Tolerance and Non-discrimination The OSCE participating States have adopted a broad range of commitments to combat racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance, including where the targets are Muslims, Christians or members of other religions. In these commitments, participating States pledge to take action to protect individuals and communities, thus recognizing the threat that violent manifestations of intolerance pose to the security and stability of societies. Despite this, violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms continue to occur throughout the OSCE region. ODIHR works with participating States and a wide network of civil society organizations to protect freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief and to eliminate manifestations of intolerance in order to build cohesive, diverse and pluralistic societies based on respect for human rights and the rule of law. Main Issues Hate-Motivated Crimes and Violent Manifestations of Intolerance ODIHR’s annual report Hate Crimes in the OSCE Region: Incidents and Responses, published on 16 November, documented that hate crimes continue to be a serious problem, with numerous reported cases of intimidation, threats, assaults and desecration of places of worship, arson and other property damage. Once again, the report highlighted that the absence of reliable data remains a major obstacle to understanding the full extent of hate crimes. Freedom of Religion or Belief Religious and belief communities sometimes face considerable challenges in realizing their rights in the OSCE area. Problems include violations of the right to change, adopt or renounce a religion or belief and limitations of the right to manifest one’s religion or belief. These constraints are manifested, for example, through restrictive regulations on the registration of these communities, the limitation of their autonomy or the prohibition of public displays of religious symbols. Challenging Biases and Prejudices through Education Since violent manifestations of intolerance are generally rooted in bias and prejudice, the OSCE participating States have recognized how important educational activities can be to preventing this phenomenon. Education is even more crucial in times of economic and financial crisis, when vulnerable groups are often the target of negative stereotyping. The range of relevant educational approaches encompasses teaching about fundamental rights and equality, challenging stereotypes and bias, raising awareness about the positive aspects of diversity and promoting the remembrance of the Holocaust. 52 ODIHR Annual Report 2011