When is International Day of Human Fraternity?

The international day of human fraternity is observed every February 4 to encourage cultural and religious tolerance.

International Day of Human Fraternity

Deep-seated prejudice, acts of intolerance, and hate crimes continue to be committed against people worldwide based on their religion or belief, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. The purpose of the international day of human fraternity is to emphasize the need to develop understanding about various cultures, faiths, or beliefs and the promotion of tolerance.

It also attempts to teach people that tolerance, mutual respect, and the diversity of religions and views are beneficial to the human fraternity.

The signing of the document on human fraternity by His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, on February 4, 2019, is also commemorated on the international day of human fraternity

What is Fraternity?

The fraternity is a term that refers to a group of people who have common interests. The fraternity also refers to a group’s state of mutual solidarity. The UN believes that people worldwide will begin to embrace these concepts. Instead of focusing on our differences, we should concentrate on what we have in common as human beings.

It is more vital than ever to increase awareness about appreciating diverse cultures and ideas, especially when intolerance appears to be at an all-time high.

Education, particularly in schools, is critical for achieving this goal. It’s also crucial to recognize that tolerance and mutual respect help people get along. Before these concepts can be adopted worldwide, they must first be applied at the local, regional, and national levels.

History of International Day of Human Fraternity

Due to recent significant events, February 4 has been recognized as the international day of the human fraternity. Leaders from the world’s two greatest religions, Pope Francis (of Christianity) and Ahmad al-Tayyib, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, met in Abu Dhabi on February 4 to promote interreligious peace and collaboration. They signed the “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” manifesto, which marked the beginning of the conquest against religious intolerance.

In Bangkok, Thailand, on November 22, 2019, Pope Francis met with representatives from all known religions. During the summit, all religious leaders agreed that it requires spiritual peace, empathy, cooperation, and acceptance for the world to survive and thrive. As a result, they determined to persuade and urge individuals of all religious groups to respect the faith and religion of others.

The higher committee for human fraternity, comprised of representatives from all of the world’s main religions, was created on August 20, 2019. The group would collaborate with religious leaders from all faiths and encourage religious communities to work for peace rather than war.

The resolution was forwarded to the UN General Assembly by UAE Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh on December 15, 2020. The United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on December 21, proclaiming February 4 as an international day of human fraternity.

Why is International Day of Human Fraternity Important?

Religion independence

The purpose of the international day of human fraternity is to remind the globe that everyone is free to select a religion or irreligious belief in their life and that no one has the right to discriminate, persecute, or molest a person because of their religious or nonreligious affiliation.

Respect for all

Furthermore, the world’s leaders, united on the UN platform, want people to respect all other religions so that the world does not descend into chaos due to specific religious discrimination.

Awareness

Another goal of human fraternity day is to raise awareness that all faith communities must respect one another if the world is to prosper peacefully and without another major war.

Islam and Christianity are the world’s two most popular religions. As a result, the UN wants people of both faiths to respect one another and foster fraternity (brotherhood and cooperation).

How to Celebrate Human Fraternity Day?

On this day, the United Nations hosts several events. To promote human fraternity, educational seminars, live streaming events, global TV webcasts, and interfaith services are held. You can celebrate human fraternity day by:

Learn about different religions

You can learn about different religions and their traditions. Many faiths have many values in common. You must commit to respect all faiths.

Raise awareness

We should promote tolerance, which includes societal acceptance and respect for religious and cultural diversity, including religious expression, through raising information about diverse cultures and religions or beliefs.

Education, particularly at the school level, should significantly promote tolerance and eliminate discrimination based on religion or belief.

Activities

Tolerance and respect for the diversity of religions and beliefs contribute to the human fraternity. As a result, we must support activities to such as interreligious and intercultural dialogue to promote global peace and social stability , respect for diversity, and mutual respect at the regional, national, and local levels.

Make personal efforts

Make a concerted effort to get to know your neighbors or people in your community who hold different religious or cultural beliefs. You can also offer an interfaith harmony prayer.

International Day of Human Fraternity in UAE 

Since the UAE presented a draft resolution for the international day of a human fraternity at the United Nations General Assembly, the UAE has decided to commemorate the day in a big way. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence,  announced that the festival of the human fraternity would be hosted every year in the UAE to commemorate the international day of human fraternity.

Human fraternity day is a festival that began on February 4, 2021. During the four-day event each year, Arab leaders would encourage people to promote interreligious harmony, friendship, diversity, kindness toward others, equality, peace, and acceptance.

This year’s human fraternity day has taken on greater significance for the UAE, following a bilateral partnership with Israel the previous year. After establishing diplomatic relations between the two nations, tens of thousands of Israelis traveled to the UAE.

Facts About Religion Discrimination

The issue with religious prejudice is that humanity has instead discovered intolerance in its search for tolerance. These statistics and facts show that it makes no difference what religion someone follows. Someone will always want to discriminate against those who hold certain religious beliefs.

• In research done from 2006 to 2010, Christians were the most discriminated religious group, receiving persecution from the government and society in 168 nations.
• With harassment reported in 121 countries, Islam is the world’s second-largest religious community and the second most discriminated religion.
• Women are harassed in 33 percent of the world’s countries because of their religious attire.
• Despite accounting for barely 1% of the global population, Judaism is the world’s third most persecuted religious community.
• In just one decade, 50 percent of the world’s countries observed a rise in religious discrimination.
• In 30 different countries, the president must be of  their particular religion.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When was the first international day of human fraternity celebrated?

The international day of the human fraternity was first celebrated on February 4 of 2021. This day is commemorated to eliminate discrimination based on religion and eradicate hate against different religions.

Why do we celebrate International Day of Human Fraternity?

We can advance as a nation only if there is harmony among all the people. In many countries, there are many cases of religious discrimination. The international day of human fraternity is celebrated to promote mutual respect among people having different faiths. This is a crucial step to take if we want peace.

What is the meaning of Fratelli Tutti?

Pope Francis released his renowned pamphlet Fratelli Tutti on October 3, 2020, which means “all are brothers.” Pope Francis urged individuals of all religious backgrounds to work together to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in this book.

Which countries submitted resolutions for the international day of human fraternity?

The United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Bahrain, and Burkina Faso were among the countries that sponsored the draught resolution designating February 4 as an international day of human fraternity.

“In recent years, the world has seen a dramatic surge in violence, hate speech, xenophobia, religious prejudice, and other forms of discrimination,” Ambassador and Permanent Member of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations Lana Nusseibeh said before the UNGA endorsed the resolution.

In the face of such international threats, we must support projects that promote human fraternity by encouraging solidarity and togetherness among people.

Conclusion

The international day of human fraternity, observed during world interfaith harmony week, provides an opportunity to highlight the principles and values enshrined in the document of human fraternity and explore best practices for implementing it as a path to a better future as we rebuild a better world.

Given the horrible fragmentation of our globe today, observing an international day of human fraternity is more critical than ever. We are dealing with the effects of a pandemic and the contagious virus of hatred, bigotry, and racism.

Want to read about other important days in the month of February? Then click here.
Or if you want to read about important days of other months of the year, then check out “important days of the year” category.