Explanation of Position after the Vote by Mr. ONO Sho, Minister, Social Affairs, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (Item 14: Culture of Peace)

Thank you, Mr. President.
 
Japan joined consensus on this resolution because Japan acknowledges the significance of dialogue across countries and cultures.
 
At the same time, my delegation has maintained a cautious stance regarding the proliferation of international days and years in general.
 
Japan recognizes that creating a new international day on dialogue among civilizations could be a duplication of existing or past initiatives, since there are already existing international days, such as “World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development,” and past initiatives including the “United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations.”
 
In order to truly build trust and understanding between various civilizations and cultures, it is crucial to enhance human dignity by respecting the diversity of civilizations and cultures, which is guided by resolutions and frameworks we have agreed on in the past. Furthermore, in making such efforts, the international community should avoid undermining universal values such as the rule of law and human rights.
 
Japan is committed to promoting dialogue in order to strengthen the universal value such as the rule of law and human rights as well as to enhance the dignity of all people through cooperation with other countries.

I thank you.