Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative Maria Zabolotskaya at a UNAOC Group of Friends High-level Meeting
Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,
Let me express sincere appreciation to the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations for convening today’s Group of Friends high-level meeting.
From the very beginning, the Russian Federation has supported the idea of creating the Alliance and had the honor of joining its Group of Friends in November 2006. We support the Alliance at various levels, including its global forums and ministerial-level meetings. In this spirit, we are looking forward to the upcoming 10th UNAOC Global Forum in Cascais.
On the national level we also endeavor to promote the agenda of intercultural dialogue. In this spirit, the 10th International United Cultures Forum was held in St. Petersburg this month. 80 countries attended the Forum, and we are grateful to H.E. Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos for addressing the participants of the Forum.
Russia has always considered the UN and the Alliance as important platforms for promoting dialogue and partnership between cultures, religions, and civilizations. Russia’s unique position as a country-civilization that bridges East and West has enabled it to ensure harmonious coexistence of different peoples, ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups within our country. Cherishing the cultural diversity within our own country, we believe that this value must be protected and promoted worldwide.
Unfortunately, today we witness how the diversity of civilizations and cultures, traditions, or features of historical development become factors for division rather than unification within the global community. We have all witnessed the emergence of the phenomenon of “cancel culture”, which seeks to “erase” great works of art, politicize sports events, or ban traditional religions.
Nobody could have expected that the sad sign of modern times could include the open persecution of traditional religions and prohibition of the use of native languages, which can be witnessed today in the heart of Europe, for example, in the Baltic states and Ukraine, with the indulgent inattention of specialized human rights mechanisms, including OHCHR.
Russia firmly believes that the international community should not tolerate and must treat on the equal footing the oppression of canonical Orthodoxy, manifestations of Islamophobia, including acts of burning the Quran, cases of anti-Semitism, and any other form of discrimination based on racial, ethnic, or religious affiliation.
We also believe that the United Nations, with its Alliance of Civilizations at the forefront, must be preserved as the main tool for fostering interreligious, intercultural, intercivilizational dialogue. A lot has been achieved on this track over the past twenty years, but much more is yet ahead.
The Russian Federation expresses its sincere hope that the world community will go the much-needed extra mile in smoothing contradictions and implementing the ideals of mutual understanding, tolerance, and solidarity. Mutual respect is the only key to addressing modern challenges.
I thank you.
