UN approves Egypt-backed proposal declaring 4 February International Day of Human Fraternity
Lamis ElSharqawy, Tuesday 22 Dec 2020
The UN’s decision comes in commemoration of the signing of the Human Fraternity Document on 4 February, 2019 by Egypt's Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb and the Vatican's Pope Francis


The 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) unanimously approved a resolution introduced by Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia to declare 4 February as the International Day of Human Fraternity, an official statement by the foreign ministry said on Monday.

The resolution was co-sponsored by 34 UN member states.

The UN said on Monday that an International Day of Human Fraternity is a response to growing religious hatred amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The assembly would decide to declare 4 February as the International Day of Human Fraternity, to be observed each year beginning 2021, and would invite member states, the United Nations system, and others to observe the day in a manner that they would each consider appropriate, with the cost covered by voluntary contributions,” a UN’s statement said.

Egypt's Permanent Representative to the UN Mohamed Idris reiterated the diplomatic efforts exerted over the past months to garner support over the adoption of the International Day of Human Fraternity among all member states, with the aim of issuing an international resolution to approve celebrating the day with full consensus.

“The issuance of this decision coincides with grave global challenges that require pioneering initiatives and a sincere effort to curb all forms of extremism, and to confront the advocates of hate speech, incitement, and demolition through the inspiration of religious values that urge action for peace, construction, and respect for human dignity,” added Idris in his statement cited by the foreign ministry.

The UN’s decision comes in the one-year commemoration of the signing of the Human Fraternity Document on 4 February, 2019 by Egypt's Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb and the Vatican's Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

“Signing Abu Dhabi’s document on human fraternity for world peace and living together represents a deep historical significance, carrying a message of peace, love, and brotherhood to the entire world,” the ministry added.



Meanwhile, Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel-Salam, the general secretary of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity and former Advisor to the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Ahmad El-Tayyeb, thanked Egypt and UAE for their diplomatic efforts in achieving accomplishment at the UN and its contribution to serving humanity.

He also thanked Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and a number of Islamic countries for supporting the resolution.

Abdel-Salam praised the UN’s decision as an international acknowledgement to the efforts made by Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and the Pope of Vatican toward human fraternity.

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/397386.aspx