A/HRC/43/72 19. Malta reported that the first governmental integration unit, set up within the Human Rights and Integration Directorate, had built networks and collaborated with different stakeholders. Migrants living in Malta had been encouraged to enrol in English- and Maltese-language courses and in an orientation course on Maltese culture through the “I belong” programme,8 which aimed to facilitate their integration into Maltese society. The local integration charter and action plan encouraged local councils to support their increasingly diverse migrant communities and their integration needs. A councillor from every locality had been appointed to address social and integration matters. Meetings were held within local councils inviting residents to discuss common issues faced by migrants and locals. Malta also reported that a new platform for interfaith integration would be formed jointly with the International Organization for Migration, specifically to tackle integration matters related to religion and belief in Malta. 20. In Mexico, the community, civil, administrative and criminal justice authorities, human rights defenders, the Ministry of Public Safety, the National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination and counterpart authorities at the federal level have collaborated in networks on issues related to freedom of religion and belief. The General Directorate of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior held a national meeting of state government officials charged with religious affairs in which 28 federal entities participated. At the meeting, participants recognized that religious diversity was increasing in Mexico and sought to identify issues concerning religion in the different parts of the country. 21. The Philippines reported that the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos protected and promoted the interests and welfare of Muslim Filipinos at both the local and national levels. The Department of Education of the Philippines, in coordination with the National Commission, had issued Order No. 53 (2001) directing all schools to protect students from discrimination by ensuring that school policies were sensitive to the religious rights of students (e.g., in respect of the use of veils or hijabs inside campuses and the nonparticipation in non-Muslim religious rites). 22. In Portugal, the Intercultural Dialogue Unit of the High Commission for Migration was mandated with developing projects and activities to elicit positive interaction among different communities and cultures and with promoting intercultural and interreligious dialogue, involving key segments of Portuguese society and strategic partners. The Unit’s main initiatives are intercultural education, the training of trainers, promotion of the Portuguese Diversity Charter, intercultural mediation and interreligious dialogue. 23. The Government of Sweden met regularly with representatives in Sweden of the world religions in a special forum. The Government provided funds to the Swedish interreligious councils and, through the Swedish Agency for Support to Faith Communities, supported local interreligious councils. In 2016, the Government launched a national plan to work strategically to combat racism, similar forms of hostility and hate crime in Sweden.9 The Swedish Police Authority had established pro-democracy and anti-hate crime groups in the Stockholm, West and South police regions. 24. The United Arab Emirates reported that the Ministry of Tolerance had partnered with the federal and local governments to develop and implement four joint national initiatives to promote the values of tolerance, including religious tolerance, and reject the values of religious and racial intolerance. The Ministry of Tolerance had worked with the Ministry of Education, the United Arab Emirates University, Mohammed V University, Al Ain University, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, the Ministry of Community Development, the Abu Dhabi Police and the National Media 8 9 https://meae.gov.mt/en/Documents/migrant%20integration-EN.pdf; https://homeaffairs.gov.mt/en/media/PoliciesDocuments/Documents/SRAPolicyDocumentNov2018.pdf; https://integration.gov.mt/en/ibelong/Pages/IbelongProgramme.aspx. www.government.se/492382/contentassets/e6047ff54c00452895005f07e2e2ba39/a-comprehensiveapproach-to-combat-racism-and-hate-crime. 5