Today, Nov. 16, is the International Day of Tolerance
Since 1995, every November 16 we have celebrated the International Day of Tolerance, to commemorate the inspiring principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, approved by the United Nations on December 10, 1948
Today, therefore, we are on the eve of the 30th anniversary of a date chosen by UNESCO not by chance.
Moreover, it is precisely in this document that the definition of the term tolerance appears.
It is understood as “respect and appreciation for the rich variety of our world’s cultures, forms of expression and different ways of being human”.
An attitude and approach that can be equated with a modern-day work of mercy, all the more so because there is an increasing need for it.
Not to be confused with “forbearance,” tolerance can become the key to dialogue, to building a more united, if diverse, world.
For this reason, this Day should be promoted and made known. So that more and more people may become promoters of what Don Tonino Bello called the “conviviality of differences.”
The Unesco Prize
Unesco, to this end, has established a Prize that takes place every two years.
An award to people, institutions, entities or NGOs that have contributed to fostering a climate of tolerance and nonviolence. Without prejudice and in defense of everyone’s rights and freedom.
The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh prize for the promotion of tolerance and nonviolence is named after an ambassador for India who lived between 1924 and 2003.
Madanjeet Singh, in different countries around the world, was a spokesman for the values of peace and harmony.
In 2022, it was the turn of Cameroonian journalist Franca Ma-ih Sulem Yong.
A woman who, as president of the NGOs Afrogiveness Movement and Positive Youths Africa (PYA), worked to change the way mental illness was conceived in societies in sub-Saharan countries, including supporting victims of trauma caused by interreligious and intercultural conflict.
To whom will UNESCO award the Prize this year?