UNITED NATIONS, July 18 (Xinhua) -- UN General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak said on Wednesday that "Nelson Mandela taught us that dialogue is one of the most powerful tools available to humanity.
Lajcak made the remarks at a meeting in remembrance of the late former South African president.
At the meeting marking the Nelson Mandela International Day, Lajcak said "Nelson Mandela taught us that dialogue is one of the most powerful tools available to humanity. He knew that conflict and violence drag us back. But that talking can drive us forward."
Particularly, he recalled the UN was established as a global hub for dialogue, saying it "was designed to give all nations ... a place to talk about their differences, instead of bringing them to the battlefield."
Elaborating on Mandela's second teaching, Lajcak said Mandela used to describe peace as "more precious than diamonds or silver or gold," encouraging member states to seek inspiration from him, who worked to address root causes of conflict and instability.
On tolerance, Lajcak said Mandela dedicated his life to making sure racial superiority and genocide could not take root, and that he took every opportunity "to remind us all of our own humanity."
In addition, the UNGA president cautioned that some trends that Mandela fought against are seeing worrying rises, such as intolerance, hate, inhumanity, racism, prejudice and discrimination, calling on member states to "push back harder and speak out louder than ever" against them.
Nelson Mandela International Day, or Mandela Day, is an annual international day in honor of Nelson Mandela, celebrated on July 18, Mandela's birthday. This year marks the centenary of Mandela.
Mandela died in December 2013 at the age of 95.
