E/CN.4/2002/73/Add.1 page 28 covering specific areas such as citizenship, the sphere of work, political parties, trade union associations and education. The creation of INRA by Parliament as a body composed of experts serving in a personal capacity is also a highly positive initiative. 127. Lastly, the Special Rapporteur congratulates Argentina on the importance attached to prevention, especially in education, in the form of the Government’s decisions encouraging activities to commemorate the Holocaust and the “Day of Coexistence in Cultural Diversity”. 128. Overall, the Special Rapporteur considers that Argentine legislation furnishes solid constitutional foundations and important legal guidelines to guarantee freedom of religion and belief. Policy and situation in the field of religion and belief 129. Concerning the policy and situation in the field of religion and belief, the Special Rapporteur wishes first and foremost to point out Argentina’s especially encouraging record in the transition from a period of dictatorships to the introduction of democracy, despite the difficulties inherent in any such change. The State’s policy of making Argentina a model at the international level, particularly in the field of human rights, represents a remarkable challenge. In that regard, one can only welcome the active and conspicuous presence of many Argentine experts in United Nations human rights machinery and the fact that Argentina chaired the Commission on Human Rights at its fifty-seventh session in March-April 2001. In that regard, Argentina is a pacemaker in human rights. 130. The Special Rapporteur considers that the State’s policy generally embodies respect for freedom of religion or belief and freedom to manifest religion or belief, in keeping with international human rights standards in this field. The authorities permit the practice of religion, the construction of places of worship, religious education and, in fact, apart from special situations and cases, the expression of all manifestations of freedom of religion. Similarly, the State grants public funds to a variety of religious communities, both the predominant Catholic Church and religious minorities. In general, the State does not interfere in the internal affairs of communities of religion and belief. It is very active in dialogue and cooperation with religious communities, inter alia, through the proclamation of days commemorating the Holocaust, for example, or the “Day of Coexistence in Cultural Diversity”, the establishment of an advisory council of clergy and laymen to address freedom of religion and the drafting of a bill on freedom of religion. 131. The Special Rapporteur considers that the situation in Argentina in respect of freedom of religion or belief, which is also a reflection of State policy, is generally satisfactory. It is true that exceptions to generally positive overall conditions, which, strictly speaking, relate to freedom of religion or belief, need to be underlined and should be prevented and remedied. There is also the matter of the effectiveness of the principle of non-discrimination laid down in legislation. 132. The complexity of specific cases and situations must also be emphasized. Incidents of intolerance and discrimination which may affect religious and ethnic communities stem from a combination of various factors - political (at the national and international level), religious,