A/71/269 human beings on the grounds of religion or belief constitutes an affront to human dignity and a disavowal of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations ”. 20. The international discussion on discrimination has made enormous strides in recent decades. Apart from the ongoing need to tackle direct and open manifestations of discrimination, there is greater sensitivity to concealed forms of discrimination, for example, prima facie “neutral” rules prescribing certain dress codes in public institutions. Although they usually do not openly target a specific community, such rules can amount to discrimination against persons belonging to a religious minority if those persons (often women) feel obliged by their religion to wear specific religious garments. Similar problems may occur with regard to dietary rules, fasting, public holidays, labour regulations, public health norms and other issues. Overcoming the various forms of discrimination in the field of religion or belief, including indirect and structural discrimination, is a complex task that requires moving beyond mere formal equality towards substantive equality, including by adopting measures of reasonable accommodation (see A/69/261, paras. 49-66). 4. State obligations 21. States’ obligations towards the implementation of human rights standards can be divided into obligations to respect, to protect and to fulfil. First of all, States have to respect human rights, including freedom of religion or belief. This presupposes a clear understanding that human beings — as individuals and/or in community with others — do not need any permission by the State to be allowed to have, adopt, profess and practise their religion or belief in private or in public. Like other human rights, freedom of religion or belief follows from the due respect for human dignity, which inheres in all human beings equally and thus commands an unconditional respect, prior to, and ultimately independent of, any acts of legislative or administrative approval. 22. The State should, furthermore, protect freedom of religion or belief against abuses by third parties, for instance, against threats stemming from authoritarian milieux, religious vigilante groups or even terrorist groups. Depending on the precise nature of the problem, this requires different initiatives, such as legislative support for religious minorities against discrimination in the workplace, measures to protect people from forced conversion and policies of combating religious vigilantism or terrorism. 23. Lastly, States should provide appropriate infrastructure that allows all persons living under their jurisdiction to actually make full use of their human rights. This aspect of their responsibility has been termed the obligation to fulfil. It inc ludes the availability of suitable remedies, in particular, an independent and efficient judiciary. States should also facilitate the acquisition by religious communities of a collective legal standing, which they may need to undertake important community functions, such as employing professional staff, purchasing real estate to build places of worship or establishing charitable organizations or institutions of religious learning. The obligation to fulfil also covers a broad range of promotional activities, such as education about religious and belief diversity as part of the school curriculum, and the building of societal resilience against religious intolerance. 8/22 16-13296