A/61/340 strengthening the institutions that are essential for the construction of a democratic society. 28. Despite these concerns, the Special Rapporteur is convinced that Azerbaijan can play a leading role in building a model of its own, because it has the most valuable resource available for achieving this purpose: the good will of its people and their willingness to accommodate different spiritual beliefs. 2. Visit to the Maldives 29. From 6 to 9 August 2006, the Special Rapporteur visited the Maldives, at her request and at the invitation of the Government, with a view to assessing the situation of freedom of religion in the country. 30. She takes this opportunity to thank the Government of the Maldives for having invited her to carry out this mission and extended its full cooperation. 31. The Special Rapporteur was greatly impressed by the desire of the people of this country to maintain peace and harmony within their society. She welcomed the adoption, at the time of her visit, of the Law on the Human Rights Commission. However, she noted that it did not completely satisfy the requirements of the Paris Principles, and that to unduly stress that members of the Human Rights Commission must be Muslim defeats the very spirit of seeking to uphold human rights. 32. Maldivians are eagerly looking forward to, and preparing to embrace, the political changes in the country, yet open and honest discourse on the question of freedom of religion or belief is vigorously denied and the few who dare to raise their voices are denounced and threatened. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur wishes to emphasize that any reform in the field of human rights has to go hand in hand with freedom of expression and association, independence of the judiciary, and the mainstreaming of freedom of religion and belief. 33. In her report to the Human Rights Council, she will be recommending the introduction of religiously sensitive rules in places of detention, concerning, for example, respect for the spiritual and dietary needs of foreign prisoners. Indeed, the situation in places of detention tends to reflect the situation in the society as a whole, and in this regard, the Maldives is no exception. 34. On another level, the spirit of peaceful coexistence and harmony is an encouraging trait of the country. It will enable the process of reform and can open up new areas of discussion that have so far remain untouched. C. Other activities Participation in conferences and meetings 35. On 15 February 2006, the Special Rapporteur participated in a conference in Madrid, entitled “Challenges to Tolerance in a Multicultural Society”, which was co-organized by the Government of the Netherlands and Helsinki España. At this conference, she had the opportunity to interact with, among others, Ambassador Ömür Orhun, the Personal Representative of the Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims. On 2 and 3 May 2006, the Special Rapporteur participated in a conference entitled, “Challenging stereotypes in Europe 06-52068 7