Advocating culture of tolerance

Promoting cultural tolerance
Promoting tolerance
Fostering tolerance

Description

Popularizing a culture of tolerance which respects the rights and diversity of all communities, encompassing human rights, conflict prevention, crisis management, democratic values and national security. Force or coercion, political and economic inequality or religious intolerance that lead to undemocratic practices of any kind are resisted.

Context

The challenge facing the international community is to replace violence and social disharmony with a broad-based culture of peace. This can only be possible if the spirit of tolerance is instilled into individuals and social discourse. The problem with tolerance is that it is necessary in precisely those circumstances where it is most difficult to achieve. Tolerance is not to be confused with concession or indifference. Where there are no strong feelings, no demands are made on our capacity for tolerance. Tolerance presupposes the existence of opposing values or viewpoints. It implies a tension between commitment to one's own outlook and acceptance of another person's. Ideally, tolerance is the knowledge of the other and mutual respect through mutual understanding.

Implementation

At UNESCO's initiative, 1995 was proclaimed the International Year of Tolerance. The Year, which is also the 50th anniversary of the UN, has two main purposes: to alert public opinion to the importance of tolerance and to give a major boost to education for tolerance. It is part of a broad programme of UNESCO activities promoting the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind. These include a network of 3,200 schools in 122 countries dedicated to preparing children and young people to live in a global society and to develop their attitudes of "earth patriotism" for living in an increasingly interdependent world.

At the 2000 meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, twelve heads of state announced support of a new initiative known as the Global Peace Imperative designed to foster understanding, encourage religious tolerance, and reduce prejudice among cultures. President Johannes Rau of Germany, in announcing the new programme, said the initiative would promote openness, solidarity, responsibility and neighbourliness. President Rau said 12 heads of state from countries with Christian and with Islamic traditions "have declared themselves willing to take on the patronage for these endeavours". The dialogue between western countries and Islam, initiated by President Rau's predecessor President Roman Herzog, aims to look for new approaches in intercultural relations and contacts. In an appeal to all Annual Meeting participants, President Rau said "each of you can, in his or her own country, help – institutes and projects – to contribute to the dialogue of cultures in the interest of our one world."

Claim

The only way of permanently settling the conflicts still rife throughout the world is by tackling the main causes of human rights violations. Ethnic wars, growing militarism, racial, religious, cultural and ideological hostility, and the denial of social justice will come to an end if all individuals are brought up, educated and trained in a spirit of tolerance based on respect for human rights in accordance with the various instruments relating to human rights adopted by the United Nations system.

Maybe tolerance will prove to have been an interim virtue, serving a period between a past when no-one had heard of it, and a future in which no-one will need it. For the present, however, it is very obvious that there are still fanatical convictions that are only too anxious to insulate themselves against criticism; and there are many people whose rights can be asserted only by unwelcome speech. It does not look as though the time has come yet in which we can do without the awkward virtue of tolerance.