A/RES/57/249 cooperation among the world’s civilizations and peoples, irrespective of race, disabilities, religion, language, culture or tradition, Underlining the fact that tolerance and respect for cultural diversity and universal promotion and protection of human rights, including the right to development, are mutually supportive, and recognizing that tolerance and respect for diversity effectively promote and are supported by, inter alia, the empowerment of women, Emphasizing the need to enhance the potential of culture as a means of achieving prosperity, sustainable development and global peaceful coexistence, 1. Takes note of the report of the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on the implementation of resolution 55/192; 3 2. Notes with satisfaction the adoption by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization of the medium-term strategy for 2002–2007, which directs the work of the organization on two cross-cutting themes, namely, the eradication of poverty, especially extreme poverty, and the contribution of information and communication technologies to the development of education, science and culture and the construction of a knowledge society, and is based upon the notion that culture may contribute effectively to the reduction of poverty; Welcomes the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity adopted by the 3. General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at its thirty-first session on 2 November 2001, 4 and also welcomes the main lines of the Action Plan5 for the implementation of the Declaration appended thereto; Proclaims 21 May the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and 4. Development, echoing the World Day for Cultural Development commemorated during the World Decade for Cultural Development; 5. Invites all Member States, intergovernmental bodies, organizations of the United Nations system and relevant non-governmental organizations: (a) To ensure, in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the implementation of the Action Plan; (b) To implement the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace adopted by the General Assembly, respectively, in its resolutions 53/243 A and B of 13 September 1999; (c) To implement the Programme of Action of the Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilizations contained in section B of resolution 56/6; (d) To implement relevant provisions on cultural diversity of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation 1 and the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development; 2 _______________ 3 See A/57/226. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Records of the General Conference, Thirty-first Session, Paris, 15 October–3 November 2001, vol. 1: Resolutions, chap. V, resolution 25, annex I. 5 Ibid., annex II. 4 2