Tolerance, solidarity and understanding are also part of the action program for a culture of peace. In the Declaration of Principles of Tolerance, adopted by UNESCO in 1995, tolerance was defined as an active attitude rather than passive acceptance:

“1.1 Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation for the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human. It is promoted by knowledge, openness, communication and freedom of thought, conscience and belief. Tolerance is harmony in difference. It is not only a moral obligation, it is also a political and legal requirement. Tolerance contributes to the replacement of the culture of war with a culture of peace.

1.2 Tolerance is not concession, condescension or giving in. Tolerance is, above all, an active attitude motivated by the recognition of the universal Human Rights and fundamental freedoms of others.”

Without an enemy there can be no war. Therefore, the denial of ‘enemy images’ is a particularly powerful way to ‘disarm’ the culture of war. Gandhi said that we must distinguish between a person and his actions: “Hate the sin and not the sinner.” We should ‘turn opponents away from errors through patience and sympathy’. King, after studying Gandhi, put it this way:

“Nonviolent resistance [is] constantly seeking to convince its opponent that he is wrong… does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win his friendship and understanding… rather the attack is directed against forces of evil than against persons who happen to do evil.”

In recent years, intolerance and violence have often been expressed in terms of religious “crusades” and “clashing civilizations”. And there is a need for tolerance and understanding between different religions and civilizations. The ‘Outcome Document’ of the World Summit at the United Nations in 2005 reiterated that various initiatives for dialogue between cultures and civilizations, including dialogue on interreligious cooperation, should be strengthened and promoted at local, national, regional and international level level.

Education for tolerance should aim to counter influences that lead to fear and exclusion of others, and should help young people develop capacities for independent judgment, critical thinking and ethical reasoning. The diversity of our world’s many religions, languages, cultures and ethnicities is not a pretext for conflict, but a treasure that enriches us all.

How can intolerance be countered?

• Laws: Governments are responsible for enforcing human rights laws, prohibiting and punishing hate crimes and discrimination, and ensuring equal access to dispute resolution.
• Education: Laws are necessary but not sufficient to combat intolerance, more emphasis should be placed on more and better education.
• Access to information: The most effective way to limit the influence of hate mongers is to promote press freedom and press diversity so that the public can distinguish between facts and opinions.
• Individual consciousness: bigotry breeds bigotry. To combat intolerance, individuals must become aware of the link between their behavior and the vicious cycle of mistrust and violence in society.
• Local solutions: When faced with an escalation of intolerance around us, we should not wait for governments and institutions to act alone. We are all part of the solution.

November 16 is the International Day for Tolerance. UNESCO has developed some lessons and fun activities to help children understand and practice tolerance, which you can find at http://www.toleranceday.org/ In addition, there are several resources on the page https://www.learningforjustice.org/