United Nations Remains Committed to Combating Hatred, Deputy Secretary-General Stresses at Event Honouring Victims of Easter Sunday Attacks in Sri Lanka

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at a commemorative event for the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka, in New York today:

On behalf of the Secretary-General and myself, I welcome this opportunity to express the full and continued solidarity of the United Nations with the people and Government of Sri Lanka in the aftermath of last month’s horrific attacks that targeted three churches and three hotels.

We send our condolences to the families of the victims and wish a full recovery to all those injured.  We also commend the efforts to assist the families of the victims and survivors, as well as the unity demonstrated by the authorities and the people of Sri Lanka across all religions in the wake of the attacks.

As a Muslim, I know my faith preaches peace and tolerance.

Tragically yet, again and again, the world is seeing places of worship become killing grounds and houses of horror.  Churches, mosques, synagogues and the religious sites of many faiths are being targeted for murder, arson, vandalism and desecration.  We must reject this form of violence.

The world is experiencing a dangerous rise in intolerance, xenophobia and racism, and today such hatred spreads easily and swiftly on the Internet.

The United Nations continues to strengthen its efforts to counter and prevent terrorism and violent extremism.

The Secretary-General has also set in motion two initiatives.

First, he has asked the Special Representative on Genocide Prevention, Adama Dieng, to devise a plan of action to mobilize the United Nations system’s response to tackling hate speech.

Second, he has asked the High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, Miguel Moratinos, to explore how the United Nations can contribute in ensuring the safety of religious sites.  Mr. Moratinos visited Sri Lanka earlier this week with a message of support.

As the Secretary-General said earlier this week, “Hatred is a threat to everyone — and so this is a job for everyone, individually and collectively.  Political and religious leaders have a special responsibility to promote peaceful coexistence.”

In that spirit of partnership and solidarity, we offer condolences again to the people of Sri Lanka.  And we reaffirm our commitment to combating terrorism, violent extremism and hatred.