A/HRC/RES/31/16 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 8 April 2016 Original: English Human Rights Council Thirty-first session Agenda item 3 Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 23 March 2016 31/16. Freedom of religion or belief The Human Rights Council, Recalling General Assembly resolution 36/55 of 25 November 1981, in which the Assembly proclaimed the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, Recalling also article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant human rights provisions, Recalling further Human Rights Council resolution 28/18 of 27 March 2015, and other resolutions adopted by the Council, the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights on the freedom of religion or belief or the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief, Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1 and 5/2 of 18 June 2007, Noting with appreciation the conclusions and recommendations of the expert workshops organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and contained in the Rabat Plan of Action on the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial and religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, adopted in Rabat on 5 October 2012, Reaffirming that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated, Recalling that States have the primary responsibility to promote and protect human rights, including the human rights of persons belonging to religious minorities, including their right to exercise their religion or belief freely, Deeply concerned at continuing acts of intolerance and violence based on religion or belief against individuals, including persons belonging to religious communities and religious minorities around the world, Underlining the importance of education in the promotion of tolerance, which involves the acceptance by the public of and its respect for diversity, including with regard to religious expression, and underlining also the fact that education, in particular at school, GE.16-05753 (E) *1605753*

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