November 16th: International Day of Tolerance
By: Francel Vizzuett L.
November 16th, 1996 was proclaimed as the International Day for Tolerance by the United Nations General Assembly, at the initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
This event followed up on the 1995 United Nations Year for Tolerance, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 at the initiative of UNESCO as established in the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and Follow-up Action Plan. United Nations Year for Tolerance, and going so far as to establish the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh prize for the promotion of Tolerance and non-violence, which is awarded every two years on this day to those people or non-governmental institutions and other entities that make contributions. exceptional and are leaders in the promotion of tolerance and non-violence.
Tolerance is defined in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy as Respect for the ideas, beliefs or practices of others when they are different or contrary to one’s own. In this sense, the importance of Tolerance is aimed at promoting and promoting peace. in order to achieve harmony, avoid conflicts and create relationships of respect in societies at all levels of interaction.
We must contextualize that accepting and respecting differences in such important issues as race, culture, religion, sexual identity, education, traditions and customs in this globalized world is eminently essential to avoid the speeches and crimes of hate.
The United Nations has a great commitment to issues related to Tolerance between countries, which is why the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights strengthen this principle by promoting mutual understanding between cultures and peoples.
This leads us to think about the spirit of proclaiming a day dedicated to Tolerance, since the answer is simple: the United Nations has as one of its main purposes expressed in its founding Charter to achieve international cooperation in the solution of economic problems. , social, cultural or humanitarian and in the development and encouragement of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction based on race, sex, language or religion and keeping in mind at all times the Universal Declaration of Human Rights .
This is how he invited the member states of the Organization to celebrate this day of Tolerance with activities aimed mainly at educational centers as promoters of education from an early age, but also with the duty of directing them to the general public, that is relevant because Education is one of the main forms of struggle for the protection of Tolerance.
The Declaration of Principles on Tolerance adopted by UNESCO describes it not only as a moral duty, but also recognizes it as a political and legal requirement for individuals, groups and society, placing it within the framework of international law on human rights. human rights and calls on States to legislate to protect equal opportunities for all in society.
At B + F we agree that tolerance of form, tolerance of orientation, tolerance of location and tolerance of decentring must be protected from the simplest actions in daily coexistence to their legal formality in the defense of fundamental rights, we categorically condemn the lack of respect for practices or beliefs other than our own, and we work every day to learn and raise awareness about these issues among our team, clients and family.