Victor dolidze delivered a statement at the UNAOC Executive briefing

22.11.2019 Geneva – Ambassador Victor dolidze delivered a statement at the UNAOC Executive briefing with the High Representative of the Alliance of Civilisations Miguel Moratinos.

“In today’s volatile world that is fraught with conflicts, interreligious and inter-cultural dialogue gains more importance than ever. Promotion of tolerance, diversity and a culture of peace are of critical importance.

The UN Alliance of Civilizations represents a unique and inclusive platform to share knowledge and explore innovative ways of promoting inclusive approaches to conflict prevention as a pathway for sustaining peace.

We thank Mr. Moratinos for his presentation of the priorities of work of the Alliance for 2019-2023 and believe that UNAOC’s Action Plan for the mentioned period will contribute to further strengthening the ability of Alliance to fulfill its mandate in a more effective and measurable way.

I would like also to note the importance of the UN Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites aimed at safeguarding religious sites and worshippers.

In this regard, speaking about the right of everyone to freedom of religion or belief including the freedom to manifest them in worship and observance, let me bring the sad example of Georgian parish, who are prevented by the occupying power to move to the occupied regions of Georgia for worship, thus extremely limiting their fundamental human rights. This is in addition to the ongoing process of distortion of Georgian religious heritage monuments on those territories. “