United Nations General Assembly A/HRC/25/58/Add.2 Distr.: General 27 January 2014 Original: English Human Rights Council Twenty-fifth session Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Heiner Bielefeldt Addendum Mission to Jordan* Summary The Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief conducted a visit to Jordan from 2 to 10 September 2013. In the present report, the Special Rapporteur commends the Government of Jordan for its commitment to religious diversity in the country and within the broader Arab region. He describes the positive atmosphere of tolerance that he observed, in particular between Muslims and Christians. The existing interreligious tolerance is the result of ongoing efforts made in many institutions, including schools, universities, the media, the administration and the national Parliament. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur also discussed the situation of refugees from neighbouring countries currently living in Jordan, and their freedom of religion or belief. The Special Rapporteur also identifies a number of challenges for the full enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief by all, including the non-recognition of some small religious minority communities (such as Baptists and Baha’is), the treatment of converts from Islam, and discriminatory implications of the handling of personal status issues. * The summary of the present report is circulated in all official languages. The report itself, contained in the annex to the summary, is circulated in Arabic and in the language of submission only. GE.14-10579 *1410579*