United Nations General Assembly A/HRC/55/47/Add.2 Distr.: General 2 April 2024 Original: English Human Rights Council Fifty-fifth session 26 February–5 April 2024 Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Visit to Sweden Report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Nazila Ghanea*, ** Summary The Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Nazila Ghanea, visited Sweden from 11 to 20 October 2023. In her report, the Special Rapporteur finds that Sweden largely possesses the requisite legal and policy frameworks for promoting and protecting the enjoyment by all persons of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief. Politically expedient responses to a diversifying society, however, together with a lack of understanding of the full scope of freedom of religion or belief, pose challenges to the framework in place for the respect of human rights. The Special Rapporteur underscores concerns raised by religious communities, including Muslim and Jewish communities, about growing intolerance. She notes that, although some government entities appear quite cognizant of the concerns outlined in her report, others do not recognize them as being serious human rights concerns or ignore them. Initiatives aimed at addressing these concerns are needed in order to generate the desired comprehensive, systematic change within all government entities and in Swedish society at large. * The present report was submitted to the conference services for processing after the deadline so as to include the most recent information. ** The summary of the report is being circulated in all official languages. The report itself, which is annexed to the summary, is being circulated in the language of submission only. GE.24-04001 (E) 280324 020424