The fourth of February is dedicated as ‘International Day of Human Fraternity’. The day was proclaimed so by the United Nations General Assembly on December 21, 2020 and was co-sponsored by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. The first event was held on February 4, 2021. This date commemorates the historical meeting in Abu Dhabi between Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayyib, on February 4, 2019, oriented to ‘world peace and living together’.
The UN Secretary General acknowledged the 2019 declaration on ‘human fraternity for world peace’ by the above head of the Catholic Church and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, who is also an Egyptian Islamic scholar. He applauded all UN Member States who supported the resolution readily, as well.
Highlighting the context of the declaration in a video broadcast during a commemorative event, held online, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated, “around the world, deep-seated discrimination, acts of intolerance and hate crimes persist against people, simply because of their religion or belief, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation”.
“I thank both religious leaders for using their voice to promote interfaith dialogue, mutual respect and understanding across the faith spectrum. In these trying times, we need this spirit more than ever... as we commemorate the International Day of Human Fraternity, let us commit to do more to promote cultural and religious tolerance, understanding and dialogue,” he said.
Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, told the UN General Assembly, before the UN gave its approval, “in recent years, the world has been witnessing a dramatic increase in violence, hate speech, xenophobia, religious bigotry and other forms of discrimination. In the face of such transnational threats, we need to support initiatives that encourage solidarity and unity among people in the spirit of ‘human fraternity’.
Miguel Angel Moratinos, High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), showed up the relevance of fraternity in the following words. “Observing an international day of Human Fraternity is needed now more than ever before, considering the deplorable fragmentation of our world today. We are not only facing the ramifications of a pandemic, but also the contagious virus of hate, discrimination and racism”, he said.
Besides, the UN resolution recognizes the valuable contributions of people of all religions and beliefs to humanity. It underlines the role of education in promoting tolerance and eliminating discrimination based on religion or belief, too. It commends all international, regional, national and local initiatives and efforts by religious leaders to promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue, as well.
Further, the UN resolution also expresses deep concern for acts that advocate religious hatred and undermine the spirit of tolerance, especially as the world confronts the unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also highlights the need for a global response to the pandemic built upon unity, solidarity and renewed multilateral cooperation.
Furthermore, the antidote to hate is human fraternity, which embodies compassion, solidarity, unity and mutual respect. ‘Cultural diversity and freedom of belief’ are part of the ‘rich tapestry’ of humanity. Promoting peace, love and fraternity has been a consistent message from religious figures throughout history. Therefore, more commitment towards promoting cultural and religious tolerance is called for.
In addition, ‘fraternity’ means brotherhood, that is to say, ‘the sense of being brotherly and sisterly. It is the quality of being a social group with persons with shared interests and experiences. Fraternity or brotherhood promotes unity and integrity in the nation and binds its people. Fraternity stands for standing up for fellow citizens and for resolving dispute and conflicts in well-behaved and orderly manner, which would not harm the integrity of the nation or of the society. Fraternity is committed to celebrating together our shared values of acceptance, openness, empathy and love towards other human beings, as well.
Most of all, human fraternity is grounded in the divine paternity. The creator God is origin and life-giver, sustainer and care-taker and destiny and destination. The human and other beings are filial to the Creator and are necessarily fraternal to each other and they cannot be otherwise. Human fraternity is the way of being related to each other. Human fraternity is the very way to be related to the paternal Creator, as well.
The spirit of human fraternity is the right response to diversity of ethnic traits, gender, caste, clan, class, creed, and the like. Fraternity is the true solution to problems related to differences in language, ideology, culture, social traditions, food habits, dress patterns, etc, too. Fraternity is the core principle of the Constitution of India. Fraternity is the essential spirit of religious systems and social communities. Fraternity is the universal human quality underscored by the United Nations organization. Fraternity is the sum and substance of human life, as well.
On the occasion of ‘International Day of Human Fraternity 2022’ it has to be avowed by the humanity anew that humans in India and world over will imbibe the spirit of being ‘fraternal’ and live like brothers and sisters, one to another, and thus give dignity to our humanity and the divinity above.
(The views expressed is personal)
