On Wednesday, February 4, we will observe the UN’s International Day of Human Fraternity. The UN reminds us that perhaps, more than ever before, we need “to recognise the valuable contribution of people of all religions, or beliefs, to humanity and the contribution that dialogue among all religious groups can make towards an improved awareness and understanding of the common values shared by all humankind.”
Each day, we continue to be gaslighted into believing that we do not share a common humanity. While the world is beset with division, hatred, growing inequality, increasing conflicts/wars etc, we must strive to BECOME who we really ARE. God created us to live in love and harmony with each other – “Love one another, as I have loved you.” (John 13)
“Tolerance, pluralistic tradition, mutual respect and the diversity of religions and beliefs promote human fraternity. Thus, it is imperative that we encourage activities aimed at promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue in order to enhance peace and social stability, respect for diversity and mutual respect and to create, at the global level, and also at the regional, national and local levels, an environment conducive to peace and mutual understanding” (UN).
The International Day of Human Fraternity takes place during the UN’s Interfaith Harmony Week (1-7 February), and shortly after the 56th World Economic Forum (WEF), which was held in Davos, Switzerland, under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue” (January 19-23, 2026).
More than three thousand global leaders from 130 countries, including nearly 65 heads of state, attended the WEF in Davos “against the most complex geopolitical backdrop in decades…to explore potential solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges.” We live in a fragmented world with constant geopolitical tensions. The time is ripe to focus on issues such as human fraternity and dialogue if we are to build a better world.
Pope Leo reminds us that “when hearts choose dialogue over division, peace becomes possible.” Pope Francis had argued that without dialogue, human life is constantly threatened by violence, and that sincere, persistent negotiation is the only way to achieve sustainable, peaceful coexistence between nations.
In his 2020 encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, on fraternity and social friendship, he places “fraternal love”—unconditional and active love—at the centre of human existence. He calls for a “culture of encounter” and a love that transcends the barriers of geography and distance and global divisions. He condemns inequality, conflict and the “globalisation of indifference.” The encyclical is modelled on the parable of the Good Samaritan in St Luke’s Gospel.
He says: “A truly human and fraternal society will be capable of ensuring in an efficient and stable way that each of its members is accompanied at every stage of life. Not only by providing for their basic needs, but by enabling them to give the best of themselves, even though their performance may be less than optimum, their pace slow or their efficiency limited…
“Families are the first place where the values of love and fraternity, togetherness and sharing, concern and care for others are lived out and handed on…The true worth of the different countries of our world is measured by their ability to think not simply as a country but also as part of the larger human family” (FT 110, 114, 141).
This encyclical also contains an important document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together—signed in Abu Dhabi on February 4, 2019, by Al Azhar’s Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyib and Pope Francis.
Statements made at the WEF also remind us of the importance of dialogue, eg, “Geoeconomics is the new geopolitics. In this new era, we need much more dialogue, imagination and entrepreneurship to regain forward momentum” (Mirek Dušek, managing director, WEF).
“At a time of increased fragmentation, dialogue has become a strategic capability. It is what allows trust, cooperation and progress to survive in a more contested world.” (Maroun Kairouz, managing director, WEF).
“The only way to achieve peace, stability and development in a sustainable fashion requires international dialogue and cooperation” (Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of Egypt).
Author Andrew Horn rightly said that the annual meeting of the WEF at Davos will only increase in relevance if it “succeeds in turning dialogue from ceremonial theatre into a method for system-wide coordination.”
But dialogue is of no use if we do not have love in our hearts for our brothers and sisters; if we do not “accept different faces of the one humanity that God so loves” (Pope Francis).
