Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Declaration on the
Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on
Religion or Belief
The General Assembly,
Considering that
one of the basic principles of the Charter of the United Nations is that of the
dignity and equality
inherent in all
human beings, and that all Member States have pledged themselves to take joint
and separate action
in co-operation
with the Organization to promote and encourage universal respect for and
observance of human
rights and
fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or
religion,
Considering that
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on
Human Rights
proclaim the
principles of nondiscrimination and equality before the law and the right to
freedom of thought,
conscience,
religion and belief,
Considering that
the disregard and infringement of human rights and fundamental freedoms, in
particular of the
right to freedom
of thought, conscience, religion or whatever belief, have brought, directly or
indirectly, wars and
great suffering
to mankind, especially where they serve as a means of foreign interference in
the internal affairs of
other States and
amount to kindling hatred between peoples and nations,
Considering that
religion or belief, for anyone who professes either, is one of the fundamental
elements in his
conception of
life and that freedom of religion or belief should be fully respected and
guaranteed,
Considering that
it is essential to promote understanding, tolerance and respect in matters
relating to freedom of
religion and belief
and to ensure that the use of religion or belief for ends inconsistent with the
Charter of the
United Nations,
other relevant instruments of the United Nations and the purposes and
principles of the present
Declaration is
inadmissible,
Convinced that freedom of religion and belief
should also contribute to the attainment of the goals of world peace,
social justice
and friendship among peoples and to the elimination of ideologies or practices
of colonialism and
racial
discrimination,
Noting with
satisfaction the adoption of several, and the coming into force of some,
conventions, under the aegis
of the United
Nations and of the specialized agencies, for the elimination of various forms
of discrimination,
Concerned by
manifestations of intolerance and by the existence of discrimination in matters
of religion or belief
still in
evidence in some areas of the world,
Resolved to
adopt all necessary measures for the speedy elimination of such intolerance in
all its forms and
manifestations
and to prevent and combat discrimination on the ground of religion or belief,
Proclaims this
Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of
Discrimination Based on Religion
or Belief:
Article 1
1. Everyone
shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right
shall include freedom to
have a religion
or whatever belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community
with others and in
public or
private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice
and teaching.
2. No one shall
be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have a religion or
belief of his choice.
3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or
belief may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law
and are
necessary to protect public safety, order, health or morals or the fundamental
rights and freedoms of
others.
Article 2
1. No one shall
be subject to discrimination by any State, institution, group of persons, or
person on the grounds
of religion or
other belief.
2. For the
purposes of the present Declaration, the expression "intolerance and
discrimination based on religion or
belief"
means any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on religion
or belief and having as its
purpose or as
its effect nullification or impairment of the recognition, enjoyment or
exercise of human rights and
fundamental
freedoms on an equal basis.
Article 3
Discrimination
between human being 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, and shall be condemned as
a violation of the
human rights and
fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and enunciated
in detail in the
International Covenants on Human Rights, and as an obstacle to friendly and
peaceful relations
between nations.
Article 4
1. All States
shall take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on the
grounds of religion or
belief in the
recognition, exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in
all fields of civil,
economic,
political, social and cultural life.
2. All States
shall make all efforts to enact or rescind legislation where necessary to
prohibit any such
discrimination,
and to take all appropriate measures to combat intolerance on the grounds of
religion or other
beliefs in this
matter.
Article 5
1. The parents
or, as the case may be, the legal guardians of the child have the right to
organize the life within the
family in
accordance with their religion or belief and bearing in mind the moral
education in which they believe the
child should be
brought up.
2. Every child
shall enjoy the right to have access to education in the matter of religion or
belief in accordance with
the wishes of
his parents or, as the case may be, legal guardians, and shall not be compelled
to receive teaching on
religion or
belief against the wishes of his parents or legal guardians, the best interests
of the child being the guiding
principle.
3. The child
shall be protected from any form of discrimination on the ground of religion or
belief. He shall be
brought up in a spirit of understanding,
tolerance, friendship among peoples, peace and universal brotherhood,
respect for
freedom of religion or belief of others, and in full consciousness that his
energy and talents should be
devoted to the
service of his fellow men.
4. In the case
of a child who is not under the care either of his parents or of legal
guardians, due account shall be
taken of their
expressed wishes or of any other proof of their wishes in the matter of
religion or belief, the best
interests of the
child being the guiding principle. 5. Practices of a religion or belief in
which a child is brought up
must not be
injurious to his physical or mental health or to his full development, taking
into account article 1,
paragraph 3, of
the present Declaration.
Article 6
In accordance
with article I of the present Declaration, and subject to the provisions of
article 1, paragraph 3, the
right to freedom
of thought, conscience, religion or belief shall include, inter alia, the
following freedoms:
(a) To
worship or assemble in connection with a religion or belief, and to establish
and maintain
places for
these purposes;
(b) To
establish and maintain appropriate charitable or humanitarian institutions;
(c) To
make, acquire and use to an adequate extent the necessary articles and
materials related to
the rites
or customs of a religion or belief;
(d) To
write, issue and disseminate relevant publications in these areas;
(e) To
teach a religion or belief in places suitable for these purposes;
(f) To
solicit and receive voluntary financial and other contributions from
individuals and institutions;
(g) To
train, appoint, elect or designate by succession appropriate leaders called for
by the
requirements and standards of any religion or belief;
(h) To
observe days of rest and to celebrate holidays and ceremonies in accordance
with the
precepts of
one's religion or belief;
(i) To
establish and maintain communications with individuals and communities in
matters of religion
and belief
at the national and international levels.
Article 7
The rights and
freedoms set forth in the present Declaration shall be accorded in national
legislation in such a
manner that
everyone shall be able to avail himself of such rights and freedoms in
practice.
Article 8
Nothing in the
present Declaration shall be construed as restricting or derogating from any
right defined in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights.
© Copyright 1997
Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Geneva, Switzerland