The Permanent Committee for Human Rights Releases a Statement on the Occasion of International Day for Tolerance with a Quote from the Minister of Tolerance

The International Day for Tolerance is an important day, reminding the world of the increasing necessity for global understanding and respect for human life. To be effective, our global community must be infused with a spirit of tolerance and human fraternity. Success demands the respectful and sympathetic inclusion of everyone, everywhere, irrespective of their differences or their backgrounds.”

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, on the occasion of the International Day for Tolerance.

In a turbulent world where intolerance is growing in many places, this year, perhaps more than any other time, the International Day for Tolerance holds special significance.

The Permanent Committee for Human Rights recalls that tolerance is in numerous international human rights instruments, in which it is described as a “necessary component of a just and egalitarian society.” In the UN Charter (1945), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), and in the Vienna Declaration (1993), tolerance refers to a set of structuring principles, which protect the rule of law and guarantee the promotion of human rights.

In paragraph 3.1 of the UNESCO Declaration of 1996, tolerance is perceived as the keystone of human rights, “an active attitude prompted by recognition of the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of others”. It involves the rejection of dogmatism and reinforces the standards set out in international human rights instruments.

Tolerance is not only a moral duty inherent to each individual, or a societal commitment for society to fulfill. It is also a political and legal requirement through which government action against discrimination and violent acts of intolerance is necessary.

The PCHR attaches great importance to the work of the OHCHR on confronting the roots of intolerance, strengthening respect for individual human rights, and promoting an environment free of racism, discrimination or xenophobia. The adoption of the principles enshrined in resolution 16/18 of the Human Rights Council represent a robust corpus of human rights which the UAE considers as critical in combating the forces of intolerance and hatred among and within societies worldwide.

In hosting and signing the Document on Human Fraternity, the UAE has prided itself on being a safe and secure place for all those living in the country, without distinction of race, ethnicity or religion. A country which has committed itself to never tolerate discrimination or any act of intolerance which go against everything it stands for.

UNESCO’s principles on Tolerance and its values states: “Tolerance is harmony in difference”. “It is the virtue that makes peace possible and contributes to the replacement of the culture of war by a culture of peace”.