A/HRC/34/56 violate them explains why the United Nations did not simply focus on the abuses attendant on apartheid, but sought to dislodge the idea of racial superiority itself.7 18. The human rights approach to fundamentalism and extremism should encompass State and non-State actors. It is unclear how Governments that espouse ideologies and policies reminiscent of those advocated by violent extremist armed groups can successfully defeat those groups without undertaking significant reform, as they create fertile ground for the implantation of similar policies. B. A human rights approach to fundamentalism and extremism 19. Fundamentalism and extremism are human rights issues. It is critical to focus not only on the security implications thereof, but also on their impact on a broad range of rights, including cultural rights, and to take a human rights approach to addressing them. Full implementation of human rights norms is a critical tool for combating fundamentalism and extremism, as well as a limitation on how this can be done. 20. Cultural rights are a critical component of the human rights approach and the defence of these rights today requires tackling fundamentalism and extremism. Policies that combat discrimination in the right to take part in cultural life or promote freedom of artistic expression, scientific freedom and education in accordance with international human rights norms are core aspects of combating fundamentalism and extremism. 21. The Special Rapporteur notes the significant contributions of civil society in this regard, such as the T2F cultural centre in Karachi, Pakistan, which offers space for a wide range of cultural and intellectual activities promoting dialogue and tolerance. Its late founder Sabeen Mahmud, herself later assassinated reportedly by a jihadist, argued: “You need that time and that engagement to hear out the other person as well as to present your viewpoint”.8 Another example comes from the mixed poetry events of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq in its Baghdad offices, bringing together poets across sectarian divides in “Freedom Space No. 1”. “We were amazed to see that improvised popular poetry … created a magical atmosphere where there were no differences: men, women, Sunni, Shiite, age, nothing was a barrier anymore between people.”9 When Governments imprison or censor the very voices of those who are standing up to extremists and are threatened by them or fail to protect them, they facilitate the rise of extremism. 22. Arts, education, science and culture are among the best ways to fight fundamentalism and extremism. They are not luxuries, but critical to creating alternatives, making space for peaceful contestation, promoting inclusion and protecting youth from radicalization. In an era of rising extremism and fundamentalism, the world has generally witnessed increasing military spending and decreasing cultural funding. At a minimum, the recommendation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that Governments use 1 per cent of total expenditures for culture must be respected. 7 8 9 6 See General Assembly resolution 395 (V), preamble: “a policy of ‘racial segregation’ (Apartheid) is necessarily based on doctrines of racial discrimination”. The preamble to the International Convention on All Forms of Racial Discrimination commits to preventing and combating “racist doctrines”. Open Democracy, “Sabeen Mahmud: ‘I stand up for what I believe in, but I can’t fight guns’”, 25 April 2015. Association for Women’s Rights in Development, “Towards a future without fundamentalisms: analyzing religious fundamentalist strategies and feminist responses” (2012), p. 67.