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Geneva, 17 January 2008--
The Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief of the United Nations
Human Rights Council, Asma Jahangir, will visit Israel and the occupied
Palestinian territory (oPt) from 20 to 27 January 2008 following invitations
by the Israeli Government as well as by the Government of the Palestinian
Authority.
During her visit the Special Rapporteur will hold talks
with Government officials responsible for matters of religion or belief and
will meet with representatives of religious organizations, non-governmental
organizations of relevance to her mandate and individuals. A report on the
visit, including conclusions and recommendations, will be submitted to the
Human Rights Council.
Ms. Jahangir, a human rights lawyer based in Pakistan, was
appointed Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief in July 2004 by
the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights. On 14 December 2007,
the Human Rights Council decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur
for a further period of three years and in this context invited the mandate
holder (see Human Rights Council resolution 6/37):
– To promote the adoption of measures at the national,
regional and international levels to ensure the promotion and protection of
the right to freedom of religion or belief;
– To identify existing and emerging obstacles to the
enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief and present
recommendations on ways and means to overcome such obstacles;
– To continue her/his efforts to examine incidents and
governmental actions that are incompatible 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
as appropriate;
– To continue to apply a gender perspective, inter alia,
through the identification of gender-specific abuses, in the reporting
process, including in information collection and in recommendations.
For further information on the mandate of the Special
Rapporteur and copies of available reports, please consult the website of the
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/religion/index.htm).
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