The United Nations General Assembly invited UN Member States to observe the International Day for Tolerance on 16 November in 1996 by the resolution 51/95. This action followed up on the United Nations Year for Tolerance, 1995, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 at the initiative of UNESCO, as outlined in the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and Follow-up Plan of Action for the Year.

FORUM: How Can Intolerance Be Countered? International Day for Tolerance 2020.

Intolerance can be countered by

• Laws: Governments are responsible for enforcing human rights laws, for banning and punishing hate crimes and discrimination and for ensuring equal access to dispute settlement.

• Education: Laws are necessary but not sufficient for countering intolerance, greater emphasis needs to be placed on educating more and better.

• Access to information: The most efficient way to limit the influence of hatemongers is to promote press freedom and press pluralism, in order to allow the public to differentiate between facts and opinions.

• Individual awareness: Intolerance breeds intolerance. In order to fight intolerance individuals should become aware of the link between their behaviour and the vicious cycle of mistrust and violence in society.

• Local solutions: When confronted with an escalation of intolerance around us, we must not wait for governments and institutions to act alone. We are all part of the solution.

Statement by the Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the International Day for Tolerance 2020, November 16th.

Tunisian essayist Albert Memmi, who passed away this year, wrote that “tolerance is an exercise and a victory over ourselves”. His words teach us that tolerance, far from being a passive attitude tantamount to complacency or indifference, is a dynamic, daily effort, made both individual ly and collectively.

On this International Day for Tolerance we are celebrating the teaching of diversity and lifelong learning of openness.

At a time when the pandemic has intensified the divisions that fracture and disfigure our societies, some times leading to a reawakening of racism, fanaticism and extremism, it is more than ever necessary to reaffirm the founding values of our humanity. Dignity, justice, curiosity and diversity are intrinsic values of tolerance which UNESCO defends in its principles and through its actions. Within all the fields of its mandate – education, culture, science and information – our Organization has been working since its very inception to combat infamy and hatred.

Through global citizenship education programmes, the defence and promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity, and a commitment to the ethics of science and artificial intelligence, UNESCO endeavours to promote a culture of peace which is fundamentally based on tolerance. This is also at the heart of our work with the International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities, which mobilizes local partners and stakeholders to fight racism at its roots. It is in this spirit that every year our Organization awards the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence to significant initiatives to promote mutual understanding among cultures and peoples.

Teaching tolerance involves teaching diversity, decentering, and the discovery of others and their cultures. As we read in the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance signed on 16 November 1995, by the Member States of UNESCO, "tolerance is

harmony in difference". On this International Day for Tolerance, UNESCO calls upon everyone to celebrate diversity and the irreducible right to difference, which underpins the richness of our societies and anchors peace in our minds.

— Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO

ACTIVITIES: WHAT DOES UNESCO FOR TOLERANCE?

1. Defining Tolerance

2. Culture of Peace and Non-violence

3. Democracy and Global Citizenship

4. Education transforms lives

5. Fostering Rights, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination

6. Fostering Freedom of Expression

7. Intercultural Dialogue

PRIZE: The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence rewards significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication fields aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence. The prize is awarded every two years on the International Day for Tolerance, 16 November. The Prize may be awarded to institutions, organizations or persons, who have contributed in a particularly meritorious and effective manner to tolerance and non-violence.

Centre Résolution Conflits in Democratic Republic of Congo is the laureate of the 2020 Edition.

CAMPAIGN: PLURAL+ is a youth video festival that encourages and empowers global youth to explore the pressing social issues of migration, diversity, social inclusion, and the prevention of xenophobia and to share their creative vision with the world. Launched in 2009, PLURAL+ is a joint initiative of the UNAOC and the IOM, with a network of more than 50 partner organizations around the globe. #Pluralplus20.

Previous commemorations : 2017 - 2016 - 2015