The United Nations (UN) Eminent Peace Ambassador to Ghana and the Country Director for the International Association of World Peace Advocates (IAWPA) Ghana Chapter, Dr Samuel Ben Owusu has urged all to learn to tolerate each other and live with others in peace and respect.

He said that will continue to promote the existing peace in the world.

Ambassador Ben Owusu gave the advice at the commemoration of the International Day of Tolerance 2022 at the University of Ghana Business School.

The International Day for Tolerance is marked every year worldwide on November 16th. The day aims at creating public awareness of the dangers of intolerance.

The goal of International Day for Tolerance is to get people to appreciate the beauty of many viewpoints, ethnicity, faiths, and ideologies while also recognising the cultural diversity that exists.

Hosted by Ambassador Ben Owusu, the event brought together organisations, religious and or traditional leaders, and stakeholders who spoke about tolerance and the need for everyone to understand and practice it.

Speaking at the event dubbed, “Tolerance For Progress”, Ambassador Ben Owusu observed that over the years, nations, people, marriages and political parties have become intolerant and this has led to many distractions on the continents, especially in Africa.

He noticed that positions, titles and leadership with self-interest have rather become the people’s focus while intolerance has taken over.

Even in Ghana, Ambassador Ben Owusu observed that journalists are not free to talk because of intolerance.

“There are not enough advocacies, pastors are unable to talk, and there is fear and panic in the society to the extent that those who decide to speak become the targets of some political parties.”

He described the situation as a very sad one, adding that many people cannot express themselves, unlike the developed world that accepts criticism.

He therefore underscored the need for all, including the leaders and the youth, to learn to tolerate each other for the progress of the country.

“The International Day for Tolerance is a very special day in the history of the United Nation that we all come together to have a consensus of respect, an acceptance and appreciation of our rich destinies as human beings, our culture, our forms of expression, psychologically and philosophically that we are all one and that we can only progress when we learn, when we accept and when we come to the knowledge of a deep tolerance mentality,” he said.

He continued,” If we must progress and if we must see our wellbeing developed, if we must see the future of our own children, then it must be the centre of our being that we all come together as one society, irrespective of where we are coming from, to understand the Rule of Law, to understand diversities of culture, to understand that either you are black or white, to understand that whether you are coming from a rich home or a poor home, we all have a common place to understand each other so that we can progress together.”

Ambassador Ben Owusu also urged the political parties to also learn to be tolerant of each other, as well as the people so that elections can be held peacefully without casualties.

He commended the security agencies for their commitment to the nation, and also urged them to put Ghana first and ensure the people are safe no matter what happens.

Citations were also presented to organisations that have contributed to the growth of the country and supported the works of IAWPA.