United Nations A/RES/68/170 General Assembly Distr.: General 21 January 2014 Sixty-eighth session Agenda item 69 (b) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 2013 [on the report of the Third Committee (A/68/456/Add.2)] 68/170. Freedom of religion or belief The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 36/55 of 25 November 1981, by which it proclaimed the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, Recalling also article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1 article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 2 and other relevant human rights provisions, Recalling further its previous resolutions on freedom of religion or belief and on the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief, including resolution 67/179 of 20 December 2012 and Human Rights Council resolution 22/20 of 22 March 2013, 3 Recognizing the important work carried out by the Human Rights Committee in providing guidance with respect to the scope of freedom of religion or belief, Considering that religion or belief, for those who profess either, is one of the fundamental elements in their conception of life and that freedom of religion or belief, as a universal human right, should be fully respected and guaranteed, Deeply concerned at continuing acts of intolerance and violence based on religion or belief against individuals and members of religious communities and religious minorities around the world and at the limited progress that has been made in the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief, and believing that further intensified efforts are therefore required to promote and protect the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief and to eliminate all forms of hatred, intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief, as also noted at the World Conference against Racism, Racial _______________ 1 See resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex. Resolution 217 A (III). 3 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/68/53), chap. IV, sect. A. 2 13-44965 (E) *1344965* Please recycle