prejudice & bigotry

empathy & friendliness

Main Topic: Coordinator Comments

Prejudice against other peoples is a key component of the culture of war, as recognized indirectly in the course of discussion concerning by two of the programme areas of the resolution on the culture of peace (resolution A/53/243) adopted by the General Assembly in 1999 and discussed in these dialogues:

Actions to foster a culture of peace through education. One of the proposals for this is "Revision of curriculum materials, and particularly of history textbooks, to promote mutual understanding and strengthen social cohesion and to remove prejudices or stereotypes against certain groups."

Actions to advance understanding, tolerance and solidarity. In this regard, reference is made to the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and the Follow-up Plan of Action for the United Nations Year for Tolerance (1995) and the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations in the year 2001.

Recognizing that individuals, as well as states, have responsibilities to combat prejudice and promote understanding, the Manifesto 2000, which was signed by 75 million individuals around the world during the International Year for the Culture of Peace (2000), included the following two among its six points:

* Respect all life: Respect the life and dignity of each human being without discrimination or prejudice.

* Listen to understand: Defend freedom of expression and cultural diversity, giving preference always to dialogue and listening without engaging in fanaticism, defamation and the rejection of others.

These principles are at the heart of the many efforts to advance toward a culture of peace through education.