The United Arab Emirates declared 2019 as the Year of Tolerance after 2017 was the Year of Giving and 2018 was the Year of Zayed, declared President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday.
The leader said 2019 would highlight the UAE as a global capital for tolerance, instilling the values of coexistence and peace in local, regional and international communities, state news agency WAM reported.
"Instilling values of tolerance carries on Sheikh Zayed's legacy and teachings," Sheikh Khalifa said, adding that the Year of Tolerance will focus on five main pillars.
The first will be to deepen the values of tolerance and coexistence among cultures and peoples by concentrating on teaching the youth the values of tolerance, while the second seeks to solidify the UAE as the global capital for tolerance.
The third factor will see the UAE enacting multiple cultural programs and contributions to build tolerant communities, while the fourth pillar will focus on legislative and policy-oriented objectives that contribute to mandating cultural and religious tolerance.
The fifth pillar will focus on promoting tolerance and coexistence via targeted media initiatives and projects.
In July 2015, Sheikh Khalifa issued Federal Decree Law No. 02 of 2015 on Combating Discrimination and Hatred, which aims to protect everyone in the UAE and fight discrimination.
In 2016, the UAE Cabinet introduced the first post of the Minister of State for Tolerance and launched the National Tolerance Program.
“We look forward to further contributing towards building societies that believe in the values of tolerance, cohesion and dialogue,” Sheikh Khalifa added.
"Here in the UAE," he said, "the Year of Tolerance will be celebrated as a national effort towards further advancing a decades-long dream of creating a tolerant and cohesive society, open to peoples of varying cultures and religions from around the world. The UAE and Tolerance go hand-in-hand."
“We want government policies that further consolidate tolerance and a deep sense of community, and to spread this values among our youth and future generations,”Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai said.
