South Sudan is today joining World Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development Day celebration that provides an opportunity to deepen the understanding of values of cultural diversity for people to learn to live together in a better way.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations or UNESCO in its statement says the Day aims at raising awareness worldwide about the importance of intercultural dialogue, diversity and inclusion.
The agency advices that South Sudan’s cultural and ethnic diversity should be seen as an asset not source of conflict, hopping that the long wars and loss of lives would teach South Sudanese that the country prospers and develops only with tolerance, dialogue and acceptance of the other.
UNESCO confirms that respect for cultural diversity and human rights are inseparable, stressing that bridging the gap between cultures is urgent and necessary for peace, stability and development.
It observes that culture lies at the basis of sustainable peace and development because understanding and managing the country’s rich diversity, represents a key part of the solution and one of the main challenges.
The UN General Assembly declared the World Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development Day after UNESCO adopted the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity in 2001.