The Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations in New York celebrated the International Day for Tolerance on Wednesday 16 November 2016.
 
Tolerance is a fundamental pillar of the foreign policy of the United Arab Emirates, and is reflected in the country’s firm commitment to the principles of mutual respect, dialogue and cooperation, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, And reject violence and extremism. The UAE also believes that the United Nations is an important forum for the promotion of these principles at the international level, and is guided by the United Nations Charter, which calls on states to “live in tolerance, peace and good neighborliness.”

Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh, the Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, spoke yesterday at the American Peace Institute (USIP) in the US capital, Washington, about the efforts made by the UAE to promote tolerance as part of the process of building peaceful and inclusive societies. She highlighted the work of Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, and her efforts in promoting tolerance, cultural pluralism, and acceptance of others in the UAE and abroad. Ambassador Nusseibeh stated that the regional impact of the work of Sheikha Lubna has become more important than ever, especially as the extremists are trying to turn back the clock and erase the decades-old achievements to achieve in building peaceful and prosperous societies.

وأكدت السفيرة نسيبة على نموذج دولة الإمارات كمجتمع تقدمي مستقر مبني على مبادئ الاندماج وقبول الآخر، وألقت الضوء بشكل خاص على الدور الذي لعبته المرأة منذ تأسيس دولة الإمارات في إنشاء واستمرار نموذج دولة الإمارات الناجح في الاعتدال والتعايش السلمي، وهو نموذج يمتع به أكثر من 200 جنسية تعيش في دولة الامارات ويعتبرونها وطنا لهم.

جاء هذا الحديث خلال حلقة النقاش الرابعة في سلسلة محاضرات الشيخة فاطمة بنت مبارك بمعهد السلام الأمريكي والتي ركزت على دور المرأة في بناء السلام. الجدير بالذكر أن سلسلة المحاضرات هذه قد تم انشائها تقديراً للشيخة فاطمة بنت مبارك الكتبي، رئيسة الاتحاد النسائي العام الرئيس الأعلى لمؤسسة التنمية الأسرية رئيسة المجلس الأعلى للأمومة والطفولة، ولالتزامها بدعم مشاركة المرأة على قدم المساواة في عملية بناء وتنمية الوطن. وكان من بين المتحدثين في هذه الحلقة السفيرة ميلاني فيرفير، والسفيرة سواني هانت، وكذلك السيدة نانسي لندبورج، رئيسة معهد السلام الأميركي. وقد شهدت المحاضرة حضوراً واسعاً من جانب صناع القرار والأكاديميين وأعضاء المجتمع المدني.

The UAE is committed at the United Nations level to promoting the principles of sustainable and comprehensive development, drawing on its national experience. The UAE, along with other member states of the United Nations, pledged during the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development last year to work to create a world of justice, equity, tolerance and openness that embraces all social groups.

The UAE is aware of the pivotal role that youth play in the continuation and strengthening of the development plan and in facing and rejecting the destructive ideologies promoted by ISIS and other advocates of hatred and division, and it works in the United Nations to participate in its model that seeks to enhance the aspirations of young people to live up to their potential and enable them to contribute to achieving Social development. The UAE also believes in the importance of working with youth and providing a vision for their future that enables them to seize opportunities and make positive decisions that benefit their lives.