E/CN.4/2003/66
page 2
Summary
Pursuant to resolution 2002/40 of 23 April 2002, the Special Rapporteur on freedom
of religion or belief hereby submits to the Commission on Human Rights a set of three
documents comprising the present report, an addendum concerning his visit to Algeria from
16 to 26 September 2002 (E/CN.4/2002/65/Add.1) and, for information, the interim report
submitted to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session (A/57/274).
All the activities carried out as part of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate fall into
two basic areas of concern: operational activities to deal with intolerance and discrimination
based on religion or belief; and prevention of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or
belief.
In the chapter on operational activities (chap. I), the Special Rapporteur reports on the
communications sent to States since the publication of the most recent report to the Commission
and on the replies received. He also records the late replies from States to the communications
sent before the publication of the last report, discusses in situ visits and their follow-up and
draws the attention of the Commission to States which have still not complied with his requests
to visit them, expressing the hope for better cooperation on their part in the interests of all
concerned.
In the chapter on prevention of intolerance and discrimination (chap. II), the Special
Rapporteur deals with the rather particular post-11 September 2001 context, before discussing
the follow-up to the International Consultative Conference on School Education in relation to
Freedom of Religion and Belief, Tolerance and Non-Discrimination and the interreligious
dialogue.
In his conclusions and recommendations (chap. III), the Special Rapporteur presents an
analysis of the communications sent since the last session of the Commission and his comments
on the situation of religious minorities and women with regard to the freedom of religion or
belief and on religious extremism. He also refers to the prevention of intolerance and
discrimination based on religion through interfaith dialogue and school education and to the
consequences of 11 September 2001.