E/CN.4/1988/45 page 2 was able to obtain from various governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental sources. He also sent some Governments a more specific request for clarifications in connection with allegations which concerned these Goverments in particular and were made available to him by various sources. As already clearly shown by the information collected for the preparation of the initial report and as has unfortunately been confirmed by the information obtained since then, manifestations of intolerance and discrimination in matters of religion or belief are, of course, extremely widespread throughout the world, and, far from characterizing a region, a religion or a particular ideological regime, the phenomenon of religious intolerance is to be found in virtually all economic, social and political systems and in all parts of the world. The Special Rapporteur's decision to request information from certain Governments in particular was, however, based on several considerations. The allegations concerning these Governments are on the whole a more or less complete sample of the various types of incidents and measures incompatible with the provisions of the Declaration which were identified in the initial report and which the Special Rapporteur's mandate requires him to report as faithfully as possible to the Commission on Human Rights. As such, these allegations serve as examples and clearly illustrate the obstacles which may hamper the implementation of the principles embodied in the Declaration, the de facto situations which are incompatible with these principles and the resulting serious consequences they may have in terms of respect for human rights. Moreover, the broad geographical distribution of these allegations clearly highlights the nearly universal nature of the problem of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief. The examples which have been given shed light on the magnitude of the problem of intolerance by highlighting its many social and cultural aspects. 7. The initial report gave rise to a number of comments and observations of which the Special Rapporteur took account in order to define the terms of his mandate more clearly. On the basis of these observations, he decided to focus his activities on the role of Governments in incidents and measures incompatible with the provisions of the Declaration. Although the overall view of factors hampering the implementation of the Declaration, including factors causing tension and intolerance even within certain beliefs, might initially have helped to show just how complex the problem is, emphasis now has to be placed on the responsibility Governments may bear in matters of religious restrictions or repression. 8. In connection with the comments he received, the Special Rapporteur would also like to draw attention to the question of the emergence of new religious movements in the past few decades and the disputes to which the activities of these movements have sometimes given rise. In the Special Rapporteur's opinion, there is no denying the fact that, regardless of their geographical origin or ideological foundations, these movements must, as such, benefit from all the guarantees attaching to respect for the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. However, the secular activities of some of these movements and the effects of such activities on the health and physical integrity of their members have to be closely monitored by the Governments concerned.