International Day For Tolerance
November 16, 2016
The International Day for Tolerance is an annual observance declared by UNESCO in 1995 to generate public awareness of the dangers of intolerance. It is observed on 16 November.
In 1996, the UN General Assembly invited UN Member States to observe the International Day for Tolerance on 16 November.
In 1995, to mark the United Nations Year for Tolerance and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, UNESCO created a prize for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence. 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.
How Can Intolerance Be Countered?
Fighting intolerance requires Law, Education, access to Information, Individual Awareness and local solutions.
*During Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Quit India’ movement in 1942 against colonial rule, Madanjeet Singh was imprisoned. He worked as a volunteer in the refugee camps in Delhi, for the people who were migrated from Pakistan to India due to the partition of Pakistan from India. He later joined the Indian Foreign Service and served various countries.
In 1995, in recognition of his lifelong devotion to the cause of communal harmony and peace, the UNESCO Executive Board created the biennial ‘UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence’. In 2000, he was designated a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador on the United Nations’ International Day of Tolerance.
The 2016 winner is the Federal Research and Methodological Center for Tolerance Psychology and Education (Tolerance Center) of Russia.
Source: www.un.org / www.en.wikipedia.org
Image Credit: www.askideas.com
