United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the international community to act together against extremism, saying that this is the only way to eliminate its sources. He said it on the second day of a gathering at UN Headquarters in New York of leaders representing diverse faiths.
"The world must unite against extremism. We must also get at the roots of what fuels it. When governments respect human rights and provide opportunities for people to voice their grievances, when societies come together to enhance equality and mutual dignity, when individuals recognize that we are all stronger when we work together, the attraction to violent extremism will wither and peace and prosperity will grow," TASS cited him as saying.
"People across the world have been horrified by the recent brutal acts carried out by terrorists and violent extremists. While they claim religion as their guide, their ideologies are contrary to the teachings of any of the major faiths," he noted.
"They are waging war on the values of the United Nations and all its Member States. That is why I wanted people from many faiths to come together to the United Nations to express our shared abhorrence at such violence, and most importantly to signal our common resolve to work with each other to promote tolerance and reconciliation," Ban Ki-moon said.
Ban Ki-moon believe that faith leaders can play a very important role, and a central role.
He is also developing a comprehensive Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, which will be presented to the 70th Session of the General Assembly later this year.
