E/CN.4/1996/95 page 2 I. INTRODUCTION 1. At its forty-second session, the Commission on Human Rights decided, in resolution 1986/20 of 10 March 1986, to appoint for one year a special rapporteur to examine incidents and governmental actions in all parts of the world inconsistent with the provisions of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, and to recommend remedial measures for such situation. 2. In accordance with the terms of that resolution, the Special Rapporteur submitted his first report to the Commission at its forty-third session (E/CN.4/1987/35). His mandate was extended for one year by resolution 1987/15 of 4 March 1987, at the same session of the Commission. 3. From 1988 onwards, the Special Rapporteur has submitted yearly reports to the Commission (E/CN.4/1988/45 and Add.1; E/CN.4/1989/44; E/CN.4/1990/46; E/CN.4/1991/56; E/CN.4/1992/52; E/CN.4/1993/62 and Corr.1 and Add.1). In its resolutions 1988/55, 1990/27 and 1992/17, the Commission twice decided to extend the Special Rapporteur’s mandate for two years, and then for a further three years, until 1995. 4. After the resignation of Mr. Angelo Vidal d’Almeida Ribeiro, the Chairman of the Commission appointed Mr. Abdelfattah Amor as Special Rapporteur. The latter submitted his reports (E/CN.4/1994/79; E/CN.4/1995/91 and Add.1) to the Commission on Human Rights at its fiftieth and fifty-first sessions. 5. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 49/188 of 23 December 1994, the Special Rapporteur submitted an interim report to the fiftieth session of the General Assembly (A/50/440). 6. By its resolution 1995/23, of 24 February 1995, the Commission on Human Rights decided to extend the Special Rapporteur’s mandate for three years. 7. In this report, the Special Rapporteur draws attention to the principal themes developed in his report to the General Assembly and brings it up to date with a report on the status of the communications and replies received since then. II. IDENTIFICATION OF LEGISLATION IN THE FIELD OF TOLERANCE AND NON-DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RELIGION OR BELIEF 8. In discharging his mandate and in order to gain a better understanding of the legal guarantees for freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, the Special Rapporteur gathers the information sent to him by official and non-governmental sources with a view to ascertaining what measures States have taken to combat intolerance and what incidents and governmental actions might be inconsistent with the provisions of the Declaration. 9. In 1994, the Special Rapporteur invited Governments to communicate all new information falling within that mandate, as well as any other observations that they wished to make in that regard.