Promotion of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding and Cooperation for Peace

A/RES/61/221No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 44Culture of peace, published in 2007.

What other versions does this mandate have?

18 versions · 2007–2026

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/259

2026A/RES/80/259Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peaceLatestCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/129Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peaceCompare with previous version
2021A/RES/76/69Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peaceCompare with previous version
2020A/RES/75/26Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peaceCompare with previous version
2019A/RES/74/23Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peaceCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What does this mandate say?

17 operative paragraphs

Affirms that mutual understanding and interreligious dialogue constitute important dimensions of the dialogue among civilizations and of the culture of peace;

Takes note with appreciation of the work of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on interreligious dialogue in the context of its efforts to promote dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, as well as activities related to a culture of peace, and welcomes its focus on concrete action at the global, regional and subregional levels and its flagship project on the promotion of interfaith dialogue;

Recognizes that respect for religious and cultural diversity in an increasingly globalizing world contributes to international cooperation, promotes enhanced dialogue among religions, cultures and civilizations and helps to create an environment conducive to the exchange of human experience;

Also recognizes that, despite intolerance and conflicts that are creating a divide across countries and regions and constitute a growing threat to peaceful relations among nations, all cultures, religions and civilizations share a common set of universal values and can all contribute to the enrichment of humankind;

Reaffirms the solemn commitment of all States to fulfil their obligations to promote universal respect for, and observance and protection of, all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human RightsError: Reference source not found and other instruments relating to human rights and international law; the universal nature of these rights and freedoms is beyond question;

Urges States, in compliance with their international obligations, to take all necessary action to combat incitement to or acts of violence, intimidation and coercion motivated by hatred and intolerance based on culture, religion or belief, which may cause discord and disharmony within and among societies;

Also urges States to take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in the recognition, exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all fields of civil, economic, political, social and cultural life and to make all efforts to enact or rescind legislation, where necessary, in order to prohibit any such discrimination, and to take all appropriate measures to combat intolerance on the grounds of religion or belief;

Reaffirms that the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities contribute to political and social stability and peace and enrich the cultural diversity and heritage of society as a whole in the States in which such persons live, and urges States to ensure that their political and legal systems reflect the multicultural diversity within their societies and, where necessary, to improve democratic and political institutions, organizations and practices so that they are more fully participatory and avoid the marginalization and exclusion of, and discrimination against, specific sectors of society;

Encourages Governments to promote, including through education, as well as the development of progressive curricula and textbooks, understanding, tolerance and friendship among human beings in all their diversity of religion, belief, culture and language, which will address the cultural, social, economic, political and religious sources of intolerance, and to apply a gender perspective while doing so, in order to promote understanding, tolerance, peace and friendly relations among nations and all racial and religious groups, recognizing that education at all levels is one of the principal means to build a culture of peace;

Recognizes the contribution of the media to developing a better understanding among all religions, beliefs, cultures and peoples and to facilitating a dialogue among societies, as well as to creating an environment conducive to the exchange of human experience;

Supports practical initiatives at the regional and national levels by all parties concerned, including the media representatives themselves, to encourage the media to enhance its capacity in promoting interfaith and intercultural understanding and cooperation for peace, development and human dignity;

Encourages the promotion of dialogue among the media from all cultures and civilizations, emphasizes that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, and reaffirms that the exercise of this right carries with it special duties and responsibilities and may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and necessary for respect of the rights or reputations of others, protection of national security or of public order, or of public health or morals;

Affirms that the relevant United Nations bodies, including the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, shall endeavour to undertake coordinated measures to promote universal respect on matters of freedom of religion or belief and cultural diversity and to prevent instances of intolerance, discrimination and incitement of hatred against members of any community or adherents of any religion or belief;

Decides to convene in 2007 a high-level dialogue on interreligious and intercultural cooperation for the promotion of tolerance, understanding and universal respect on matters of freedom of religion or belief and cultural diversity, in coordination with other similar initiatives in this area;

Decides also to consider declaring one of the coming years as the Year of Dialogue among Religions and Cultures;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure the systematic and organizational follow-up of all interreligious, intercultural and intercivilizational matters within the United Nations system and overall coordination and coherence in its interreligious, intercultural and intercivilizational dialogue and cooperation efforts, inter alia, through the designation of a focal unit in the Secretariat to handle these matters;

Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-second session on the implementation of the present resolution.

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Promotion of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding and Cooperation for Peace

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