Turning on the TV or reading the newspaper, we are confronted every day with acts of violence and situations that blatantly violate our neighbor’s inherent dignity and human rights – for example in the DR of Congo, in Libya ... sometimes in our own backyard! These realities have impelled us throughout the Society to create new ways of being peace makers – educators for truth and peace, in the class room and outside of the classroom, in women’s groups and in our educational work with children.
On November 16, the United Nations (UN) will once again commemorate the International Day for Tolerance which was created by the General Assembly in 1996.
The UN General Assembly proclaimed 2010 the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures (A/RES/62/90), affirming that “mutual understanding and interreligious dialogue constitute important dimensions of the dialogue among civilizations and of the culture of peace.” In her message for this international year, Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, describes the objective as
