A/HRC/34/50/Add.1 This inter alia affects the private schools of Lutheran Theology in Copenhagen and Aarhus. Students enrolled in those institutions do not receive any financial benefits from the State, and exams can only be conducted in cooperation with recognized universities in Denmark or universities abroad, which have to provide certificates formally. 65. In religiously pluralistic societies, interreligious dialogue is important to prevent stereotypes, dispel misunderstandings and develop trust across religious and denominational divides. The Special Rapporteur attended a discussion facilitated by the “Din tro min tro” (“your faith, my faith”) project, an initiative originating from the Folkekirke but also supported by the State. Three women belonging to Judaism, Christianity and Islam explained their faiths and practices to grade nine students in Norrebro. The close and amicable environment in which the representatives of the three religions spoke was as impactful as the words themselves. The students participated eagerly in a spirit of open curiosity and interest. Remarkably, most of the students, when declaring their own conviction, said they were atheists. This may serve as yet another example indicating the need to open up interreligious dialogue projects so as to acknowledge agnostics or atheists, who apparently represent very broad currents in society. In other words, interreligious dialogue should — not necessarily always, but certainly more often — broaden into interconviction dialogue. X. Specificities concerning Greenland and the Faroe Islands 66. Owing to time constraints, the visit could not directly cover Greenland and the Faroe Islands, which belong to Denmark, while enjoying self-government concerning their internal affairs. The Special Rapporteur met with representatives of Greenland and of the Faroe Islands who resided in Copenhagen and he had a discussion with women from Greenland. 67. The Lutheran Evangelical Church also has the status of Established Church in Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Membership in those two territories is even higher than in the rest of Denmark, at above 90 per cent of the population, while the numbers of religious minorities living in those territories is very low. More importantly, actual church attendance in Greenland and the Faroe Islands is significantly higher than in the rest of Denmark. The introduction of same-sex marriage ceremonies found broad approval in Greenland and was also supported by the one bishop, a woman, who serves in the Greenlandic Folkekirke. 68. The teaching of religion in Greenland, while mainly focusing on Christianity, also includes information about the traditional Inuit religion. After the advent of Lutheran missionaries in the early eighteenth century, most of the traces of Inuit spirituality were eradicated. Two women from Greenland who currently live in Copenhagen described Greenlandic customs and practices, such as music, dances, the use of amulets, everyday habits, etc., in which elements of the old spirituality at least remain tangible to a certain degree. The younger generation seems to show great interest in capturing and, if possible, reviving those practices as part of their collective identity. A big problem, however, is the lack of funding. Thus, the women expressed hope that the international community and international donors would give more support. According to reports, only two pastors work in the rest of Denmark to offer services to Greenlanders in their native tongue, which is greatly insufficient. XI. Conclusions and recommendations 69. Denmark is a liberal country that values and respects freedom of religion or belief alongside other rights to freedom. People can express and practise their 17

Select target paragraph3