OSCE message on International Day for Tolerance

Day for Tolerance

Rome [ENA] The United Nations is committed to strengthening tolerance by fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples. This imperative lies at the core of the United Nations Charter, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is more important than ever in this era of rising and violent extremism and widening conflicts that are characterized by a fundamental disregard for human life.

On 16 November 1995, UNESCO's Member States adopted a Declaration of Principles on Tolerance. Among other things, the Declaration affirmed that tolerance is respect and appreciation of the rich variety of our world's cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human. Tolerance recognizes the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of others. People are naturally diverse; only tolerance can ensure the survival of mixed communities in every region of the globe. The Declaration qualifies tolerance not only as a moral duty, but also as a political and legal obligation for individuals, groups and States.

It highlights that States should draft new legislation when necessary to ensure equality of treatment and of opportunity for all groups and individuals in society. Education for tolerance should aim at countering influences that lead to fear and exclusion of others and should help young people develop capacities for independent judgement, critical thinking and ethical reasoning. The diversity of our world's many religions, languages, cultures and ethnicities is not a pretext for conflict, but is a treasure that enriches us all.

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office’s Personal Representatives: Rabbi Andrew Baker, Personal Representative on Combating Anti-Semitism; Ambassador Mehmet Pacaci, Personal Representative on Combating Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims; Professor Regina Polak, Personal Representative on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, also focusing on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians and Members of Other Religions published the following message on 16th November for the International Day for Tolerance.

"In a world shaped by ever-increasing divisions within nations and societies the need for tolerance could not be greater. The problems we face are clearly demonstrated in the most recent 2021 Hate Crime Report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in numerous instances of stereotyping, scapegoating, and stigmatization. It has fueled hate-motivated attacks both online and offline directed at persons in vulnerable situations, at persons belonging to minorities, including ethnic and religious groups and anti-Semitic attacks and hate-crimes against Muslims, Christians and members of other religions, Roma and Sinti, migrants and refugees, and people of Asian descent.

They are not only a catastrophe for the victims and a breach of human rights, but they damage the social cohesion of our society at large. Trust and solidarity are lost, and democracy is threatened. States are obliged to respect and protect the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of all individuals. They must take the necessary political and legal measures to safeguard ethnic, religious or belief, and other communities from intolerance and discrimination. OSCE participating States have made commitments to enact and strengthen legislation to combat anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia, and all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief;

to establish national bodies to promote tolerance and non-discrimination; and to develop educational programs and share best practice models. On this International Day of Tolerance, we urge all participating States to redouble their efforts to implement these comprehensive commitments. This should include the adoption and enforcement of robust hate-crime legislation and the collection and reporting of hate crime data- preferably in a comprehensive, accurate and disaggregated form. Governments should work cooperatively with civil society, especially with religious and belief leaders and communities as well as with young persons, and women.

We also underscore the importance of civil society coalitions as a tool to fight intolerance and strengthen resilience in a time of crisis. We must strive to see that “tolerance” will come to mean not only acceptance but true respect and appreciation for the pluralism and diversity in our societies. All of us are responsible for making this a reality. The ODIHR is offering participating States its expertise and resources to implement their commitments. As the Personal Representatives of the Chairperson-in-Office for tolerance issues, we are also ready to assist".