UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday encouraged the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) to engage with religious leaders and faith-based organizations to promote tolerance.

"Inter-faith dialogue can provide paths for understanding and for people to celebrate their diversity based on common values," said Guterres in a message to a virtual high-level meeting of the Group of Friends of the UNAOC.

He noted that he has made this endeavor a priority through initiatives such as the Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites.

Together with the other UN frameworks, such as the Call to Action for Human Rights and the Strategy on Hate Speech, these initiatives can contribute to building a more inclusive, equal and sustainable world, he said.

The international community is facing a crisis unequaled since the United Nations was founded 75 years ago. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed fragilities and inequalities that have been growing for years, threatening progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, he said.

"At the same time, we continue to witness intolerance toward some religious groups, vitriol against migrants and minorities, and widespread hatred manifested in anti-Semitism, white supremacy, neo-Nazism, Islamophobia and attacks on Christians. Religious sites have been attacked by radical ideologues and terrorists trying to enforce their toxic messages of hate and racism," he said.

In this context, the role of the Alliance of Civilizations has never been more relevant to the 2030 Agenda objective of building more peaceful, just and resilient societies based on human rights and dignity of all, he said. "We need to promote the conditions where people of different identities, faiths and cultures can live in harmony, enjoying their fundamental freedoms. And we need to stand up against all forms of discrimination." Enditem

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