The event was attended by Mr. Saleem Al-Jubouri, the Speaker of the Council of Representatives; Mr. Feryad Rwanduzi, Minister of Culture; the Heads of the Shiite and Sunni Endowment; and many other dignitaries.

In his speech, the Deputy Special Representatives of the United Nations Secretary-General (DSRSG) and Acting Head of UNAMI, Mr. Gyorgy Busztin, condemned the senseless violence perpetrated by ISIL, which he said deprives Iraqis of their basic right to security.

“All concerned actors should accelerate efforts to promote peaceful co-existence in Iraq and to protect diversity and pluralism”, Mr. Busztin said.  “We should spare no efforts to preserve the fertile diversity of Iraq’s culture that is at risk as intolerance and hatred spread”, he added.

On his part, the UNESCO Representative to Iraq, Mr. Axel Plathe said that “tolerance is the appreciation of the rich diversity of Iraq’s culture”.  “Today, this diversity is under threat and we must stand up together against those who seek to annihilate this diversity”, Mr. Plathe added.

Leaders pledged to use their political and social standing to help change behaviours, attitudes and stereotypes.  They underlined the importance of legal provisions to celebrate diversity and protect minorities to create a culture of tolerance.  They further stressed the role of education in learning to live together through the revision of curricula and a better training of teachers.

20 years ago, on 16 November 1995, the Member States of UNESCO adopted the “Declaration of Principles on Tolerance” solemnly proclaiming 16 November as the International Day for Tolerance.