A/HRC/34/56 23. A democratic society, by definition, recognizes differing viewpoints and the rights to freedom of association and expression — concepts that fundamentalists sometimes seek to exploit, while denying these very rights to others. Campaigning or militating against entire groups of people — such as religious or ethnic minorities, non-religious persons, women, refugees and migrants or lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons — or seeking to impose one interpretation of religion on all is beyond the pale. Under international human rights law, the right to political belief or participation and other rights may not be lawfully employed to undermine the internationally guaranteed rights of others. 10 24. Governments must ensure there is a counterweight to fundamentalist and extremist discourses by publicly challenging them and by guaranteeing education aimed at the objectives specified in article 13 (1) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and article 26 (2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as interpreted by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in general comment No. 13 (1999) on the right to education. Such education should strengthen respect for human rights, promote understanding, tolerance and gender equality and be informed by humanism. States should promote culture in defence of cultural rights. 25. Another crucial step is to reinvest in the field of culture, with the aim of creating conditions that allow all people, without discrimination, to access, participate in and contribute to cultural life in a continuously developing manner. The key is creating an environment conducive to cultural democracies. Programmes must aim at promoting in particular: (a) human creativity; (b) the rights of individuals and groups to participate — or not to participate — in the cultural life of their choice and to conduct their own cultural practices; (c) the right of individuals and groups to interact and exchange, regardless of group affiliation and of frontiers; and (d) the rights of individuals and groups to enjoy and have access to the arts and knowledge, including scientific knowledge. It is necessary to preserve existing spaces and institutions, as well as creating new ones, for people to learn, develop their creativity, experience the humanity of others and exercise their critical thinking, and for their civic engagement. 26. The Special Rapporteur notes with concern that, due in particular to financial crises and austerity measures adopted in a number of States, programmes in the field of culture often suffer the most. This is a serious mistake. Austerity measures often lead to a situation where the fields of education and culture, inter alia, will be left to others, in particular those with fundamentalist agendas. More generally, the Special Rapporteur is convinced the full implementation of the range of economic, social and cultural rights constitutes an important part of the response to fundamentalist and extremist agendas. 27. States must respect, protect and fulfil human rights, in particular cultural rights, meaning that they must: (a) stop supporting directly or indirectly fundamentalist ideologies; (b) protect all persons from any act of fundamentalist or extremist groups aimed at coercing them into specific identities, beliefs or practices; and (c) design programmes aimed at creating conditions allowing all people to access, participate in and contribute to cultural life, without discrimination. 28. The Special Rapporteur appeals in particular to civil society around the world and the international human rights movement to unite in exposing and opposing fundamentalist and extremist ideology, as some have done without much support for many years, and to support those resisting fundamentalist assaults on cultural life on the front lines. 10 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, art. 5, and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, art. 5. 7