The United Nations has been in the frontline to foster peace and harmony among the world’s different communities and races. Following the attack on September 11, 2001, the United Nations through the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) precipitated the coming up of an ideal platform that would foster intercultural integrity and peace.
UNESCO adopted a declaration on cultural diversity which incorporated a ‘World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development’ which was proposed to be celebrated on May 21. It was a step towards bringing the many communities of the world closer together to enhance world peace. Following this, the United Nations marked the year 2002 as the Year for Cultural Heritage (Hamsa, 2009).
The UN General Assembly was emphasizing the links between possible protection of world cultural diversity and the importance of dialogue between societies in the modern world. The first celebration of the world day of cultural diversity was celebrated in the year 2003.
During this day, several cultural events take place over the world beginning from the UNESCO Headquarters. The aim is to confirm the fact that human collaboration is the only way to success for the human race. All groupings including governments and non-governmental organizations are not an exception in this celebration.
In order to realize the effectiveness of this cultural diversity day, many other activities are undertaken such as professional seminars, and educational programs for the young and adolescents.
There is also profound collaboration of official agencies and ethnic communities in order to foster togetherness, and create good rapport and understanding among the various cultural diversities. To spur acceptance of each other’s culture, exhibitions are carried out to showcase the history of certain groups.
One factor that has for a long time encouraged cultural diversity acceptance among world communities is the ability to travel past country borders since the development of the aviation industry. It has allowed people to travel far and wide to appreciate other cultures and celebrate one’s differences.
By this, airlines have broken the barriers that led to ignorance and indifference among world cultures. It is only when someone realizes and accepts world cultural diversities that he/she begins to appreciate the beauty of knowing that all are one under one human race.
From the context of occurrence, it becomes vivid to me that culture is a unique representation of a people and a sign if identification. It identifies a people with their characteristics and should never be viewed as a source of variation and indifference. It should rather be acceptable and joyous to notice why different people do what they do in the ways they do them (Peter, 1999).
One stops and visualizes this situation in the mind and notices the beauty in being clothed with all the diversities of the world. To a great extent, it shows a unification of the whole world and encourages collective responsibility among different groups. The Americans would never hesitate to give foreign aid to Asian countries even if it involved citizen contribution to a common pool of funds.
Somehow, this makes me reckon how we are lagging behind in our country and the need to come together and accept each other’s cultures and diversity since people would never want to give other cultures a chance which is deceitful and unfair to the human peace and integrity.
References
Hamsa, S. (2009). UNESCO World Day for Cultural Diversity. New York: ET Bureau.
Peter, S. (1999). Cultural Diversity. London: Prentice Hall.