A/HRC/2/6 page 2 Summary In its decision 1/107 of 30 June, 2006, the Human Rights Council expressed “concern over the increasing trend of defamation of religions, incitement to racial and religious hatred and its recent manifestations,” and requested the “Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance as well as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to report to the next session on this phenomenon, in particular its implications for article 20, paragraph 2, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”. This report summarizes the preliminary outcome of research conducted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the subject. The report focuses on the international human rights dimension and reviews the status of the law and the scope of, as well as limits on, action to regulate the defamation of religions and incitement to racial and religious hatred. The preliminary conclusion of the report is that more effort is needed, possibly within the international human rights machinery, more specifically to define the parameters of the law in this area in order to facilitate more coherent and effective implementation at the national level in a manner that can promote tolerance, while enhancing safeguards for the freedom of expression and other fundamental freedoms.