New York - The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has stressed the need for diversity among different religions, beliefs and cultures to be a source of strengthening the bonds of human brotherhood, not a source of weakness and division.

This came in the Kingdom’s speech delivered by the Chargé d’Affairs of the Kingdom’s permanent delegation to the United Nations, Counselor Muhammad Abdulaziz Al-Ateeq, at the event organized by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations office yesterday, in partnership with the permanent missions of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, in celebration of the International Day of Human Fraternity .

Al-Ateeq said in the Kingdom’s speech: The world needs human brotherhood more than ever, especially in light of the conflicts and divisions that tear the world apart and the spread of hate speech, as well as the threats associated with diseases and epidemics.

He added: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has gladly participated, along with its brothers the United Arab Emirates, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Kingdom of Bahrain, in submitting a proposal to the United Nations General Assembly, making February 4th, a global day of human brotherhood, based on the Kingdom’s belief The firm, that different religions and beliefs, as well as cultural diversity among human societies, never justify a clash, but rather calls for strengthening the bonds of human brotherhood.

Al-Ateeq pointed out that the Kingdom’s efforts in this regard are reflected in strengthening the bonds of human brotherhood and promoting a culture of peace through local and international initiatives that it presents to confront the rise of ideologies of extremism and terrorism, and combat hate speech. An example of this is the establishment of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Dialogue Among the followers of religions and cultures (KAICIID), the establishment of the United Nations Center for Combating Terrorism, as well as the vital role played by the Kingdom through its partnership with the United Nations Office for the Alliance of Civilizations, and support for its action plan, activities and programs, and then the establishment of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal).

Al-Ateeq concluded the Kingdom’s speech by saying: We take this opportunity to remind the international community that the principle of human brotherhood is what binds us all, and that it is necessary to make our differences a source of strength rather than a source of weakness.