A/HRC/13/57 I. Introduction 1. In its resolution 10/22 on combating defamation of religions of 26 March 2009, the Human Rights Council (hereafter “the Council”) expressed deep concern over the negative stereotyping of religions and manifestations of discrimination in matters of religion or belief. The Council strongly deplored all acts of violence, and incitement thereto, against persons on the basis of their religion or belief, and against their businesses, properties, cultural centres and places of worship, as well as the targeting of holy sites, religious symbols and venerated personalities of all religions. Deep concern was also expressed over the frequent and wrong association of Islam with terrorism, the ethnic and religious profiling of Muslim minorities in the aftermath of the tragic events of 11 September 2001, and the stigmatization of Muslim minorities. 2. In paragraph 19 of resolution 10/22, the Council requested the High Commissioner for Human Rights to report to the Council at its twelfth session on the implementation of the resolution, including on the possible correlation between defamation of religions and the upsurge in incitement, intolerance and hatred in many parts of the world. In implementation of this request, notes verbales were sent by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to Member States, United Nations entities and regional organizations to solicit information on measures and activities undertaken to combat defamation of religions. To be able to include the broadest number of contributions in her report, the High Commissioner, in a note by the Secretariat on 9 July 2009,2 requested that the submission of her report to the Council be delayed to its thirteenth session. Hence, the present report is submitted accordingly to the thirteenth session of the Council pursuant to the request contained in resolution 10/22. 3. Similarly, in paragraph 24 of its resolution 63/171, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit a report at its sixty-fourth session on the implementation of that resolution on combating defamation of religions, including on the possible correlation between defamation of religions and the upsurge in incitement, intolerance and hatred in many parts of the world. In his report of 31 July 2009, submitted pursuant to this request,3 the Secretary-General recalled the relevant international legal framework and focused on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 63/171 by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as on developments at the level of human rights mechanisms and treaty bodies which, although not necessarily addressing defamation of religions directly, had a bearing on the phenomena described in the resolution. 4. In the Secretary-General’s report, it is noted that the voting on resolution 63/171 attested to the diversity of views among Member States. The same is true of the Council’s resolution (which was adopted by a vote of 23 in favour to 11 against and 13 abstentions). Those who voted against the resolution either invoked that religions could not and should not be subjects of international human rights law or denounced what they perceived as the resolution’s predominant focus on one religion. 5. While the scope of the present report is limited to Council resolution 10/22, attention is drawn to previous reports by the High Commissioner, the Secretary-General and relevant special procedures on combating defamation of religions,4 incitement to racial and religious 2 3 4 GE.10-10223 A/HRC/12/39. A/64/209. Ibid.; A/HRC/9/12; A/HRC/12/38. 3