The main intergovernmental policy framework for combatting religious intolerance, stigmatisation, discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against persons based on religion or belief is set down in Human Rights Council resolution 16/18 and its sister resolution at the General Assembly resolution 66/167. States also put in place a dedicated mechanism of implementation for the action plan: the ‘Istanbul Process.’ Since the launch of the Process in Istanbul, Turkey in July 2011, there have been seven expert-level meetings: in Washington (US), London (UK and Canada), Geneva (OIC), Doha (Qatar), Jeddah (OIC), Singapore, The Hague (Netherlands), and Geneva (Switzerland).
A decade after the adoption of those resolutions and against a worrying backdrop of heightened religious intolerance worldwide (including rising Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and attacks against Christian minorities), with this programme URG seeks to contribute to strengthen the Istanbul Process and use it as a vehicle to drive global progress in the fight against discrimination and hatred remains of the utmost importance.
