Message from Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of International Day for Tolerance
联合国教科文组织总干事伊琳娜·博科娃“国际宽容日”致辞

16 November 2016

2016年11月16日

In a world of diversity, tolerance is a prerequisite for peace. It is also a lever for sustainable development, as it encourages the construction of more inclusive and thus more resilient societies that are able to draw on the ideas, creative energy and talents of each of their members.

在一个多样性的世界,宽容是和平的条件,也是促进可持续发展的动力,它有利于建设更具包容性和生命力的社会,并且能够从社会的每个成员的思想、创造力和才干中汲取营养。

Tolerance is often a minority idea and one that is sometimes threatened. In too many countries in the world I have noted the rise of doctrines based on withdrawal and rejection. I have noted that migratory crises, the tragic situation of refugees and armed conflicts are being used as tools to whip up hatred of the other, stigmatize minorities and legitimize discrimination. I have heard the rise in racist attitudes and stereotyping of religions and cultures, as it is said that different peoples cannot live together and that the world would be a better place if we returned to olden times when “pure cultures” lived alone, protected from outside influence, in a mythicized past that has never existed.

宽容作为观念,时常受到威胁,往往不占多数。在当今世界太多的国家,我都注意到退缩和排斥的逻辑在抬头。我还看到难民危机、难民惨状或武装冲突被作为工具,用来煽动对他者的仇恨、对少数群体的责难以及为各种歧视披上合法外衣。我听到此起彼伏的种族主义言论和关于宗教或文化的陈词滥调,它们所鼓噪的是:不同的民族不可能生活在一起,如果回归到以往,回归到各个“纯粹文化”与世隔绝不受外来影响的时代,回归到从来也不曾存在的被神话了的过去,世界会变得更好。

We must counter this tendency to isolationism by restoring strength and substance to the culture of tolerance. We must again emphasize the extent to which cultures are enriched by mutual exchange. We must remember the historical facts, recall how peoples and identities have mingled, engendering richer, more complex cultures with multiple identities. Using the living testimony of world heritage sites, we can show that no culture has ever grown in isolation, and that diversity is a strength, not a weakness. We must say again that tolerance is not naive or passive acceptance of difference: it is a fight for the respect of fundamental rights. Tolerance is not relativism or indifference. It is a commitment renewed every day to seek in our diversity the bonds that unite humanity.

针对这一自我退缩的逻辑,我们应该给宽容文化再次赋予力量和实质内容。我们应该重申,各种文化正是从相互交流中丰富发展起来的。我们应该记住那些历史事实,记住各个民族和各种身份是如何彼此交融,并在彼此交融中孕育出更为丰富复杂的文化,更为多样的身份。借助世界遗产之石那些生动的见证,我们可以表明,从来没有哪种文化在自我封闭中成长,多样性是一种优势而不是一种劣势。我们应该再次重申,宽容不是对差异性的幼稚或被动接受,它是一场战斗,一场尊重基本权利的战斗。宽容不是相对主义或漠不关心,它是日常的努力,努力在我们的多样性中寻求如何让人类更加紧密地团结在一起。

The promotion of the spirit of tolerance is the source and purpose of UNESCO’s actions. It is inspired by the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance, adopted in 1995. It draws on many educational, cultural and scientific programmes, in the framework of the International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2013-2022), the International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities, and the promotion of global citizenship education. These programmes need to be supported and relayed by public policies, in official speeches and in daily behaviour, in the media and in the streets of our towns and cities. I call upon all UNESCO’s Member States and all the citizens of the world to take up this message, to build together societies that are more inclusive, more peaceful and more prosperous, because they are more tolerant.

倡导宽容精神,是教科文组织行动的源泉和目标。其灵感来源是1995年通过的《宽容原则宣言》,其思想养料来自教育、科学及文化方面的诸多计划,如国际文化和睦十年(2013‒2022年)、国际包容和可持续城市联盟以及促进全球公民教育等。这些计划需要得到公共政策的支持和传导,在正式演讲和日常行为中都有所体现,在媒体和城市的大街小巷都有所响应。我呼吁教科文组织所有会员国和世界所有公民继续传递这一讯息,共同打造因为更加宽容而更加包容、和平和繁荣的社会。