International Day for Tolerance - 16 November 2015
Message by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO
Tolerance is a new idea, one which we need now more than ever.
It
leads us to respect cultural diversity, ways of life and expressions of
our own humanity. It is a necessary condition for peace and progress
for all people in a diversified and ever-more connected world.
UNESCO was created exactly 70 years ago, on 16
November 1945, the International Day of Tolerance, on the basis that
wars could be avoided if people learned to get to know each other better
and understood that, in the fertile diversity of their cultures, that
which unites them is stronger than that which divides them. These
principles were reaffirmed 20 years ago in the Declaration of Principles
on Tolerance, adopted by UNESCO in 1995. In a globalized world, home to
people from many cultures and backgrounds and flooded with pictures of
and information about other peoples, tolerance is the cornerstone of
sustainable citizenship.
When
violent extremism spreads messages of hate and intolerance, both on
the ground and on social media; when human beings suffer persecution,
exclusion or discrimination on the basis of their religion or
background; when economic crises accentuate social divides and stand in
the way of acceptance of others, such as minorities, foreigners or
refugees; we must offer up a different discourse, an open message which
calls for tolerance. We must make the lessons of the past more visible
and remind people of the extreme situations which can result from
rejection of others, racism and anti-Semitism.
Diversity
is a reality, calling us to adapt our policies and act appropriately,
for which tolerance is key. Today’s world presents us with considerable
opportunities to better understand each other, share our stories, create
a public space on a global scale, enrich our outlook on life and
combine our perspectives. It is an invitation for us to strengthen moral
and intellectual solidarity between peoples through educational
cooperation, dialogue among cultures, knowledge-sharing and free
distribution of information. Tolerance is a means of constructing peace;
it accelerates innovation and creation, opening our minds to other ways
to view the world. This founding mission of UNESCO is not decreed
through laws and declarations: it relies on the will and daily efforts
of the citizens of the world who are developing this culture of
tolerance, and today is the time to support them.
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