Background

At the invitation of the Government, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ms. Nazila Ghanea, will be conducting an official country visit to Hungary, from 7 to 18 October 2024.

Country visits are undertaken in the spirit of cooperation and constructive dialogue. The objective of the country visit is for the Special Rapporteur to gain a first-hand understanding of the specific context of freedom of religion or belief in the country (see A/HRC/RES/49/5). As an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, she is mandated to identify existing and emerging obstacles to the enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief and present recommendations on ways and means to overcome such obstacles.

The Special Rapporteur will start her visit in Budapest. She also intends to travel to other locations within the country. During the visit, she will hold meetings with state authorities, civil society partners, faith-based actors, representatives of religion or belief communities, judges, lawyers and scholars.

At the end of the mission, the Special Rapporteur will debrief the Government on her preliminary findings and, in line with the established practice, she will hold a press conference to share those findings with the broader public. Additional information on the time and the venue of the press conference will be shared in due course.

The expert will present a report on the country visit to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2025.

In preparation for her visit, the Special Rapporteur would welcome written submissions (background materials/information) from civil society, human rights organisations, experts and academics and other interested stakeholders and individuals on issues related to the right to freedom of religion or belief in Hungary.