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06 Nov 05 |
16 November 2005 - International Day for Tolerance
UN observances such as the International Day for Tolerance on November 16 have as one of their purposes the raising of awareness of issues of global concern. Globalization has resulted in a huge increase in the number of people of different race, ethnicity, culture and religion crossing international borders in search of jobs and a better life. There are, however, increasing reports of migrants becoming targets for hostility, suspicion, mistrust and fear resulting in marginalization and discrimination. Words like islamophobia, christianophobia and xenophobia are appearing in the press. Doudou Diène, Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights, sees the attitudes they describe as contemporary forms of racial discrimination and related intolerance (A/60/283).
The safety and well-being of all people in our communities of increasing ethnic and cultural diversity depend on our tolerance of differences or, in the words of Mary Robinson, “small actions we take every day to understand and accept our neighbours”.
The website www.un.org/depts/dhl/tolerance/ has links in English, French and Spanish to the UNESCO Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and its Follow-up Plan of Action. It also offers links to many UN documents related to tolerance.
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Last Updated ( 07 Nov 05 )
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