ON UNESCO INITIATIVES ON TOLERANCE AND PRIZE DOCUMENTS

 

From tolerance to intercultural dialogue: an interview with Serguei Lazarev
Roseli Fischmann
 

Serguei Lazarev is a Russian citizen; social scientist, he got his PhD in Economy and Social Sciences at the Academy of Sciences of Moscow, where he also developed a career which brought him to UNESCO in the year 1988. He was the one responsible for the UNESCO Unit for Tolerance when first it was created under the recommendation, in1993 (see annex), of the UN General Assembly. From then on, Lazarev has achieved important international accomplishments in favor of tolerance, non-violence, mutual understanding and the fight against racism, discrimination and xenophobia, promoting many association, partnerships and other collaboration with institution, universities and governments all over the world. Among others, he first organized and had been responsible for the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize since 1995 to 2006, year when the Honorable Mention of the Prize was awarded to Herb Kelman, so he was invited to join this publication.

Roseli Fischmann. What are the roots of UNESCO action on tolerance and intercultural dialogue?
Serguei Lazarev. As regards UNESCO, its Constitution calls explicitly and implicitly for the promotion of dialogue, namely in specific points such as:
"... ignorance of each other's ways and lives has been a common cause, throughout the history of mankind, of that suspicion and mistrust between the peoples of the world through which their differences have all too often broken into war;"
"... a war [i.e. the Second World War] made possible by the denial of the democratic principles of the dignity, equality and mutual respect of men, and by the propagation, in their place, through ignorance and prejudice, of the doctrine of inequality of men and races;"
"... the wide diffusion of culture, and the education of humanity for justice and liberty and peace are indispensable to the dignity of man and constitute a sacred duty...";
"... peace must ... founded, if it is not to fail, upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind."
"The Organization will ... collaborate in the work of advancing the mutual knowledge and understanding of peoples ..."

RF. When talking about UNESCO Constitution, you look back at the year 1946. What kind of initiatives had the Organization developed from then on?
SL. The Organization conducted an intensive dialogue-related programme from the mid-1950s through the mid-1960s. A programme on intercultural and interreligious dialogue, which included in particular the modality of cultural roads and routes, was initiated in the1980s. UNESCO's dialogue activities picked up again significantly towards the year 1995 -, the United Nations Year for Tolerance, the year 2000 as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and 2001 the United Nations Year for Dialogue among Civilizations.
From these three international years initiatives we can clearly see the consistence of the UNESCO approach going from tolerance promotion through the culture of peace to dialogue among cultures and civilizations.

RF. What about “tolerance”? I would like to bring back to our memories some of the scholar’s reactions when UNESCO hold in Rio, in collaboration with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and also the University of São Paulo, the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Preparatory Meeting on Tolerance. One recurrent point was related to how people was unsatisfied for using such a word, and still nowadays, many times it is misunderstood. Why was chosen that term?
SF. Tolerance was identified as the first prerequisite, the first step being one of the basic principles both of the United Nations Charter (which calls on peoples of the world "to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors") and of the UNESCO Constitution (which states "The ignorance of each other's ways and lives have been a common cause, throughout the history of mankind, of that suspicion and mistrust between the peoples of the world through which their differences have all too often broken into war"). Tolerance is the solid foundation of any civil society and of peace. It is at the heart of all programmes of UNESCO whose mission is to build peace on the basis of the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind.  UNESCO has taken the lead within the United Nations system in its struggle against intolerance.

RF. Would you say that the final version of the declaration somehow attended that claim?
SL. The old idea of tolerance was given a new meaning and application. It has become a key notion in the prevention of violence, the emergence of a spirit of peace and the strengthening of cultural pluralism and its cultural dialogue. It has become an active principle of peace and democracy. As the Director-General of UNESCO pointed out in one of his messages on the occasion of the International Day for Tolerance which is marked each year on 16 November by many countries: "Tolerance, it must be said once again, is not a passive principle, verging on condescension, as it might have been in bygone times when certain peoples considered themselves to be superior to others. It is not simply respect, but active openness to others. It is also critical acceptance of other cultures in furtherance of the common quest for the values that lead to living better together. As stated in the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance, adopted and signed by the Member States of UNESCO in 1995, it is "not only a moral duty, it is a political and legal requirement that upholds democracy and human rights."

RF. When and how did the many results of the regional meetings get through a declaration, as requested by the UN General Assembly? How did UNESCO provide effective ways to making those ideas to launch into practice?
SL. The General Conference of UNESCO at its twenty-eight session, on the day of the 50th Anniversary of the Organization - 16th November 1995 - adopted a Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and a follow-up Plan of Action. The Declaration defines both the concept and the role of tolerance at the international and State level, in civil society and in education. The Follow-Up Plan indicates lines of action, including educational initiatives, public awareness activities, social integration and development programmes, and the continued mobilization of the United Nations for the promotion of tolerance, peace and solidarity among the peoples of world. In adopting the Declaration of Principles and Follow-Up Plan of Action, the UNESCO Member States committed themselves to "promoting tolerance and non-violence through programmes and institutions in the fields of education, science, culture and communication" (Declaration of Principles, Art. 5).

RF. As you know, one of our main concerns in Brazil, my country, and elsewhere is related to the role of education in developing new attitudes and new mentalities towards people ready to work in favor of peace, as a style of everyday living. How the Declaration on Tolerance helps to that?
SL. Education, as the Declaration of Principles stresses, "is the most effective means of preventing intolerance". There are many ways of fighting intolerance, but it is education alone that makes it possible to counter intolerance in individual attitudes.  Intolerance is very often rooted in ignorance and fear: fear of the unknown, of the other, other cultures, nations, religions. Intolerance is also closely linked to an exaggerated sense of self-worth and pride, whether personal, national or religious. These notions are taught and learned at an early age. Therefore, greater emphasis needs to be placed on educating more and better. Greater efforts need to be made to teach children about tolerance and human rights, about other ways of life. Children should be encouraged at home and in school to be open-minded and curious. Education is a life-long experience and does not begin or end in school. Endeavours to build tolerance through education will not succeed unless they reach all age groups, and take place everywhere; at home, in schools, in the workplace, in law-enforcement and legal training, and not least in entertainment and on the information highways.

RF. How can education provide new resources to people achieve or develop tolerance? Are there some particular “topics” to be considered as important, to define if a determined educational effort is directed to tolerance?
SF. Indeed, "the role of education is crucial", states the follow-up Plan of Action. "It can help to shape lifelong attitudes and furnish young people with the interpersonal skills they will need to live at peace with one another for years to come. This requires an integrated approach to education for peace, human rights, democracy and international understanding. Among its basic components are rights and values education, foreign language teaching, multicultural and intercultural curricula, new approaches to the teaching of history and citizenship, specialized teacher training and the creation of a democratic and tolerant climate in the classroom itself."

 

RF. How has the theme developed within the UNESCO efforts?
SF. The next stage of UNESCO efforts was the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Declaration and the Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.

RF. What is the focus of the Declaration on a Culture of Peace?
SF. The Declaration and the Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, adopted in 1999, defines the culture of peace as a set of values, attitudes, modes of behaviour and ways of life based on respect for life, ending of violence and promotion and practice of non-violence through education, dialogue and co-operation ; commitment to peaceful settlement of conflicts ; respect for and promotion of the right to development, equal rights and opportunities for men and women, the rights of everyone to freedom of expression, opinion and information; and adherence to the principles of freedom, justice, democracy, tolerance, solidarity, co-operation, pluralism, cultural diversity, dialogue and understanding at all levels of society and among nations.

RF.  What is the meaning of the Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace?
SF. The programme launched under the Culture of Peace programme can be considered as a link, a path towards promoting a dialogue of civilizations.  It became obvious that the process of globalization was creating new potential opportunities for cultural exchanges between nations as well as a source of conflicts arising within nations states that can involve culture matters.
It has become increasingly clear that the manner in which cultural diversity is defined and acted upon by governments and civil society determines whether it is to lead to greater overall social creativity, cohesion and inclusion - or to violence and exclusion.
Indeed, it has become crucial to broaden the scope of the dialogue and to make it more relevant to contemporary challenges.  This must include the identification of new obstacles to dialogue, including an assessment of new threats linked to ignorances and prejudices, potentially leading to new fractures and conflicts, especially at local and community levels.

RF. Is dialogue among civilizations new concern to UNESCO?
SL. Not at all. The quest for a dialogue among civilizations and peoples is deeply entrenches in and associated with interaction among countries, cultures and civilizations, especially in a multilateral context, so it is deeply related to UNESCO’s  foundational concerns. In regard to UNESCO's Constitution and the various programmes and resolutions adopted by the Executive Board and General Conference since the establishment of the Organization, the promotion of dialogue in the service of peace – in order to build "peace in the minds of men" - is clearly one of the main themes of UNESCO's mission The terms used to describe the absolute necessity for dialogue have changed from a reference to "mutual appreciation", "mutual understanding" and "international understanding" among "peoples" to among "cultures" and now to among "civilizations".

RF. Is there a particular landmark to the creation of that Programme?
SL. A special momentum was created when the United Nations General Assembly unanimously proclaims the year 2001 as the "United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations" assigning a special role to UNESCO with regard to the promotion of the concept of dialogue among "civilizations".
The year 2001 was marked by high-level international meetings and the drafting of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity which set the seal on the Organization's commitment to the defense of the "fruitful diversity of cultures", an objective laid down in its Constitution. The Declaration stresses the cultural challenges posed by globalization and lays emphasis on the promotion of intercultural dialogue.  21 May has been proclaimed World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

 

RF. So, from your explanation I understand that in proposing a Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace UNESCO goes towards the possibility of proactively building something else and different than that the spread concept of “crash of civilizations states, many times taken conflict and war as the supposedly only way to the near future. Is that right? How could be changed that perspective in practical terms, not just as discourse, in a world that seems to be more and more dangerous?
SL. You made a point. As a matter of fact, globalization and the emergence of new contemporary challenges and threats to humankind make the need for dialogue among peoples ever more topical. A principal objective of a dialogue is to bridge the gap in knowledge about other civilizations, cultures and societies, to lay the foundations for dialogue based on universally shared values and to undertake concrete activities.
In the final analysis, Dialogue among Civilizations would mean the search for avenues and the means to eradicate poverty, to preserve biodiversity, sustain cultural diversity and share knowledge. This would also demonstrate the value of dialogue as an essential tool to improve the quality of life of people in general. It is a vehicle for diversity and pluralism - an instrument of transformation in the twenty-first century. To achieve these objectives, new approaches to be pursued must be all-inclusive in order to reach the most "marginalized" as well. For this purpose, global values have to be translated to regional and subregional levels; this ongoing process requires sustained implementation.

RF. You brought us much information about UNESCO’s efforts on tolerance and dialogue among civilizations. Most of all, I think, it is clear from your answers that we have a lot to do, and that is the meaning of joining forces and efforts. Thank you. 

 

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The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence
 
The 2006 Edition of the Prize will be awarded to Veerasingham Anandasangaree from Sri Lanka, President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF).
 
A tireless defender of democracy and peaceful conflict resolution, Veerasingham Anandasangaree has helped improve knowledge of the Tamul cause, through dialogue, through the promotion of non-violent solutions in Sri Lanka and by taking a stand against terrorism.

In celebration of International Day for Tolerance on 16 November 2006, the Prize will be awarded at a ceremony to take place at 6 p.m. in Room I at UNESCO House in Paris.

Honourable mentions will be awarded to:

The Afro-Reggae Cultural Group (Brazil)
The city of Derbent (Russian Federation)
The Palestine-Israel Journal (East Jerusalem)
Professor Herbert C. Kelman (United States of America)

More information on the prize

This prize is dedicated to advancing the spirit of tolerance in the arts, education, culture, science and communication.

"We, the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,... to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person,... and for these ends, to practise tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours". Charter of the United Nations

In 1945, the founders of the United Nations looked to tolerance as a key to peaceful coexistence for the peoples of the world. Their cautionary words are as true in our own time.

In 1995, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization led a worldwide mobilization in favor of tolerance, non-violence and appreciation of cultural diversity. The UN's fiftieth anniversary year was declared the United Nations Year for Tolerance. The Year's calendar of events included regional conferences and intergovernmental dialogue, concerts, film and theatre festivals, essay and poster contests, broadcasts and publications of all kinds, in partnership with regional and non-governmental organizations. In 1996, an equally dynamic follow-up programme to the Year got underway.

In the frame of the Year, and in connection with the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, UNESCO established a new international award, the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence.

This prize of US $100,000 is awarded once every two years for exceptional contributions and leadership in the field of tolerance promotion. The winner may be either an individual or an institution. Writers, educators, artists, scientists, statesmen, pioneering institutions and leaders of public opinion - all these and others may be nominated. The prize may also be awarded to the families of outstanding individuals who have lost their lives in the struggle against intolerance.

The prize was made possible by the generous donation of the Indian artist, writer and diplomat Madanjeet Singh, who is also Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO. Mr Singh was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi, and served nine months in Mirzapur jail during the "Quit India" movement against British colonial rule. He received the Indian Government's "Tamra Patra" Freedom Fighter award in 1972. In addition to a distinguished career in diplomacy and the arts, he has authored numerous books on topics ranging from Himalayan art to solar energy.

The purpose of the prize is to honour and reward extraordinary creative achievements in tolerance promotion. The emphasis is on achievement. The ultimate aim is to draw attention to successful undertakings that may serve as models for others in the field of tolerance and peace-building. The prize thus recognizes effectiveness as well as vision; impact assessment is a part of the nomination and evaluation process.

Nominations of candidates are accepted from UNESCO Member State governments and National Commissions, as well as from intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations affiliated with UNESCO. Prizewinners are chosen by the UNESCO Director-General upon the recommendation of a jury composed of prominent international personalities.

From 1996 onward, the new prize has been awarded every two years on 16 November, the annual International Day for Tolerance.

In 1996, the Prize was awarded to the association of 32 non-governmental women’s organizations "Pro-femmes Twese Hamwe" of Rwanda. The two laureates in 1998 were the educator and peace activist Narayan Desai of India and the Joint Action Committee for Peoples Rights of Pakistan. In 2000, the laureate was Pope Shenouda III, the head of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church. Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar was named laureate in 2002. In 2004, the laureate was Taslima Nasreen, writer from Bangladesh.
 

 

 http://portal.unesco.org/shs/fr/ev.php-URL_ID=6569&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence

General Rules 

1. Purpose
The purpose of the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence is to honour significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication field aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence. The prize, which was established in 1995 on the occasion of United Nations Year for Tolerance and the hundred-and-twenty-fifth anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi and will be awarded for the first time in 1996, may be awarded to institutions, organizations or persons who have contributed in a particularly meritorious and effective manner to tolerance and non-violence, and to the families of intellectuals who have fallen victim to intolerance, in keeping with the spirit of the United Nations Charter and UNESCO's Constitution, in the light of the principles set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of the International Covenants on Human Rights and with due account taken of the relevant resolutions and decisions adopted by the General Conference and Executive Board of UNESCO and the General Assembly of the United Nations. The prize shall be awarded with the object of encouraging or eliciting new efforts to spread the spirit of tolerance and non-violence.

2. Frequency
The prize shall be awarded on International Day for Tolerance.

3. Amount
The prize shall consist of a sum of US $100,000 (hundred thousand United States dollars), that sum having been set by the Director-General in agreement with the donor (Mr Madanjeet Singh). Every two years as from 1996 the donor shall pay, before 31 October, the amount of the prize into a special UNESCO account.

4. Selection of the prizewinner(s)
The prizewinner(s) shall be selected by the Director-General on the proposal of an international jury.

5. Jury
The jury, which shall consist of five eminent persons belonging to different nationalities and coming from different regions of the world, shall be appointed by the Director-General of UNESCO for a period of four years. The jury may adopt its own rules of procedure and shall be assisted in the performance of its duties by a member of the Secretariat appointed by the Director-General.

6. Criteria for the award of the prize
(a) The prizewinners shall be nationals of Member States of UNESCO or institutions or organizations having their headquarters in those States. They shall be required to have taken one or more particularly remarkable initiatives to promote the development of tolerance and non-violence, namely: by directly carrying out an educational activity; by implementing international, national, regional or local programmes aimed at the promotion of tolerance and non-violence; by mobilizing initiatives and/or means likely to contribute to the implementation of such programmes; by producing teaching materials or other special aids designed for the development of programmes to teach tolerance and non-violence; by undertaking, coordinating or encouraging research in those fields or fields related to specific aspects of tolerance; by conducting special surveys or launching original undertakings that have made for significant development in the promotion of tolerance and non-violence.

(b) In addition, the criteria below shall be taken into consideration: the activity must have lasted long enough for its results to be evaluated and its effectiveness verified; it must represent an outstanding contribution to the fundamental objectives of UNESCO and the United Nations in the fields of tolerance and non-violence; the work accomplished must be exemplary and likely to instigate similar initiatives; it must have shown itself to be effective in mobilizing new intellectual and material resources; it must represent a contribution to the understanding and solution of international or national problems in a spirit of tolerance and non-violence.

7. Selection and submission of nominations
Nominations may be made to the Director-General of UNESCO by Member States, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations that maintain consultative and mutual information relations with UNESCO and eminent persons considered competent by the Director-General in the field of tolerance and non-violence. Each nomination shall be supported by a recommendation no more than five standard pages long comprising in particular:
(a) a description of the work accomplished;
(b) an account of the results obtained;
(c) an evaluation in accordance with the criteria set out above.

Only one nomination may be submitted in each case.

The deadline for the submission of nominations to the Director-General shall be 31 May.

8. Procedure for the award of the prize
The names of the prizewinner(s) and candidates who receive an honourable mention shall normally be announced every two years as from 1996 on International Day for Tolerance. An official ceremony for the presentation of the prize by the Director-General or his representative shall be held on that date.

9. Duration
The prize is created for an indeterminate period. Should the donor or UNESCO decide to stop awarding it, the amounts remaining in the prize account shall be returned to the donor, after deduction of all charges outstanding at the time when the prize is terminated.