is favoured over others or spared in this connection; intolerance is not confined to a given belief, and manifestations of it may be seen everywhere. The universality of the phenomenon may be attributed to the diversity of factors mentioned in chapter IV, section A, which are an obstacle to the implementation of the principle of tolerance in matters of religion or belief. Thus, at the legislative level, there are cases where certain religions, considered to be heretical by the supporters of the official faith, are prohibited and their followers deprived of all legal protection. These legislative obstacles may be replaced by, or often combined with, political, economic or cultural factors.