A document from the United Nations
International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace, 2023
The General Assembly,
Recognizing the important role of the United Nations in developing friendly
relations among nations,
Reaffirming the Charter of the United Nations and its purposes and principles, and especially the commitment to settle disputes through peaceful means and the determination to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,
Recognizing the importance of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace,1 which serve as the universal mandate for the international community, particularly the United Nations system, for the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence that benefits humanity, in particular future generations,
Reaffirming that inclusive dialogue in its various manifestations plays an important role in strengthening the relationship and cooperation between Member States,
Reaffirming also the role of inclusive dialogue in promoting a culture of peace in support of proactive peace efforts as a basis for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,
Welcoming the efforts made by the United Nations Member States to address global challenges and advance in a spirit of trust and solidarity, in order to find common solutions and move forward in areas of mutual interest towards a relationship based on dialogue and cooperation,
Recognizing that all efforts made by the United Nations system in general and the international community at large for the prevention of conflicts, the peaceful settlement of disputes, peacekeeping, peacebuilding, mediation, disarmament, sustainable development, the promotion of human dignity and human rights, social inclusion, democracy, the rule of law, good governance and gender equality at the national and international levels contribute greatly to a culture of peace,
Recognizing also the role of international, regional and subregional organizations, in accordance with their mandates, in the promotion and preservation of peace,
Recognizing further the importance of respect and understanding for religious and cultural diversity throughout the world, of choosing dialogue and negotiations over confrontation and of working together and not against each other,
Recognizing that the open, constructive and respectful debate of ideas, as well as interreligious, interfaith and intercultural dialogue, at the local, national, regional and international levels, can play a positive role in combating religious hatred, incitement and violence,
Emphasizing the role of women and youth, as well as the contribution of children and older persons in advancing a culture of peace, and in particular the importance of the active participation of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in activities promoting a culture of peace, including in post-conflict situations,
Recognizing the importance of developing more peaceful societies through advancing equality, tolerance, human development and promoting human rights, and in this regard calling for investment in education, including through effective policies and practices, towards promoting respect, reconciliation and a culture of peace and non-violence,
Emphasizing that the policy of neutrality declared and pursued by States Members of the United Nations plays an important role in the development of peaceful, trust-based, friendly and mutually beneficial relations among the countries of the world and contributes to the strengthening of international peace and security at the regional and global levels,
Recognizing the importance of combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy and unemployment, and emphasizing that friendship to all and malice towards none, in the spirit of constructive cooperation, dialogue and mutual understanding, will help to achieve these objectives,
Convinced that dialogue contributes to combining the efforts of the international community in consolidating the traditions of peaceful and trust-based coexistence among the peoples of the world, restoring the values, attitudes and traditions of maintaining and promoting peace and the comprehensive establishment of a culture of peace and trust in international relations,
Recognizing the urgent need to promote and strengthen preventive diplomacy, inter alia, through multilateralism and political dialogue, and the important role of the United Nations in this regard,
Stressing the importance of preventive diplomacy in supporting the efforts of the United Nations to promote the peaceful settlement of conflicts, in order to preserve peace,
Welcoming the efforts of the international community to enhance understanding through constructive dialogue among civilizations, in particular through various initiatives at the local, national, regional and international levels,
Expressing its appreciation for the ongoing efforts of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in fostering international dialogue, greater understanding and respect among civilizations, cultures, religions and beliefs and promoting a culture of peace through a number of practical projects in the areas of youth, education, media and migrations, in collaboration with Governments, international organizations, foundations and civil society groups, as well as media and the private sector,
Noting the importance of the Eighth United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Forum, held at United Nations Headquarters on 19 and 20 November 2018 under the theme “#Commit2Dialogue: partnerships for prevention and sustaining peace”, as well as the upcoming Ninth United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Global Forum, to be held in Fez, Morocco, on 22 and 23 November 2022 under the theme “Towards an alliance of peace: living together as one humanity”, aimed at discussing ways of promoting dialogue, tolerance, cultural and religious diversity and pluralism,
Welcoming the work of the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions as an international interreligious dialogue platform for the benefit of peace, and noting the importance of the Declaration of the Seventh Congress, held in Astana on 14 and 15 September 2022,
Reaffirming its resolutions 53/199 of 15 December 1998 and 61/185 of 20 December 2006 on the proclamation of international years, and Economic and Social Council resolution 1980/67 of 25 July 1980 on international years and anniversaries,
Emphasizing that dialogue is a transformative peacebuilding method in resolving conflicts and in building peace,
Recognizing that dialogue as a valuable tool in conflict resolution and prevention can help to ease tensions, resolve disputes, overcome dividing lines and contribute to a culture of peace and non-violence, people-to-people contacts and reconciliation,
Noting that the Secretary-General is working to advance dialogue through cooperation with Governments, international organizations, regional bodies, civil society and the private sector,
1. Declares 2023 the International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace;
2. Underlines that the International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace
constitutes a means of mobilizing the efforts of the international community to promote peace and trust among nations based on, inter alia, political dialogue, negotiations, mutual understanding and cooperation, in order to build sustainable peace, solidarity and harmony;
3. Calls upon the international community to resolve conflicts through inclusive dialogue and negotiation in order to ensure the strengthening of peace and trust in relations between Member States as a value that promotes sustainable development, peace and security and human rights;
4. Acknowledges the importance of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution and in seeking long-term political solutions for sustaining peace, and recognizes that mediation needs to be further and more effectively used, without prejudice to other means mentioned in Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations;
5. Invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, international and regional organizations and civil society, including non-governmental organizations, individuals and other relevant stakeholders, to facilitate the observance of the International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace in an appropriate manner and to disseminate the advantages of peace and trust, including through educational and public awareness-raising activities;
6. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the attention of all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and individuals;
7. Stresses that the cost of all activities that may arise from the implementation of the present resolution should be met from voluntary contributions.