UNIS/SGSM/1473
3 February 2025
On this International Day of Human Fraternity, we celebrate the values of equality, unity and mutual respect.
Yet today, all over the world, we see a surge of discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance driving people apart and tearing at the fabric of societies.
It is the duty of all of us, including religious leaders, to seek dialogue over division, and confront hatred wherever we find it, before it takes hold and spreads.
The Declaration “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” – co-authored by His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed El-Teyeb – is a blueprint for interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence. It is a powerful reminder that our shared commitment to human rights and dignity is the foundation of a better future for all.
Inspired by this Declaration, let us recognize that we are one human family — rich in diversity, equal in dignity and rights, and united in solidarity.
Together, we can pave the way for a more peaceful, inclusive and just world for all people.
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Barbados signed and deposited its instrument of ratification for the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 8 May 2025.
Journalists are invited to cover the 34th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) to be held from 19 to 23 May in Vienna, Austria.
"On this Day of Vesak, I extend my warmest wishes to Buddhists worldwide as they commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha." — António Guterres
"In a world plagued by conflict and division, World Press Freedom Day highlights a fundamental truth: Freedom for people depends on freedom of the press." — António Guterres