United Nations
General Assembly
A/RES/59/142
Distr.: General
25 February 2005
Fifty-ninth session
Agenda item 35
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 15 December 2004
[without reference to a Main Committee (A/59/L.17/Rev.1 and Add.1)]
59/142. Promotion of religious and cultural understanding,
harmony and cooperation
The General Assembly,
Reaffirming the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United
Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1 in particular the rights to
freedom of thought, conscience and religion,
Underlining the importance of promoting understanding, tolerance and
friendship among human beings in all their diversity of religion, belief, culture and
language, and recalling that all States have pledged themselves under the Charter to
promote and encourage universal respect for and observance of human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or
religion,
Affirming that interreligious dialogue is an integral part of the efforts to
translate shared values, as reflected in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, 2
into actions, in particular the efforts to promote a culture of peace and dialogue
among civilizations,
Recalling its resolution 58/128 of 19 December 2003 as well as its resolution
57/6 of 4 November 2002, in which it invited Member States to expand their
activities promoting a culture of peace and non-violence at the national, regional
and international levels, and other relevant resolutions,
Taking note of different initiatives aimed at promoting religious and cultural
understanding, harmony and cooperation, and noting that at its tenth session, held at
Putrajaya, Malaysia, from 16 to 18 October 2003, the Islamic Summit Conference
endorsed the concept of “enlightened moderation”, which contained the principles
of enhancing human welfare, freedom and progress everywhere, of forging harmony
and understanding among all peoples and of seeking the peaceful resolution of
conflicts and disputes,
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1
2
04-48478
Resolution 217 A (III).
See resolution 55/2.