E/CN.4/1997/91 page 17 recommends that States “with a system of compulsory military service, where such provision has not already been made, [...] introduce for conscientious objectors various forms of alternative service” which “should be in principle of a non-combatant or civilian nature, in the public interest and not a punitive nature”. B. Protection and promotion of religious freedom Religious freedom and human rights 83. Implementation of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief is inseparable from the general question of respect for all human rights, which cannot be truly promoted in the absence of democracy and development. Consequently, action to promote human rights must include measures to establish, strengthen and protect democracy as an expression of human rights at the political level and, at the same time, measures to contain and progressively eliminate extreme poverty and promote the right of individuals and peoples to development as an expression of human rights and human solidarity in the economic, social and cultural areas. In other words, as the World Conference on Human Rights put it, “democracy, development and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are interdependent and mutually reinforcing”. Any separation of the elements of this tripartite concept, like any selectivity in this area, is apt to reduce human rights to a topic of variable substance and scope, and that could have unfavourable repercussions on the mechanisms and procedures for protecting human rights, including religious freedom. Religion and politics 84. Most religions have an implicit or explicit political dimension. This sometimes makes the problems of protecting religious freedom difficult to deal with and raises the question of the relationship between politics and religion and, in particular, between the State and religion. 85. Religion may be taken up by a State. The State may be the means by which a religion is expressed. It will then be subordinate to that religion, to the point of having no independent will beyond that of the religion. This may lead to the State's being subsumed by the religion. In such a case, the institutions of State are at the service of a religious will - or a will attributed to a religion. Schools are enlisted to ensure that the religion prevails, offering military or paramilitary training where necessary. Places of worship may be used to brief, mobilize and recruit the faithful so that nothing in public or political life escapes the religion's embrace. “Political” parties - where they exist - may compete with each other or the State by a variety of means to enforce or help enforce a religious (or ostensibly religious) policy. In such circumstances, there is little likelihood that religious freedom will yield the fruits expected of it. 86. A State may be of a religion; a religion, in turn, may be of a State its to manipulate. The State enshrines the religion in order to have it at its service, provide it with the things it may need, channel it, contain it and, hence, very often dominate and even subjugate it. In any event, the sway