Message of H.E. Peter Thomson, President of the 71st Session of the General Assembly, delivered by H.E. Ioannis Vrailas, Special Adviser on Political Issues, at the High-level Forum on Combating Anti-Muslim Discrimination and Hatred
17 January 2017
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset, I wish to convey the best wishes and regards of H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly who is unable to join us today due to prior travel commitments.
The President of the General Assembly requested me to deliver the following statement on his behalf.
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I commend the Permanent Missions of Canada, the United States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations for organizing this important forum on combatting anti-Muslim discrimination and hatred.
Ladies and gentlemen, we meet today at a time when our world’s experiencing severe challenges on many fronts.
During the last decade, we have seen an increase in the number of armed conflicts and the rise of violent extremism and terrorism. We have seen demographic change; unsustainable consumption patterns and the impacts of climate change put very real pressure on scarce natural resources. We have seen a decline in global poverty but an increase in global inequality. And we are experiencing, today, the single worst refugee and migrant crisis since the end of the Second World War.
It is in this context that we witness a deeply worrying increase in incidents of religious intolerance and persecution because of religious or other forms of belief.
All religions have of course been the target of attacks and intolerance throughout the centuries but in recent years, we can recall attacks on Yazidis in Iraq, on Christians in several places or the significant levels of anti-Semitism around the world.
But when it comes to the subject-matter of today’s event, one cannot but stress with great apprehension and concern the global dimension of anti-Muslim discrimination and hatred.
This has become a wide-ranging scourge – from stereotyping and inflammatory remarks, by those who should know better, to direct discrimination; and from the defacing of mosques to the denial of basic civil rights.
In confronting Islamophobia it is important to understand the modern drivers of such sentiment: from terrorism perpetrated in the name of religion (of which, as we should not forget, Muslims form the great majority of victims), to the upsurge of anti-immigrant sentiment and populist responses in the face of massive flows of migrants and refugees.
Terrorism, in particular, cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group, nor used as a pretext for security measures that disproportionately affect and violate the human rights of Muslims.
We, in the United Nations, have a pivotal role to play in bringing attention to this worrying trend and both rejecting without qualification, and combatting all forms of islamophobia.
Each year, the General Assembly confirms the high importance its members attach to this subject through its two resolutions on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Combating Religious Intolerance – both adopted by consensus.
UNESCO, the Alliance of Civilizations and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief also play crucial roles in this area.
And many of the UN’s agencies, funds and programmes deliver support aimed at protecting the most vulnerable and tackling the conditions in which discrimination of this kind can flourish, in line with the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals.
On 19 September, Member States also took a historic step forward in adopting the New York Declaration. In doing so, the General Assembly committed to protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all refugees and migrants, regardless of their status, and to combat xenophobia, racism and discrimination in our societies.
In this context, I strongly welcome the UN’s Together campaign which aims to combat negative attitudes towards migrants and refugees – given that much of this negativity is directed at Muslims.
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Looking beyond the UN, governments, civil society and faith groups have an important role to play in documenting and addressing discrimination and hatred.
Member States are obliged to take legal and administrative measures to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion or belief and to tackle xenophobia and hatred within their jurisdiction.
Education, in particular at school, should be harnessed to promote tolerance and eliminate discrimination in our societies.
Young people should be empowered and provided with fair opportunities to prosper.
New and traditional media, including social media, must do more to promote respect for religious and cultural diversity and tackle hate speech.
And civil society should prioritise the combating of discrimination and prejudice and the creation of inclusive societies.
Excellencies, with xenophobic and racist rhetoric on the rise, each and every one of us, especially those of us in positions of power, must speak out against anti-Muslim discrimination and hatred.
We cannot let fear, prejudice and intolerance prevail in our societies.
Rather, we must work together to uphold our common values and principles; and to deliver on the words of the UN Charter – ‘to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours’.
I thank you for your attention.