Recalling its resolutions 47/124 of 18 December 1992, 48/126 of 20 December 1993 and 49/213 of 23 December 1994, by which it proclaimed and supported the United Nations Year for Tolerance,

Recalling also that the Charter of the United Nations affirms in its preamble that to practice tolerance is one of the principles to be applied to attain the ends pursued by the United Nations of preventing war and maintaining peace,

Stressing that one of the purposes of the United Nations, as set forth in the Charter, is the achievement of international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion,

Bearing in mind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993, and the International Covenants on Human Rights,

Reconfirming that tolerance is the sound foundation of any civil society and of peace,

Taking note of the note by the Secretary-General transmitting the final report on the United Nations Year for Tolerance, including the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and the Follow-up Plan of Action for the United Nations Year for Tolerance, submitted to him by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as requested by the General Assembly in its resolution 49/213,

Taking note also of resolution 5.6 adopted by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at its twenty-eighth session,

1.Welcomes the role played by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in the preparation for and implementation of the United Nations Year for Tolerance;

2.Takes note of the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and the Follow-up Plan of Action for the United Nations Year for Tolerance, adopted by the States members of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on 16 November 1995;

3.Expresses its appreciation for the contribution of the regional conferences on tolerance and other relevant activities organized during the United Nations Year for Tolerance at Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Seoul (Republic of Korea), Sienna (Italy), Carthage (Tunisia), New Delhi (India), Moscow and Yakutsk (Russian Federation), Tbilisi (Georgia) and Istanbul (Turkey) to the Declaration of Principles and the Follow-up Plan of Action for the promotion of tolerance;

4.Invites the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to take appropriate initiatives, including holding regional meetings, to assure the follow-up and implementation of the outcome of the regional conferences organized during the United Nations Year for Tolerance and to promote further the spirit instigated by those conferences;

5.Invites Member States to consider applying the Declaration of Principles at the national level and to continue to undertake public information campaigns in connection with the Follow-up Plan of Action aimed at the realization of more tolerant societies;

6.Also invites Member States to observe the International Day for Tolerance annually on 16 November with appropriate activities directed towards both educational establishments and the wider public;

7.Encourages the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to continue its activities aimed at reinforcing the struggle against the rise of intolerance;

8.Recommends that interested intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and specialized agencies exert efforts in their respective fields to contribute to the long-term follow-up programme for the United Nations Year for Tolerance, including celebration of the International Day for Tolerance, and to consider what further contributions they can make to implement and disseminate the standards affirmed in the Declaration of Principles;

9.Requests the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to continue to coordinate actions in support of tolerance promotion and education in partnership with other United Nations agencies and regional, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and to make reports available to the General Assembly on a biennial basis on the implementation of the Declaration of Principles and the Follow-up Plan of Action;

10.Invites the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to consider, at an appropriate time, the possibility of organizing an international conference to inform and mobilize public opinion, as well as the United Nations system, in this regard;

11.Decides to consider the question of the follow-up to the United Nations Year for Tolerance at its fifty-third session.

82nd plenary meeting
12 December 1996