A/51/542 English Page 3 I. INTRODUCTION 1. At its forty-second session, the Commission on Human Rights decided, in resolution 1986/20 of 10 March 1986, to appoint for one year a special rapporteur to examine incidents and governmental action in all parts of the world inconsistent with the provisions of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, and to recommend remedial measures for such situations. 2. In accordance with the terms of that resolution, the Special Rapporteur submitted his first report to the Commission at its forty-third session (E/CN.4/1987/35). His mandate was extended for one year by resolution 1987/15 of 4 March 1987, adopted at the same session of the Commission. 3. From 1988 onwards, the Special Rapporteur submitted yearly reports to the Commission (E/CN.4/1988/45 and Add.1; E/CN.4/1989/44; E/CN.4/1990/46; E/CN.4/1991/56; E/CN.4/1992/52; E/CN.4/1993/62 and Add.1 and Corr.1). In its resolutions 1988/55, 1990/27 and 1992/17, the Commission twice decided to extend the Special Rapporteur’s mandate for two years, and then for three years until 1995. 4. After the resignation for Mr. Angelo Vidal d’Almeida Ribeiro, the Chairman of the Commission appointed Mr. Abdelfattah Amor as Special Rapporteur. The latter submitted his reports (E/CN.4/1994/79; E/CN.4/1995/91 and Add.1; E/CN.4/1996/95 and Add.1-2) to the Commission on Human Rights at its fiftieth, fifty-first and fifty-second sessions. By its resolution 1995/23 of 24 February 1995, the Commission on Human Rights decided to extend the Special Rapporteur’s mandate for three years. 5. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 49/188 of 23 December 1994, the Special Rapporteur submitted an interim report to the General Assembly at its fiftieth session (A/50/440). 6. This report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 50/183 of 22 December 1995. The Special Rapporteur has examined in situ visits and their follow-up, the development of a culture of tolerance and the status of communications since the fifty-second session of the Commission on Human Rights. II. IMPORTANCE OF IN SITU VISITS AND THEIR FOLLOW-UP 7. The Special Rapporteur attaches considerable importance to in situ visits and their follow-up. 8. He has therefore sought to increase the effectiveness of his mandate by making several requests for visits, as well as by making actual visits in the field on his own initiative or at the invitation of the Governments concerned. 9. Starting in 1994, the Special Rapporteur made a visit to China in November 1994 on the initiative of the People’s Republic of China (E/CN.4/1995/91, paras. 109 to 127). In June 1995, he visited Pakistan at the /...