Combating intolerance, negative stereotyping, stigmatization, discrimination,
incitement to violence and violence against persons, based on religion or belief
A/RES/70/157
Condemning the criminal acts committed by terrorist and extremist groups and
movements against persons based on their religion or belief, and deeply regretting
attempts to link these acts to any one specific religion or belief,
Reaffirming that violence can never be an acceptable response to acts of
intolerance on the basis of religion or belief,
Welcoming Human Rights Council resolutions 16/18 of 24 March 2011, 2 19/25
of 23 March 2012, 3 22/31 of 22 March 2013 4 and 28/29 of 27 March 2015 5 and
General Assembly resolutions 67/178 of 20 December 2012, 68/169 of 18 December
2013 and 69/174 of 18 December 2014,
Recalling its adoption of resolutions 69/140 of 15 December 2014 on the
promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and
cooperation for peace and 69/312 of 6 July 2015 on the United Nations Alliance of
Civilizations,
Deeply concerned about continuing incidents of intolerance, discrimination
and violence against persons based on their religion or belief in all regions of the
world,
Deploring any advocacy of discrimination or violence on the basis of religion
or belief,
Strongly deploring all acts of violence against persons on the basis of their
religion or belief, as well as any such acts directed against their homes, businesses,
properties, schools, cultural centres or places of worship,
Strongly deploring also all attacks on and in religious places, sites and shrines
in violation of international law, in particular human rights law and international
humanitarian law, including any deliberate destruction of relics and monuments,
Deeply concerned about the prevalence of impunity in some instances, and the
lack of accountability in some cases, in addressing violence against persons on the
basis of religion or belief in public and private spheres, and stressing the importance
of making necessary efforts to raise awareness to address the spread of hate speech
against persons on the basis of religion or belief,
Concerned about actions that wilfully exploit tensions or target individuals on
the basis of their religion or belief,
Expressing deep concern at the instances of intolerance, discrimination and
acts of violence occurring in the world, including cases motivated by discrimination
against persons belonging to religious minorities, in addition to the negative
projection of the followers of religions and the enforcement of measures that
specifically discriminate against persons on the basis of religion or belief,
Expressing concern at the growing manifestations of intolerance based on
religion or belief, which can generate hatred and violence among individuals from
and within different nations and which may have serious implications at the
national, regional and international levels, and in this regard emphasizing the
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2
See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-sixth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/66/53), chap. II,
sect. A.
3
Ibid., Sixty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 53 and corrigendum (A/67/53 and Corr.1), chap. III, sect. A.
4
Ibid., Sixty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/68/53), chap. IV, sect. A.
5
Ibid., Seventieth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/70/53), chap. III, sect. A.
2/6