A/HRC/4/21 page 10 particular attention needs to be given to the vulnerable situation of certain groups, such as women, children, religious minorities, migrant workers, refugees and persons deprived of their liberty. 25. There are other issues of concern which are alluded to in the 1981 Declaration but which have seen a more detailed elaboration in subsequent documents. On 31 May 2001, the General Assembly adopted resolution 55/254 aiming at the protection of religious sites, in which the Assembly invited relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to contribute to the efforts to ensure that religious sites are fully respected and protected. Intimately linked with this issue is the question of national requirements concerning the registration of religious communities. Registration appears often to be used as a means to limit the right of freedom of religion or belief of members of certain religious communities. The Guidelines for Review of Legislation Pertaining to Religion or Belief, prepared by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights’s Advisory Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in consultation with the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission in 2004,2 contain a concise chapter on laws governing registration of religious/belief organizations and the Special Rapporteur has also referred to the international legal standards in her previous reports and communications (see E/CN.4/2005/61, paragraphs 57-58 and E/CN.4/2006/5/Add.1, paragraphs 51, 240, 389 and 446). Furthermore, national legislation on religious symbols may have adverse effects on individuals, either because they are prevented from identifying themselves through the display of religious symbols or because they are required to wear religious dress in public. In this regard the Special Rapporteur has formulated a set of general criteria on religious symbols in order to provide some guidance on the applicable human rights standards and their scope (E/CN.4/2006/5, paras. 36-60). 26. In the Special Rapporteur’s opinion, much more needs to be done in order to universally safeguard freedom of religion or belief. Various dimensions of the Declaration are unexplored yet and appropriate ways of implementing the 1981 Declaration’s standards would still need more fine-tuning. Similarly to the drafting history of the 1981 Declaration, the Special Rapporteur expects another “long and arduous road full of obstacles” ahead until discrimination and intolerance based on religion or belief will finally be eliminated. B. Role of the Special Rapporteur 27. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief is closely related to the history and contents of the 1981 Declaration. Created by Commission on Human Rights resolution 1986/20, the Special Rapporteur on religious intolerance, as the mandate used to be called, in the beginning had exclusively the mandate to examine incidents and governmental actions which were inconsistent with the 1981 Declaration’s provisions. Gradually, the Commission on Human Rights included further provisions into the mandate’s remit, such as article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 18 of ICCPR and various other provisions of international human rights law. The pertinent legal framework of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate is outlined in her 2005 report to the Commission on Human Rights (E/CN.4/2005/61, paras. 15-20). 28. As the first mandate-holder, Angelo Vidal d’Almeida Ribeiro, submitted his initial report on 24 December 1986; there are now 20 years of mandate experience. In fact, the creation of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate encountered similar problems and obstacles compared to the