A/HRC/34/35 its regional forums, which cover topics of freedom of religion or belief, could be expanded to specifically address the various elements of the action plan. 88. Recalling the Rabat Plan of Action on the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, States should create or enlarge the competencies of national human rights institutions and equality bodies in order to broaden social dialogue, but also in relation to accepting complaints about incidents of incitement to hatred (see A/HRC/22/17/Add.4, appendix, para. 46). Those institutions must possess the capacity to engage effectively with all actors in society and serve as an additional bastion for interfaith dialogue. The role of leadership 89. The action plan refers to the efforts of leaders to discuss within their communities the causes of discrimination and evolving strategies to counter those causes and speak out against intolerance. 90. Some States have noted that political and religious leaders speak out against intolerance, including against the advocacy of religious hatred, which constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence. The role and responsibility of religious leaders and scholars was emphasized, with a number of States noting that the religious leadership was involved in interfaith dialogue, promoting the human rights related to freedom of religion or belief and providing guidance in terms of religious messaging and tone to elicit greater harmony, tolerance and moderation, with a view to curtailing violent extremism and radicalization. 91. In that context and pursuant to the Rabat Plan of Action, OHCHR is reaching out within a “Faith for rights” initiative to stakeholders in the field of religion or belief. The overall objective of the initiative is to promote a collaborative definition of the role and responsibilities of leaders in promoting human rights, based on good practices and lessons learned. 92. Leaders at different levels should refrain from using messages of intolerance or expressions which may incite violence, hostility or discrimination. They should speak out firmly and promptly against intolerance, discriminatory stereotyping and hate speech and make it clear that violence can never be tolerated, even as a response to incitement to hatred. They also need to stand up for the right of everyone to make free choices, particularly for freedom of religion or belief, and they should affirm their commitment to the universal human rights norms and standards. 93. Religious leaders should also be encouraged to take a public stance in support of religious groups other than their own and engage in dialogue with, rather than exclude, individuals with radical and extremist views. Efforts should be made to bring together religious leaders and faith based organizations with the aim of advocating for school curricula to include and value diversity and equality. In cooperation with religious leaders, States should promote interreligious and interconvictional cooperation on all social issues of relevance to communities. Efforts should be made to increase and strengthen the profile of women, both religious and secular, who are working to prevent incitement to hatred and violent extremism. Advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence 94. Some States are increasingly active in addressing hate crimes at the domestic level through better monitoring, recording and reporting of hate crimes, consolidated information-gathering, collaborative networks, victim outreach and assistance, and strengthened police and security measures and legal prosecution. National approaches vary between civil and criminal law provisions. The contributions received from States demonstrated that within several domestic legal frameworks, incitement to hatred is a criminal offence and often prohibited on several grounds, including on the grounds of religion or belief. Furthermore, States noted that the politicization of the right to freedom of religion or belief often aggravated existing tensions. 12