The Secretary-General’s report on “Combating intolerance, negative stereotyping, stigmatization, discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against persons, based on religion or belief” was delivered as part of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The Report discussed this issue from numerous angles, but crucially, one of the Secretary-General’s nine concluding observations included the important affirmation that “blasphemy” laws are incompatible with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Another conclusion of the Report highlighted the role of the “Faith for Rights” framework, at which Humanists International is a regular participant.
The submission made by Humanists International was one of two submissions by the organization to the UN on the issue of “blasphemy” and the right to freedom of religion or belief in May of this year. The other submission was to the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. The Secretary-General cited Humanists International’s focus on the use of the six-part Rabat threshold when considering the potential criminalization of certain actions. The Secretary-General’s report also focused on Humanists International’s recommendations for alternatives to criminalization, such as positive counterspeech, education initiatives, and addressing the root causes of hatred.
The report was requested by Resolution 28/214, which was adopted without a vote on 22 December 2023. The Resolution affirmed many of the human rights principles regarding the combating of intolerance based on religion or belief. The Resolution was brought by Egypt, on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. A similar resolution, known as the 16/18 Resolution, has been brought to the table at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, in parallel with the European Union’s annual Resolution on the right to freedom of religion or belief.
Every year, the UN Secretary-General produces several reports, as requested by specific resolutions of the UN, which outline the state of current human rights issues, trending topics within rights issues, and recommendations for how to combat the prevailing challenges.
Featured Photo by Nils Huenerfuerst on Unsplash.
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