E/CN.4/1999/58 page 4 (e) Contribution to research and studies on religion and belief; (f) Contribution to the preparation of the technical cooperation programmes of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on freedom of religion and belief. 5. To date the Special Rapporteur has received replies from the following 48 States to his request for the text of the constitutions in force or any equivalent instruments, and also legislation and regulations relating to religious freedom and the practice of worship: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chile, Cyprus, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Malta, Mauritius, Namibia, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam and Yugoslavia. B. Studies 6. In order to encourage reflection on and analysis of matters of freedom of religion and belief, while giving greater consideration to priority issues such as economic, social and cultural rights, the right to development, gender issues and women’s rights, the Special Rapporteur wishes to undertake an initial series of studies on the following topics: (a) Discrimination against women attributable specifically to their status as women within churches and religions; (b) Proselytism, freedom of religion and poverty; (c) Sects, new religious movements, communities based on religion, belief and human rights. These studies should be enhanced and supplemented through simplified access, using modern technology, including the Internet (see sect. V), to all research on freedom of religion and belief conducted at the international level. C. Culture of tolerance 7. The Special Rapporteur considers it essential that special attention must continue to be paid to traditional “mandate fulfilment” activities, namely, in most cases, a posteriori action on human rights violations. At the same time, however, a strategy to prevent intolerance and discrimination must be devised. Of importance in this regard is Commission on Human Rights resolution 1998/74, entitled Human rights and thematic procedures, in which the thematic special rapporteurs are requested to make recommendations for the prevention of human rights violations (para. 5 (a)). 8. The Special Rapporteur is of the view that prevention can be ensured mainly by the establishment of a culture of tolerance, notably through education, which can make a decisive contribution to the inculcation of human