Promotion of tolerance and
nonviolence
Forum: UNESCO
Issue : Promotion of tolerance and nonviolence
Student Officer : Ruchita Sinha
Position : Deputy Chair
Introduction:
Violence and discrimination has always caused suffering and pain to millions of people around
the world. We have observed this tradition of violence since the beginning of civilizations, and it
is important to obliterate this tradition. The United Nations defines non- violence as rejecting
the use of physical violence in order to achieve social or political change. There are ample
examples in history to show how the use of non-violence has been successful in the past, yet
we resort to the use of violence.
The world has become a small place, and the people have come closer to each other.
We must therefore learn to live peacefully with each other. According to the UN,
tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world's
cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human. Lack of tolerance and
nonviolence leads to wars and fighting which brings about destruction in the lives of
people involved.
Key Terms Defined:
Nonviolence : the use of peaceful means, not force, to bring about political or social change.
Non violent protest : Nonviolent resistance (NVR or nonviolent action) is the practice of achieving
goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation,
satyagraha, or other methods, without using violence.
International peace : International peace-keeping operations are an important mechanism of the
international community for resolving conflicts and dealing with crises. They may have both civil
and military components.
Tolerance : Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world's
cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human.Tolerance, the virtue that makes
peace possible, contributes to the replacement of the culture of war by a culture of peace.
History:
Nonviolence has existed in our world for more than 1000 years now, and
it is very difficult to tell as to when and how it exactly started. The first
major leaders who put forth the idea of nonviolence were said to be
Confucius ( a great Chinese philosopher) and Gautam Buddha , who is
believed to have started the religion of buddhism. However the teaching
of these great leaders died out over the years. M.K. Gandhi is said to
reintroduce nonviolence, and is believed to be the founder of the
nonviolence movement known as Satyagraha. His birthday is celebrated
as the International day of nonviolence around the world. Whereas, the
culture of religious tolerance started in 1348, by Pope Clement VI. He
issued papal bull, to prevent the catholics murdering Jews. During those
days Jews were blamed for black death, a plague that killed many people
including Jews. Non violence and tolerance was weapon used by many
great leaders during the second world war. However non violence is
dying out.
Key Issues:
Despite the fact that non violence and tolerance intend to help humanity, these
principles can present problems.
●
Non violent protest may cost the lives of many involved in the protest, especially when the
opposing party is armed. Nonviolence is the ideal form of protest, however it is also one
of the most dangerous forms of protest for the protesters. For example : The protest at
Tiananmen Square in June 1989, was a non violent protest, however the Chinese army
opened fired at unarmed protesters to disperse off the crowd.
●
Some people believe that nonviolence is not a successful form of protest,especially if the
issue only concerns a minority of people. A small non violent protest can easily be
suppressed, and the purpose of the protest is lost. Successful non violent protests may be
very time consuming, and therefore it will take time to reach the desired result of the
protest.
●
Intolerance can be countered by creation of proper laws by the government. However,
the laws are not properly followed, and so intolerance still persists in our society.
Corruption is a major problem with most of the political systems around the world, and so
the laws are not followed. To destroy the culture of intolerance, education is top-most
priority. However, it will be a time consuming process to change the perspective of the
society and for the society to accept all kinds of people that exist in our society.
General Overview of Topic/ UN perspective:
The UN feels strongly on the issue of promoting tolerance and nonviolence.Tolerance and peace
are one of the most important ideas that lay the foundation for the UN, thus one of the main
objectives of UN is to promote tolerance and nonviolence. UN has tried promoting the use of
nonviolence by taking the following measures :
●
Holocaust remembrance - the UN declared 27
January to be the international day of
commemoration in memory of the victims of the
Holocaust , according to the resolution adopted
by general assembly on 26 January 2007.
Holocaust was the largest genocide of the 20th
century, killing approximately 11 million people,
more than 50% of them were Jews, by the
German Nazis under the leadership of Hitler.
●
Promotion of intercultural and interreligious dialogue, understanding and cooperation for
peace. This helps bridge gaps between people from races, hence promoting tolerance.
2010 was declared as the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures.
●
International day of nonviolence is celebrated on 2nd October each year on the birthday
of the great leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whose principles of “ahimsa” or
nonviolence was successful in helping India gain independence.
The UN promotes tolerance in a number of ways.One of which is to celebrating the
international day of tolerance on 16th November. The UN has made resolutions for the
promotion of tolerance and the eradication of intolerance. Some solutions that the UN has
come up with are :
●
Enforcing proper laws and order systems in the member states. This is very important for
punishing offenders, and important way of reassuring the people to place their trust in law
and not take up matters in their own hands resorting to violence.
●
Organizing awareness schemes and activities, in order to educate the people to change
their attitude to stop intolerance. The only way in which people can change their
perspective on the same issue is by education. School is one of the many ways of
obtaining education. Educating people and making them more aware will help people stop
these kinds of injustice.
helpful link
UN involvement
Major Parties Involved and Their Views:
●
Global Greens (GG) : It is a non- governmental organization ( NGO), that forms an
international network of Green parties. Green parties are political parties based on
principles of social justice, non violence, democracy and tolerance. These principles are
known as Green politics. It was started in 2001 in Canberra, Australia. Today Global
Greens have 91 member parties and 19 observer / associate members. To find out about
the member parties,
global green website
●
Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty (PRNTT) : it is a NGO, which
has a general consultative status at the Economic and Social council (ECOSOC) in the
United Nations. The NGO strongly supports the Gandhian ideologies of non violence.
● PRNTT (continued)
Since obtaining consultative status with ECOSOC, the PRNTT has participated in the work of
various UN bodies on matters relating to the promotion of civil and political rights; the support of
bilateral and multilateral actions for the promotion of democracy in the world and many such
projects.
●
China : Chinese government has been against the use of non violence and has made
every possible attempt to reduce it. Some examples of peaceful protests in China include
protest in Tibet and the recent protest in Hong Kong. China has a very strict policy against
anyone who goes against the Chinese government. The government has used violent
means such as ceasefire to curb these non violent protest.
●
Countries involved in the Arab spring : “Arab Spring. A series of anti-government
uprisings in various countries in North Africa and the Middle East, beginning in Tunisia in
December 2010.” (oxford dictionary) . Arab spring was started off as a non violence
protest in Tunisia, and spread to other neighbouring North African countries including
Egypt, Libya, Syria , Yemen and Bahrain. The main aim of these revolutions were to instill
fear in the dictators, hoping that they would be relieved of the grief of unemployment,
rising prices and corruption. This was more successful than it was expected to be,
perhaps because it was a nonviolent protest and had gained worldwide recognition.
helpful link
●
European council on
tolerance and reconciliation
( ECTR) : This organization is
dedicated to promote tolerance
and eliminate any kind of
intolerance including racism,
ethnic discrimination, religious
intolerance, etc. According to
the organization promoting
tolerance is essential for
helping the European Union
cope as they advance to a
more multicultural EU.
Timeline of Events
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400 : Saint Telemachus’s peaceful protest against gladiator .
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411 : Lysistrata by Aristophanes depicts powerful women fighting for peace.
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1570 - 1600 : Iroquois Confederacy formed. The first multinational organization consisting
of 5 member countries.
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Colonial resistance to British rule : These include :
● Actions against the Stamp Act of 1765
● Actions against the Townshend Acts of 1767
● Actions against the tax on tea
● Actions against the Coercive Acts of 1774
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1869 - 1907 : Maori plough campaign was a nonviolent protest by the Maori ( they existed
in areas near New Zealand) to reclaim land from British farmers.
1886 : Haymarket uprising : Started off as a nonviolent protest for laborer’s rights, which
soon turned violent, resulting in execution of the leader of the protest.
1905 : Swadeshi movement in India, was a national boycott of British goods to promote
the Indian industry.
1914 : World War 1 starts.
1915 : Womens international league for peace and freedom was founded during the first
world war .
1919 : World War 2 ends. League of nations, precursor to the United Nations created.
1919 : Nonviolent protest in Egypt, gets Egypt freedom from the British.
1920 : Gaffar Khan founded the first Islamic nonviolent movement in India.
1928 : World powers sign Kellogg-Briand Pact, renouncing war as instrument of national
policy .
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1930 : Mahatma Gandhi leads a nonviolent protest ( Salt march) to protest against the
British salt policy.
1939 : Second World War starts as a result of failing League of Nations.
1941 -1945 : The holocaust / the mass genocide of Jews took place in Germany, killing
about 6 million Jews.
1942 : The White Rose Society is dedicated to remembering the Holocaust and antigenocide awareness. This is a symbol of non violent protest.
1945 : End of second world war, and creation of the United Nations.
1945 - 1975 : American protest against American military presence in Vietnam.
1948 : United Nations adopts Universal declaration of human rights.
1953 - 1964 : Nonviolent protest and boycott movements wins independence for Zambia.
1957 : Nonviolent protests, based on Ahimsa wins independence for Ghana.
1958 : British protesters against creation of atomic bombs.
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1959 : Tibetan women protest against the Chinese rule.
1961 : Women worldwide protest against use of nuclear weapons.
1963 : Peaceful march for jobs and freedom in Washington DC, led by Martin Luther
King.
1964 : Laws created against racial discrimination created in the US.
2010 - 2013 : Arab spring revolution in middle eastern nations against dictatorships.
2014 : ongoing tension between non-violent citizen movements and powerful
governments.
UN Relevant Resolutions :
●
Declaration of principles on tolerance, 1995 :
http://www.unesco.org/webworld/peace_library/UNESCO/HRIGHTS/124-129.HTM
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Resolutions adopted by General assembly ( 60/11 ) in 2005 on Promotion of religious and cultural understanding,
harmony and cooperation :
http://www.un-documents.net/a60r11.htm
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Resolutions adopted by General assembly ( 53/243 ) in 1999 on A declaration of culture of peace :
http://www.un-documents.net/a53r243a.htm
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General Assembly resolution on the International Day of Non-Violence in 2007 ( 61/271) :
http://www.un.org/en/events/nonviolenceday/resolution.shtml
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General Assembly resolution on the International Decade for culture of peace and non violence for the children of the world
( 59/143) :
http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/59/143
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General Assembly resolution on the declaration of the right of people to peace ( 39/11) :
http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/39/11
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General assembly resolution on the alliance of civilizations ( 64/14) :
http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/64/14
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General assembly declaration on rights of indigenous people ( 61/295) :
http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/61/295
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General assembly on the international day of tolerance ( 51 / 619) :
http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/51/95
Evaluation of Previous Attempts to Solve the Issue:
Nonviolence is a successful form of protest, however sometimes it may fail or turn out to be very
dangerous.
●
Another example of failed nonviolent protests and intolerance was seen during the world war 2 :
the holocaust. Holocaust was a mass genocide of the Jews in Europe. The Nazi’s in Germany
murdered two-third of the total Jewish population in Europe at that time. They considered Jews
as a threat to the German community. This is still regarded as one of the most unfortunate
events in world history.
●
Syria : The civil war in Syria started in 2011, as a nonviolent protests. The purpose of the protest
was to eliminate the rule of the dictator : Bashar Al- Assad. However , as he refused to resign,
people were getting more angry and more impatient. At this time, president Al - Assad’s
government resorted to violent means. Weapons were imported from Russia, which also
included chemical weapons. As Assad saw himself losing control of the state, he ceased fire at
the unarmed protesters. This upset the protesters, and they sought help from other arab
countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who provided them with weapons.
Possible Solutions:
●
Education : Education instills knowledge and sense of understanding among people.
Educating populations in non violence and cultural tolerance starting at young ages is the
most effective method of reducing if not eliminating violence and intolerance. Education is
a tool to encompass values of peace and tolerance. Education can change perspectives,
but it may take a long time to see the effects from education.
●
Increasing economic growth : As the economy of a state increases, the standards of living
also increase for its citizens. This will attract investment and immigrations into the country,
which will also bring a new perspective to things, and possibility make people more open
to new ideas. This will increase cultural and religious tolerance among people.
●
Democracy : Democratic ideals of justice, liberty, equality are the key ideas behind
tolerance and nonviolence. By promoting democracy, these democratic ideals are
automatically included in the constitution, which ensures that these ideals are stated in
official documents, so that they can be followed.
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