UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

55^th session

Panel on Countering Religious Hatred (HRC res. 53/1)

8 March 2024

EU statement

Mr. Chairperson,

The EU thanks the OHCHR for holding this panel discussion and the experts for sharing their important insights.

In recent years, the world has witnessed a worrying increase in incidents of hate speech, including based on religion or belief,   such as the destruction of places of worship. Around the world, many persons are still discriminated against, persecuted, and killed because of their religion or belief, or lack thereof.

Stakeholders must urgently step up their efforts to prevent and address these incidents or acts. The UN High Commissioner has recently called on States and stakeholders ‘to redouble their efforts to implement the action plan, as referred to in HRC resolution 16/18’. 

The right to freedom of religion or belief is a long standing priority for the EU. We are committed to upholding it everywhere and strongly condemn all discrimination based on religion or belief. The European Union is also strongly committed to upholding the right to freedom of expression. Both rights have equal value and importance. Our approach is fully grounded on the respect for the rule of law and for democratic principles, which encompass the strict respect for the independence of the judiciary.

Moreover, the EU is taking concrete action to combat religious intolerance Within the EU, we have funded several projects for protecting places of worship. Since 2015, the EU Coordinators on combating antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred have contributed to advance in the protection of persons of all religions or none, including religious minorities. Externally, the projects such as EU-funded GERIS project have helped to create a transnational network of community-based actors working on faith and social inclusion, thereby promoting diversity and coexistence between persons of different faiths.

We look forward to learning about efforts and measures taken from other regions, whilst recalling the Rabat Plan of Action, resolution 16/18, and the Istanbul Process as our common and useful tools in this regard.

Thank you.