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

A/RES/76/69No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 16Culture of peace, published in 2021.

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 subjects does this mandate have?

6 topics

Cultural Pluralism Information Dissemination Intercultural Communication Peace Religious Intolerance Tolerance

What does this mandate say?

23 operative paragraphs

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

Recognizes that the open public debate of ideas, as well as interfaith and intercultural dialogue, at the local, national and international levels can be among the best protections against religious intolerance and can play a positive role in strengthening democracy and combating religious hatred, and convinced that a continuing dialogue on these issues can help to overcome existing misperceptions;

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the promotion of a culture of peace and interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace;

Recognizes the importance of interreligious and intercultural dialogue and its valuable contribution to promoting social cohesion and inclusion, peace and development, and calls upon Member States to consider, as appropriate and where applicable, interreligious and intercultural dialogue as an important tool in efforts aimed at achieving peace and social stability and the full realization of the Sustainable Development Goals;

Also recognizes the efforts by relevant stakeholders to foster peaceful and harmonious coexistence within societies by promoting respect for religious and cultural diversity, including by engendering sustained and robust interaction among various segments of society;

Further recognizes the leading role of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on intercultural dialogue and its contribution to interreligious dialogue, as well as its activities related to the culture of peace and non-violence and its focus on concrete actions at the global, regional and subregional levels, and recognizes the contribution by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in this regard;

Welcomes the declarations adopted by the Global Forums of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, and invites relevant stakeholders to continue their efforts to promote mutual understanding among different civilizations, cultures, religions and beliefs;

Also welcomes the efforts undertaken by the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in promoting intercultural and interreligious dialogue, strengthening social cohesion and promoting a culture of peace;

Takes note with concern the rise in discrimination, hate speech, stigmatization, racism and xenophobia related to the COVID-19 pandemic;

Calls upon Member States, which have the primary responsibility to counter discrimination and hate speech, and all relevant actors, including political and religious leaders, to promote inclusion and unity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to combat racism, xenophobia, hate speech, violence and discrimination;

Reaffirms the solemn commitment of all States to fulfil their obligations and commitments 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 Rights and other instruments relating to human rights and international law, the universal nature of these rights and freedoms being beyond question;

Recalls the initiative to open up the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor in the spirit of interfaith harmony and peaceful neighbourhood, and appreciates the agreement between the Governments of India and Pakistan to allow visa-free access to pilgrims of all faiths, especially Nanak Naam Levas and the Sikh community from across the world, as a landmark initiative for interreligious and intercultural cooperation for peace;

Welcomes the joint statement issued by Spain and Turkey as co-sponsors of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations after the successful conclusion of the eighth Global Forum of the Alliance, on the theme “#Commit2Dialogue: partnerships for prevention and sustaining peace”, held in New York on 19 and 20 November 2018, and invites relevant stakeholders to continue their efforts to promote cross-cultural dialogue and mutual understanding among different civilizations, cultures, religions and beliefs;

Underlines the importance of moderation as a value within societies for countering violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, and for further contributing to the promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, tolerance, understanding and cooperation, and encourages efforts, as appropriate, to enable voices of moderation to work together in order to build a more secure, inclusive and peaceful world;

Welcomes the efforts by the media to promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue, encourages the further 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 that these can be only such as are provided by law and necessary for respect of the rights or reputations of others, and protection of national security or of public order, or of public health and morals, and are non-discriminatory and that all measures taken should be in full compliance with international human rights law;

Also welcomes the efforts to use information and communications technologies, including the Internet, to promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue, including through the Interfaith Dialogue ePortal established following the Special Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development, held in Manila in 2010, as well as the Peace and Dialogue ePortal of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and encourages relevant stakeholders to utilize the opportunity to disseminate their best practices and experiences on interreligious and intercultural dialogue by contributing to the Interfaith Dialogue ePortal and to the Peace and Dialogue ePortal;

Encourages Member States to consider, as and where appropriate, initiatives that identify areas for practical action in all sectors and levels of society for the promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, tolerance, understanding and cooperation, inter alia, the ideas suggested during the High-level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace, held in New York in October 2007, including the idea of an enhanced process of dialogue among world religions, as well as the ideas suggested during the third High Panel on Peace and Dialogue among Cultures, held in Paris in November 2012;

Acknowledges the active engagement of the United Nations system with faith-based and cultural organizations and other relevant non-governmental organizations in the promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue and in bringing together people of different cultures, religions, faiths or beliefs to discuss common issues and objectives;

Also acknowledges the important role of civil society, including academia, in fostering interreligious and intercultural dialogue, and encourages support for practical measures that mobilize civil society, including building capacities, opportunities and frameworks for cooperation;

Invites Member States to further promote reconciliation to help to ensure durable peace, and sustained development, including by working with faith leaders and communities and through reconciliatory measures and acts of service and by encouraging forgiveness and compassion among individuals;

Also invites Member States to disseminate values of religious tolerance and interreligious dialogue through educational programmes;

Recognizes that the Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat plays a valuable role as focal point within the Secretariat on the issue, and encourages it to continue to interact and coordinate with the relevant entities of the United Nations system and coordinate their contribution to the intergovernmental process aimed at promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue;

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session on the implementation of the present resolution.

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