UN General Assembly
2009

diversity, non-violence and rejection of extremism requires us first to free our minds of egoism and prejudice in order to replace conflict with dialogue, disagreements with consensus and violence with persuasion, thus broadening our alliances and outreach efforts. We must exert greater efforts to show tolerance towards those who do not necessarily share our values and ideas. Indeed, certain philosophical or argumentative issues can be tackled and resolved only if each party is open to the other, willing to coexist with the other and ready to resist preconceived ideas and stereotypes. The presence of common ground and of mutual understanding can help to create a more progressive and creative world and hence more secure, based on tolerance, constructive dialogue and human coexistence. While the world has become a small village as distances have been effectively abolished thanks to technological advances and the communications revolution that has erased barriers and frontiers, it is still dominated by political antagonisms, as States continue to pursue conflicting individual interests. This requires us all to design pragmatic strategies for the