Source The United Nations
Media www.rajawalisiber.com – UN chief said that every great faith summons the imperatives of human fraternity, mutual respect and understanding. He warned that hatred “is a catalyst for polarization and radicalization, and a conduit for atrocity crimes.”
Briefing the Security Council today (14 June) in New York, during a high-level meeting on the values of human fraternity in promoting and sustaining peace, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Hate fuels humanity’s worst impulses.”
He continued, “It is also a result of these crimes, contributing to horrific cycles of violence that can churn for decades. It greases the wheels of violence, frays the social fabric, and corrodes the pillars of stability.”
He continued, “It is also a result of these crimes, contributing to horrific cycles of violence that can churn for decades. It greases the wheels of violence, frays the social fabric, and corrodes the pillars of stability.”
Guterres concluded, “It is, in short, often the bloody heart of conflict. And that heart is pumping venom and division throughout the bloodstream of the global body politic.”
He also added, “These evils are not new to our time. What is new is their speed and their reach.”
The UN chief explained, “Social media has equipped hatemongers with a global bullhorn for bile. Today, no conspiracy is too outrageous to find a vast audience; no falsehood too absurd to feed an online frenzy.”
He stressed, “Unverified assertions or outright lies can gain instant credibility, placed on an equal footing with facts and science.”
According to him, “Last year, a survey of UN peacekeepers found that 75 percent see mis- and disinformation as a direct threat to their safety and security. From our Resident Coordinators to our Envoys, mediators, and peacekeepers – all have raised the alarm.”
Guterres reiterated, “Many challenges on the agenda of this Council are directly affected by hate speech supercharged by modern technologies.”
Also addressing the Council, Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, said, “In my address today, my intention is not to enlighten you about Islam but to urge you to end the senseless wars that have erupted over recent decades and still flare in our region and our world today.”
He explained, “I speak of the Iraq War, the Afghan War and the tragedies pain and sorrow they have wrought over the last 20 years. I speak too of Syria, Libya and Yemen and the profound destruction of their ancient civilizations rooted for thousands of years.”
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, delivering address of His Holiness Pope Francis, said, “Today’s globalized world has brought all of us closer together, yet it has not made us any more fraternal. Indeed, we are suffering from a famine of fraternity, which arises from the many situations of injustice, poverty and inequality and also from the lack of a culture of solidarity.”
Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of State of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said, “We meet today to discuss an issue with significant implications on international peace and security, the world is facing the highest number of armed conflicts since the second world war, with 2 billion people living in places affected by conflict.”