International Day of Human Fraternity
In the aftermath of World War II, the United Nations was established with the primary goal of protecting future generations from the horrors of war. The UN has been taking actions to prevent wars and to promote peace, coexistence and mutual understanding among humans. To achieve these goals the UN has settled events and celebrations such as 2000 the International Year for the Culture of Peace or in 2010 the World Week of Interfaith Harmony among all religions, confessions and beliefs.
The mankind is facing incredibly and serious challenges such as increasing inequalities between multimilionaires and millions of poors under hunger, rampant individualist ideologies, political, ethnic and religious identity extremisms and fundamentalism, wars of any kinds, race and gender inequalities and injustices, climatge change, and so on.
In front of this context, some voices from religious stances within defend religion, God existance and fraternity among human as a way to overcome all the aforementioned dangers, risks and challenges. Voices from different religions defend that religion and religious values are linked to inner and outher peace, to tolerance and understanding the other, and denounce that religions do not incite war, nor do they promote hatred, hostility, extremism, or encourage violence and bloodshed. They affirm that tragedies arise from the distortion of religious teachings, the political manipulation of faith, and the misinterpretations of religious groups that, at various points in history, have exploited the power of religious sentiment to lead people toward actions that diverge from the true essence of religion. Such distortions have often served narrow political and economic interests driven by short-sighted worldly ambitions. Following these shared ideas Pope Frances and The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyeb 4th February 2019 singed a document untitled “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living toghether”.
In this context, the General Assembly the 21st December 2020 aproved the Resolution 75/200 settling the 4th of February the International Day of Human Fraternity. This resolution invites all Member States and international organisations to commemorate this day annually to highlight the importance of intercultural dialogue and global cooperation. Tolerance, pluralistic traditions, mutual respect, and the diversity of religions and beliefs are the foundations that foster human fraternity. The culture of dialogue serves as a guiding path, common collaboration as a shared practice, and reciprocal understanding as both a method and a principle. Through these values, humanity can rediscover and reaffirm the ideals of peace, justice, goodness, beauty, human fraternity, and harmonious coexistence—recognizing them as essential pillars for collective well-being and striving to promote them across all societies.
This year, we celebrate the International Day of Human Fraternity which provides an opportunity to highlight the principles and values included in the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” and explore good practices for their application as a way forward, as we rebuild a better world. Let’s participate in the celebration of the Day on social media using the hashtags #HumanFraternityDay and #OneHumanity.
Associate professor of Sociology at the University of Girona