E/CN.4/1987/35 page 6 II. MANDATE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR 12. Since the adoption in November 1981 of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, the question of the measures required to implement the provisions of the Declaration has been considered, at the request of the General Assembly, by the Commission on Human Rights and the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. The study undertaken by Mrs. Odio Benito, Special Rapporteur of the Sub-Commission, on the root causes and current dimensions of the general problems of intolerance and of discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief was mentioned earlier. 13. On 10 March 1986, the Commission on Human Rights adopted resolution 1986/20, in which it stated that it was "Seriously concerned by frequent, reliable reports from all parts of the world which reveal that, because of governmental actions, universal implementation of the Declaration has not yet been achieved" (third preambular paragraph) and in which it decided, in view of incidents and governmental actions inconsistent with the provisions of the Declaration, "... to appoint for one year a special rapporteur to examine such incidents and actions and to recommend remedial measures, including, ... the promotion of a dialogue between communities of religion or belief and their Governments;" (para. 2 ) . 14. Further, the Special Rapporteur was requested to "... seek credible and reliable information ..." (para. 4 ) , and invited to "... carry out his work with discretion and independence" (para. 7 ) . 15. The Commission requested the Special Rapporteur to submit a report to it "... on his activities regarding questions involving implementation of the Declaration ... together with his conclusions and recommendations" (para. 8 ) . 16. The Chairman of the Commission, after consultations with the members of the Bureau, appointed Mr. Angelo Vidal d'Almeida Ribeiro as Special Rapporteur. 17. The provisions of Commission on Human Rights resolution 1986/20 clearly identify the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief as the framework and basic reference for the Special Rapporteur's activities, determining, in substance, the limits of these activities. What is needed is an assessment of incidents of intolerance and governmental actions connected therewith in the light of their consistency or otherwise with the provisions of the Declaration. 18. The Declaration proclaims the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to have and to manifest, free from coercion, a religion or belief of one's choice, either individually or in community with others, in public or private, in worship, observance, practice and teaching (art. 1 ) . Any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on religion or belief is prohibited (arts. 2 and 3 ) . States are required to take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief and to amend their legislation accordingly (art. 4 ) . The Declaration goes on to address the right of parents to raise their children according to the religion or belief of their choice, the right of children to have access to education in the matter of religion or belief in accordance with the wishes of their parents, and the protection of children from any form of discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief (art. 5 ) . It also