A/68/290 (Sweden), Vienna and Yerevan. In addition, he held video conferences with stakeholders across different continents. III. Freedom of religion or belief and equality between men and women A. Introduction 17. Countless individuals are affected by human rights violations in the intersection of freedom of religion or belief and equality between men and women. While many such violations stem from stereotypical gender roles which are frequently also defended in the name of religion or belief, other violations may originate from stereotyped perceptions of individuals based on their religion or belief. Gender stereotypes and stereotypical pictures of believers often exist in tandem, a problem disproportionately affecting women from religious minorities. As a result, many women suffer from multiple or intersectional discrimination or other forms of human rights violations on the grounds of both their gender and their religion or belief. 18. Anti-discrimination programmes or other programmes aimed at promoting human rights do not always adequately address the complex problems existing in the intersection of freedom of religion or belief and women’s right to equality. Measures undertaken to combat religious discrimination may implicitly follow a male understanding of the needs and requirements of concerned religious communities, while programmes aimed at eliminating discrimination against women may lack sensitivity in questions of religious diversity. The same can happen with human rights policies outside of the specific context of anti-discrimination programmes. To avoid the danger of persons affected by multiple or intersectional discrimination and related violations of their human rights remaining excluded from activities relating to the promotion and protection of human rights, such complex phenomena deserve systematic attention. On the normative level, this requires a holistic approach in dealing with the various grounds of discrimination as well as a holistic understanding of human rights in general. 19. The holistic understanding of human rights has found expression in a frequently cited principle formulated at the World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna in 1993, that “[a]ll human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent and interrelated”. 3 The Special Rapporteur is furthermore guided by the insight formulated at the World Conference that all human rights be treated “globally in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing, and with the same emphasis”.3 In other words, on the normative level, human rights norms must be interpreted in such a way that they are not corrosive of one another but rather reinforce each other. Upholding a holistic human rights approach has direct consequences for human rights practice, in particular for those numerous persons who are exposed to combined forms of vulnerability in the intersection of different human rights norms. 20. Of course, the holistic understanding of human rights does not give an a priori guarantee of practical synergies with regard to all human rights issues that come up __________________ 3 13-42191 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III. 5/22