A/55/280 VI. International consultative conference on school education in relation to freedom of religion and belief, tolerance and non-discrimination 121. At the most recent session of the Commission on Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur announced that, in the context of his mandate, an international consultative conference on school education in relation to freedom of religion and belief, tolerance and nondiscrimination was to be held in Madrid from 23 to 25 November 2001, in cooperation with the Government of Spain. 122. On that occasion, an information leaflet was distributed and consultations were held with, inter alia, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (above all to ensure coordination with educational initiatives such as the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education), representatives of the United Nations human rights mechanisms (for instance, the Special Rapporteur on education and the Special Rapporteur on racism), States, non-governmental organizations and religious and spiritual communities in order to set in motion the conference preparatory process. 123. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, in an addendum to the report on the follow-up to the World Conference on Human Rights (E/CN.4/2000/12/Add.1, para. 7), mentioned the Special Rapporteur’s initiative with regard to the preparation of an international educational strategy for combating all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief. In her general report on the follow-up to the World Conference on Human Rights (A/CN.4/2000/12, sect. VIII), the High Commissioner also emphasized the importance of the role of human rights education and the need for it to be aimed at all levels of formal education, including primary and secondary. 124. The Special Rapporteur also met with the High Commissioner to brief her more fully on the 2001 conference and to invite her to contribute to the success of that initiative, which responded to a common concern for prevention. As mentioned earlier, the Commission on Human Rights, by its resolution 2000/50, invited the High Commissioner to undertake specific educational initiatives and public-awareness activities for the promotion of tolerance and pluralism, particularly in the context of the World Conference against Racism and the preparations for the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. The High Commissioner’s contribution to the conference on school education, which is directly relevant to the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the 1981 Declaration, would thus respond to the wishes of not only the Special Rapporteur but also the Commission on Human Rights. 125. The Commission on Human Rights, in its resolution 2000/33, also welcomed the initiatives of Governments to collaborate with the Special Rapporteur, including the convening of an international consultative conference on school education in relation to freedom of religion and belief, to be held in Madrid in November 2001. In its resolution 2000/50, the Commission further recognized that promoting a culture of tolerance through human rights education was an objective that must be advanced in all States, and that the United Nations human rights mechanisms had an important role to play in that regard. 126. Preparations for the conference are under way and invitations will be sent out very shortly to States and other concerned parties. 127. In this connection, the Special Rapporteur wishes to recall the essential details of the conference, as indicated in the information leaflet mentioned above, namely: 128. Aim of the conference. Preparation of an international school strategy centred on the right to freedom of religion and belief among primary or elementary and secondary school pupils. The conference will consider a draft document containing a set of recommendations to guide the preparation of school curricula and textbooks on education for tolerance and non-discrimination with regard to religion or belief, taking into account article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the provisions of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. 129. Objective. A set of recommendations, to drafted prior to being discussed and adopted by conference on 25 November 2001, the date of twentieth anniversary of the adoption of Declaration. be the the the 27