General Assembly Session 61 meeting 48

Mr. Zaki (Pakistan)

Today we are considering the important agenda item entitled "Culture of peace". We are grateful to the Secretary-General for his report on this item contained in document A/61/175. Pakistan has had a long-standing association with this subject and has endeavoured to promote a culture of peace through its traditional resolution entitled "Promotion of religious and cultural understanding, harmony and cooperation" in the General Assembly. That resolution has been adopted by consensus in successive sessions of the General Assembly at the fifty-eighth, fifty-ninth and sixtieth sessions.

This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, which the General Assembly adopted in 1981, by resolution 36/55. Article 3 of the Declaration states that

"Discrimination between human beings on grounds of religion or belief constitutes an affront to human dignity and a disavowal of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and shall be condemned as a violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [of 1948]".

The Declaration encouraged the promotion of understanding, tolerance and respect for religion and belief and acknowledged that freedom of religion should contribute to the attainment of the goals of world peace, social justice and friendship among peoples, and to the elimination of ideologies or practices of colonialism, racism and racial discrimination. Building on the same principles, in 1999 the General Assembly adopted the historic Declaration on a Culture of Peace, which emphasized the promotion of multilateral cooperation, respect for life, the ending of violence and the freedom and practice of non-violence through dialogue, cooperation and commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes.

The significance of those international commitments to promote tolerance and peace are particularly relevant in today's globalized world, where there is increased interaction among all cultures and civilizations. Such close interaction has given rise to new forms of exchanges and understanding among peoples across regions, and has provided unprecedented opportunities for the transmission of ideas.

Ironically, those vast networks of connectivity and interdependence have not only brought peoples closer to each other but, at the same time, have produced divisions and friction among and within societies. The proliferation of the sources and channels of information has, while promoting better knowledge of other peoples, quite often reinforced stereotypes and deepened differences and alienation. Indeed, the gulf of misunderstanding among faiths and civilizations seems to have grown wider. Quite often, those divisions and frictions are manifested in religious tones and tenors. There is both a knowledge deficit and an understanding deficit.

As the world today is composed of States with diverse political, economic, social and cultural systems that have been determined by their history, traditions and cultural values, the stability of international peace and security can only be guaranteed by the universal recognition of the rights of all peoples and nations to freely determine their own approach towards progress and development. The role of the General Assembly is imperative in building an environment conducive to creating an equitable world order, as envisaged in the Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.

Acknowledging that important role, the President of the sixtieth session expressed strong commitment to the need for dialogue and understanding among civilizations, cultures and religions to prevent provocative incidents and to develop better ways of tolerance and respect for religions and beliefs. We hope that the sixty-first session, under the able leadership of its President, will continue that work and make a positive contribution to promote and advance much needed dialogue on the important and sensitive issue of respect for religions.

In her report to the sixty-first session, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief highlighted the alarming trend of religious intolerance in many regions of the world. The Rapporteur noted with concern that "tolerance between religious communities was [adversely affected by] the actions carried out by ... governmental bodies and ... the negative role played by ... media in stigmatizing certain religious communities." (A/61/340, para. 26)

The General Assembly, as well as the Human Rights Council, should assume the leading responsibility in developing ways and means to help avert the worst consequences of the defamation of religions manifested in instances of Islamophobia.

There are some embryonic legal elements in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination that deal with incitement to religious hatred. While there is a need to sincerely invoke and apply all those existing mechanisms to promote understanding among religions and civilizations, there is also an urgent need to fill the juridical vacuum and redress the paucity of relevant laws that address issues relating to religious intolerance. In that regard, Pakistan would like to make the following proposals.

First, the General Assembly, as well as the Human Rights Council, through their appropriate resolutions and decisions, should condemn religious intolerance and address the defamation of religions, in particular the unwarranted linkage of Islam with violence and terrorism. The United Nations, in its endeavour to promote religious multiculturalism, should appeal to the larger membership to deter and discourage antagonism and discrimination against Islam and Muslim peoples.

Secondly, during its current session the General Assembly should hold a high-level event involving civil society organizations to focus on the issue of the incitement to racial and religious hatred and the promotion of tolerance.

Following the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, the General Assembly should encourage Member States to commence consultations to develop an international strategy to address the issue of religious intolerance and to prepare a legally binding instrument to combat the defamation of religion and prevent religious intolerance.

In order to promote harmony and cooperation among cultures and civilizations, President General Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan has advanced a strategy of enlightened moderation that highlights the principles of enhancing human welfare, freedom and progress everywhere, of forging harmony and understanding among all peoples and of seeking the peaceful resolution of conflicts and disputes. That strategy was endorsed by the Summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference held in Putrajaya, Malaysia, in 2003.

In conclusion, I am pleased to announce that, in line with our past practice to promote a culture of peace at the United Nations, Pakistan, in collaboration with the Philippines, will once again introduce a draft resolution on promoting religious and cultural understanding during the sixty-first session. Inter alia, the draft resolution will emphasize the need to strengthen freedom, justice, tolerance, cooperation and respect for the diversity of cultures and religions as important elements in building international peace and security.

It is our hope that the General Assembly will adopt that draft resolution by consensus. That would be a manifestation of our collective resolve to promote peace, prosperity and hope for all, and a categorical rejection of intolerance, hatred and discrimination. It is imperative that ethnicity, religion, culture, language and race not be allowed to become a source of divisiveness among our common humanity. We the representatives assembled here must be the catalysts of cooperation, and not the prophets of doom. We must affirm the indivisibility of the human race. We must reassert our common humanity and our common universal values. It is only thus that we can build a stable structure of peace and harmony among all the peoples of the United Nations.

Mr. Aldai Ali (Sudan)

At the outset, I have the pleasure and honour to extend to the Acting President my congratulations and respect on his election to assist in presiding over the General Assembly, a forum for collaborative efforts to address human concerns. I am also especially pleased to congratulate Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa on her election as the first Arab woman to assume the presidency of the General Assembly.

My delegation has studied the report of the Secretary-General regarding the promotion of interreligious dialogue (A/60/201), as well as the report regarding the comprehensive mid-term review of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010), prepared by UNESCO and transmitted under a note by the Secretary-General (A/60/279). While we commend the progress achieved by Member States and agencies of the United Nations, as well as by non-governmental organizations, in the various areas covered by the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence, we have also taken note of the hurdles that have impeded the achievement of progress in other areas.

Peace has been one of the major objectives of UNESCO since its establishment at the end of the Second World War. UNESCO has taken up the task of building the culture of peace in the minds of people since the end of the twentieth century. That is a very complicated task, given the state of the world today, in which there is both war and major economic and strategic changes.

In defining the culture of peace, UNESCO has proven itself to be an organization of values, promoting common attitudes and behaviours based on non-violence and respect for the fundamental rights of human beings and in fostering understanding, tolerance and unity. It has done so in a framework of cooperation that encourages contributions by all social groups and promotes the exchange of information.

The culture of peace is closely linked to the promotion of development, economic and social security, democracy, political stability, disarmament, military security, economic equality and dialogue and international cohesion. Developing a culture of peace is based on shared international values, including respect for human life, freedom, justice, unity, tolerance, human rights and gender equality. It is well understood that peace based on justice, respect for human rights and individual dignity is also a humanitarian objective in its own right. Peace is the road to construction and stability and an avenue to creativity and innovation in all areas.

The Sudan's current generation was raised on the basis of the principles to which I have referred. Those principles have led to peace in my country. Today's generation was not raised to respect war and aggression. In fact, following the example of their great forefathers, our people have rejected war, injustice and persecution and have chosen to protect their land, honour and property. He who dies without protecting his land, honour and property is a martyr. Peace has also become a strategic objective of my country: it is the cornerstone of development and progress.

As the Sudan looks ahead to a bright future of peace, following many years of civil war that led to the deaths of more than 2 million of my fellow citizens and the displacement of more than 4 million women, children and the elderly -- in addition to the destruction of infrastructure and natural resources -- at the beginning of 2005 my country attained its most important achievement in its modern history, namely, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement covering the southern part of our country. That Agreement put an end to bloodshed that lasted for 22 years. Following that very important development, the Sudan has focused its efforts on making the Agreement a reality. Now, nearly two years since the conclusion of the Agreement, the list of our accomplishments includes the implementation of several of the Agreement's provisions at the federal and provincial levels.

This year, my country added to that achievement yet another accomplishment by signing the Abuja Peace Agreement on Darfur. That undertaking was sponsored by the African Union and generously hosted by our sisterly country, Nigeria. My Government is hard at work to convince the other parties to adhere to the Agreement, in order that peace and stability may prevail throughout the Sudan. In that regard, I wish to say that my Government's efforts will continue. We have achieved a comprehensive peace agreement of utmost importance in the eastern part of the country. That accord was gratefully sponsored by our brotherly country, Eritrea.

In the context of that peaceful environment, the Sudan has worked to make the culture of peace a reality -- transforming it from theory to daily practice. In that connection, with the assistance of United Nations specialized agencies, the Sudan launched a programme to help refugees and displaced persons return to their land. We have also provided assistance to those who have returned voluntarily so they may resume normal lives. In addition, we have successfully carried out a disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme, to enable former combatants to return to civilian lives, civil society and jobs. Moreover, we are working to make it possible for returnee children to continue their education through intensive educational programmes that include the principles and values of a culture of peace and tolerance.

Following that same approach, my Government has put in place special committees to amend laws to bring them into conformity with the transitional constitution, promulgate a law on political parties and speed up the process of national reconciliation and rehabilitation. In addition to putting in place special priority programmes to fulfil the requirements of peace and security by implementing and strengthening the principles of the Peace Agreement, my Government has also continued to set up appropriate machinery for conflict prevention and resolution. We have stepped up educational and awareness campaigns to promote the culture of peace by conducting studies on the resettling of nomads and controlling the arbitrary expansion of agricultural projects, as well as by putting into effect local laws to resolve conflicts and disputes.

The Sudan is determined to continue to achieve a peaceful resolution for the issue of Darfur, a solution that is in the interests of the peoples of the region, and to implement fully the provisions of the agreements reached at Naivasha, Cairo, Abuja and eastern Sudan. Whenever possible, we will also work to speed up the establishment of the machinery agreed upon within the set timeframes, as agreed by the parties. We will also continue to address the issues of refugees and displaced persons.

My country is working to develop a federal regime on sound bases by expanding the authority and mandate of our provinces, at the expense of the central Government, as well as to bring development to those areas that are underdeveloped or that have been affected by war. We are also working to step up campaigns to raise awareness and guidance about the culture of peace, especially in tribal areas. We are trying to involve local, provincial and national authorities in the reconciliation process and to repatriate nomads, providing them with safe drinking water and enabling them to relocate in order to avoid tribal disputes.

In the field of information, the Sudan has worked to expand national and provincial radio and television programmes and broadcasts focusing on a culture of peace. A number of centres for the promotion of a culture of peace have been set up in universities and other places of higher learning, as well as in civil society organizations. The Sudan has also worked with the press and publications centre to raise awareness about a culture of peace and to encourage the expression of diverse local cultures and languages, under the theme of "Unity in diversity".

In that context, my Government has continued to devote particular attention to the issues of religion and of freedom of belief and worship, with emphasis on local religious beliefs. My Government has also established and supported a number of civil society organizations focusing on religion, a dialogue of cultures and peaceful coexistence.

My country is very concerned at current tensions and quarrels at the regional and international levels, given that certain Powers are fomenting and enjoying conflict among religions and cultures, defaming other religions instead of respecting them and their followers. The caricatures that mocked our Prophet Muhammad and other such actions are reprehensible and will come back to haunt their perpetrators. This represents a setback in terms of our achievements in the context of the interreligious and intercultural dialogue. We must therefore ensure that a mechanism is put in place to put an end to any defamation of religions, cultures or societies, in order to maintain international peace, security and stability.

My country fulfilled its commitment to achieve the agreement that led to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. It is continuing to deploy efforts in the western and eastern parts of the country to make the culture of peace and agreement thereon a reality. This will require that the international community fulfil the financial pledges it made at the Oslo donors conference. We hope that it will support the mechanisms necessary to ensure the full realization of the culture of peace and stability to which we all aspire.

We cannot speak of the maintenance of international peace and security in today's world without focusing on efforts to deal with emerging conflicts and their causes, in addition to promoting a multifaceted culture of peace by including Governments, United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations in the process.

Mr. Hamidon (Malaysia)

My delegation is encouraged by the efforts of various United Nations bodies, under the coordination of UNESCO, to promote a culture of peace.

The decade 2001-2010 was designated as the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World. As we approach the end of 2006, a little more than midway through this decade, we should pause and reflect on whether our efforts have contributed to the realization of a culture of peace.

If we take peace to mean more than just the absence of war, but also justice and equity for all as a basis for living together in harmony and free from violence, I would point out, offering my own country as a humble example, that Malaysia has achieved that goal. This can be seen in the relations that characterize its multi-ethnic, multireligious and multicultural society.

It is no accident that this has been achieved. Since our independence, almost five decades ago, the Malaysian Government, through concerted and consistent efforts, has sought to build a stable and prosperous nation by implementing policies that emphasize the creation of a just and equitable society, despite the different beliefs, religions and ethnicities of its people. In many ways, the socio-economic and political policies pursued by Malaysia in effect incorporate many of the areas for action outlined in the United Nations Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.

Among the eight action areas in the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, I would highlight the sixth, which concerns advancing understanding, tolerance and solidarity. It was in this context, in 2001, that the United Nations commemorated the International Year of Dialogue among Civilizations. On that note, I have to say that we are still far from where we were five years ago in achieving understanding, tolerance and solidarity among the peoples of the world, which are represented in the United Nations.

Let us recall that it was around this time a year ago that the world was shaken by images of the outpourings of discontent and anger that followed the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, a sacred figure central to the Islamic faith and close to the hearts of its faithful. Have we really learned any lessons from the pain, hurt and loss experienced on both sides, or was it all in vain?

We are fully aware that the world we live in is changing. Where there were once national borders separating peoples, borderlessness prevails. Goods, services and labour are flowing more freely due to the process of trade liberalization and globalization, but this has been accompanied by the opening of a Pandora's box. Ideas, beliefs and cultures intermingle and mix and, at times, as we have seen recently, could lead to explosive situations.

I would say that my country is not too different from New York City. They are both rich and teeming with life due to the kaleidoscopic makeup of their people. But this experience is not without its challenges, which we must address.

In that regard, allow me to quote from the preamble to the Constitution of UNESCO:

"Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed".

Those words carry a deep meaning on which we should meditate, particularly here in the General Assembly, where the peoples of the world are represented and where we can have a meeting of the minds so as to seek to promote understanding, tolerance and solidarity, and, hopefully, achieve a culture of peace.

Mr. Zhang Dan (China)

Civilization is a product of human progress and development. During its long history, humankind has created, nurtured and developed civilizations of all kinds. History has taught us that dialogue, exchanges and, indeed, convergence among various civilizations are a natural tendency and an intrinsic desire on the part of all civilizations aimed at their own refinement and sustained development.

We believe that consideration by the General Assembly of the agenda item on a culture of peace is conducive to reinforcing a dialogue among civilizations, promoting the settlement of disputes by peaceful means and establishing a family of nations characterized by harmonious coexistence. In recent years, the relevance of the concept of a culture of peace has grown increasingly important, especially when considering the idea that it is necessary to avoid equating terrorism with any specific civilization or religion in the fight against terrorism.

The Chinese nation has always been peace-loving. Our ancient thinkers have left us with a great concept of "concord with difference" -- that is, concord without monotony and difference without conflict. Observing and addressing issues from that perspective will not only help countries maintain friendly relations with their neighbours, but also facilitate the resolution of disputes in the international community.

The Chinese delegation is pleased to note that, by adopting the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace and the Programme of Action of the Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilizations, the international community is paying increasing attention to dialogue among different civilizations. The relevant United Nations and international organizations and their member States have used various means, including study visits, educational activities and scientific research, to help people of various countries acquire a better understanding of the cultures and religions of other people. All of that has greatly promoted the culture of peace.

The long process of history has left humanity with a rich cultural heritage. That heritage, unique to each nation, is the valuable property not only of individual nations and peoples, but also of all humankind. The Chinese Government has always attached great importance to the protection of cultural heritage. It has acceded to relevant international instruments such as the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property and the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. It has also set up a framework comprising its own system of laws in that regard, based on the law of the People's Republic of China on the protection of cultural relics.

The Government has designated the second Saturday of June of each year, as Cultural Heritage Day, with the aim of raising the awareness of the general public of the importance of the protection of cultural heritage, and to create a favourable atmosphere to encourage everyone to take part in such endeavours.

China will continue to participate actively in the activities of UNESCO in returning cultural property to their countries of origin, in seeking appropriate solutions in that regard and in contributing to international efforts towards the protection of cultural heritage.

Mr. Chabar (Morocco)

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