Nov 17, 2014

Tolerance and 'the right to be different'


On Sunday 16 November, the 2014 International Day of Tolerance was observed by people around the world. The initiative, established by UNESCO in 1995, seeks both to educate people about the benefits of a tolerant society, and to give people the chance to reflect and debate the detrimental effects of intolerance.

A variety of institutions, educators and human rights activists use this day as an opportunity to speak out on human rights issues, with the societal impact of hate crimes and discrimination against minorities usually taking centre stage. Many workplaces use this day to focus on special training programmes, talks, or spreading messages about the importance of tolerance.

UNPO strongly supports the International Day of Tolerance, and believes that understanding and political tolerance are the cornerstone of any democratic process. UNPO advocates the use of education as a crucial tool in the spread of tolerant behaviour and the elimination of ignorance that can lead to fear and the exclusion of others.

Tolerance is considered a fundamental principle of the UN, essential for the prevention of war and the maintenance of peace. In order to “reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person”, as is included in the UN Charter, UNESCO once again called on people around the world to practice tolerance and live together in peace.

This should not be a revolutionary idea - and even the concept of 'tolerance' might be equated with 'grudging acceptance' rather than a full embrace of difference - but millions of lives across the world continue to be blighted by an absence of even this basic recognition of human dignity. Systematic intolerance is undermining the rights and livelihoods of cultural and ethnic minorities in every continent, including Europe. A lack of understanding and acceptance can mean the difference between a harmonious, prospering nation and a fractured society. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, recently called for “harmony through dialogue” between oppressive states and their national minorities. As ethnic and religious tensions are increasing across the world today, parties involved in conflicts fuelled by intolerance in places such as Iraq, Pakistan and Ethiopia could all benefit greatly from opening dialogue. The International Day of Tolerance offers an opportunity for these dialogues to be formed across the world.

Our members, while differing wildly in their challenges and objectives, share the ill effects of their neighbours' intolerance. Some groups are not entitled to speak their language freely or assemble peacefully; some face systematic oppression by state forces; others are denied the right to determine a future different from that demanded of them by other peoples or nations. UNPO believes that international harmony depends on individuals, communities and nations accepting and respecting the multicultural character of the human family. To this end, we call on everyone to abide by the Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice: namely, that “all individuals and groups have the right to be different”. The doctrine of tolerance is not a fantasy that all people, and peoples, in the world will like each other or agree all of the time, no matter how desirable that may be; but it is an insistence that people be allowed to live the lives they choose, free of fear, harassment and oppression.

Picture courtesy of Aiden Jones @flickr