Tolerance for unity

(Baonghean.vn) - Building a peaceful and prosperous world with sustainable development requires not only tremendous political and economic efforts but also strong goodwill built on tolerance among individuals, peoples, and nations.

Twenty-one years ago, on November 16, 1995, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the International Day of Tolerance and designated it as the International Day of Tolerance every year. Representatives from 185 countries signed the Declaration issued at the 28th General Assembly of UNESCO.

Statue of "tolerance".

Looking back over the past 21 years, it's clear that International Tolerance Day hasn't truly become a part of everyday life. Many people are still unaware of this international day, let alone its noble ideals.

Therefore, the struggle towards tolerance and against all forms of discrimination remains very challenging. The vulnerability of people to all forms of discrimination based on race, religion, nationality, language, gender, etc., remains a painful and widespread reality worldwide.

Ethnic conflict, discrimination, and prejudice are the root causes of countless acts of violence, suffering, and disadvantage occurring daily throughout the world. Millions of people worldwide are still struggling against discrimination to gain equal access to education, healthcare, and employment.

Tolerance fosters better understanding and connection among people.

The realization of human rights, including social, economic, cultural, civil, and political rights, is hampered by discrimination. Women remain the most discriminated against and disadvantaged group. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), despite performing two-thirds of the world's labor hours and producing half of the world's food, women receive only 10% of global income and possess less than 1% of the planet's wealth.

However, the most worrying trend is the increasing conflict stemming from ethnic tensions. Recently, numerous hotspots of conflict and violence have emerged from Europe to South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, with the main cause stemming from ethnic tensions.

Today, tolerance is a globally relevant issue. It arises in the context of the serious erosion of diversity within nations and worldwide by extremist and narrow-minded political and religious viewpoints. In reality, blindly rejecting or suppressing diversity only makes societies more monotonous, depleted, unstable, and impoverished.

Let's instill tolerance in the younger generation.

Therefore, for the sake of peace, happiness, and human freedom, tolerance has become an international commitment. On November 16, 1995, at its 28th General Assembly, UNESCO initiated the International Day of Tolerance with the unanimous signatures of 185 member states. The Assembly also adopted the Declaration on the Principles of Tolerance.

In the Declaration, tolerance is defined as “respect, acceptance and empathy for the diversity of the world’s cultures, forms of expression and ways of being of human beings. Tolerance is nurtured by knowledge, openness, communication, freedom of thought, awareness and faith. Tolerance is harmony in difference. Tolerance is both a moral duty and a legal and political requirement.”

Clearly, UNESCO's definition contains a novel concept of tolerance. According to UNESCO, tolerance is not merely a cultured way of behaving between individuals within a community, or between different communities. More importantly, tolerance is a political obligation that all states are responsible for fulfilling.

Former US veteran Roy Mike Boehm played "The Violin at My Lai" at the commemoration ceremony marking the 48th anniversary of the My Lai massacre. He wanted to use music as a bridge between the two countries after years of fierce war, along with a message for people around the world to live with compassion and peace.

From a state perspective, tolerance means building a democratic and rigorous legal space, open and transparent, to create conditions for different actors to participate equally in the process of social development, access development opportunities, and enjoy cultural values. In a tolerant political environment, all citizens are free to openly and equally express their opinions on public affairs.

There, no major decision is made without a process of consultation and dialogue between the state and the people to select the most feasible policy options. Thanks to this, people are able to break free from the vicious cycle of trivial needs and concerns and exist in the dynamic, self-reliant mindset of a modern citizen.

Peace

(Synthetic)