UN Member States, faith leaders set for talks in New York on tolerance and fostering peace

The United Nations is set to host at its New York Headquarters a meeting bringing together the Organization's Member States with faith leaders to discuss ways to promote tolerance and reconciliation, as well as to address the challenges of countering radicalization and extremism.

President of the UN General Assembly Sam Kutesa will convene in conjunction with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and High-Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, a High-Level Thematic Debate on Promoting Tolerance and Reconciliation, Fostering Peaceful, Inclusive Societies and Countering Violent Extremism.

The two-day High-Level meeting will offer a platform for Member States and faith leaders from around the world, along with other stakeholders, to discuss means of promoting tolerance and reconciliation, as well as to address challenges of countering radicalization and extremism.

Day one of the meeting, 21 April, will consist of an opening session, a high-level plenary and an interactive panel discussion. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss practical strategies to foster peaceful, inclusive societies and to counter the threat of radicalization and violent extremism.

Day two, on 22 April, will be centred on interfaith dialogue, featuring high-level statements and an interactive panel discussion on the role of faith leaders in promoting tolerance for diversity, freedom of expression and human rights.

Religious communities have followers across race, class, and gender. This meeting will be a powerful demonstration of how diverse communities can address common challenges.

The outcome of the meeting will be a President's summary highlighting salient points and key messages arising from the thematic debate.

Staff members from across the UN system and representatives of Member States will be able to follow the proceedings of this exceptional High-Level event online.