A/HRC/2/3 page 13 53. The Special Rapporteurs recommend that the Human Rights Council call upon Governments of Member States to express and demonstrate a firm political will and commitment to combating the rise of racial and religious intolerance. In this context Governments should be particularly vigilant in combating the political use of discrimination and xenophobia, notably the ideological and electoral impregnation of racist and xenophobic platforms into the programmes of democratic parties. They should be reminded of their legal and moral obligations pursuant to the pertinent international instruments to give priority to the combat against racism, discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance over convenient governmental political alliances. 54. The Human Rights Council is invited to draw the attention of Member States to the threat to democracy by this trivialization of racism, xenophobia and intolerance, and to encourage human rights organizations and civil society to be mobilized in combating this development. The Council should, in this context, underline the growing negative impact of this development on the national policies and programmes related to immigration, asylum and nationality. The Council should strongly reaffirm the fundamental principle that the respect for human rights, including the eradication of the roots of the culture of racism, xenophobia and intolerance, constitute the strongest pillar of national security and democracy and should not be dependent on any ideological and political convenience. 55. In the light of the global and international impact of issues related to race and ethnicity, culture and religion, the Council should emphasize the international dimension of this political will by inviting Governments to take fully into account the consequences of their national policies on their relations with other Member States, by the sensitivity to and the integration in their national policies of the promotion of the dialogue of cultures and religions and by avoiding policies, postures and statements inspired by the divisive concept of the clash of civilizations. 56. The Special Rapporteurs recommend that the Human Rights Council invite Member States to link the combat against racism, discrimination and xenophobia with the political and constitutional recognition of, the legal respect for and the promotion of multiculturalism, through education, information and communication, both nationally and internationally. 57. The Council should strongly invite Governments, in accordance with pertinent international instruments, to combat the ideology of neo-Nazi groups, to punish their violent racist and xenophobic activities and to uproot the culture of hatred they are promoting, particularly through education, communication and information. 58. The Council should invite Governments, in the fight against racial and religious intolerance, to fully abide by their obligations concerning both freedom of expression and freedom of religion, as prescribed in the pertinent international instruments, and in particular articles 18, 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in respect of their interrelation and complementarity.