A/56/253 124. The Special Rapporteur wishes to review and emphasize the numerous initiatives that recognize the essential value of interreligious dialogue and seek to promote it. 125. As the Commission on Human Rights noted in its resolution 2001/42, the Millennium Declaration adopted by the General Assembly and Assembly resolution 55/23 of 13 November 2000 on the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations recognize the valuable contribution that dialogue among civilizations can make to an improved awareness and understanding of the common values shared by all humankind. Clearly, interreligious dialogue is fully in line with the Millennium Declaration and the Year of Dialogue among Civilizations. 126. At the Millennium World Peace Summit, which was held in New York in August 2000, over 1,000 officials of various religions or faiths gathered together for the first time ever and made a commitment to work together to guarantee peace on earth. They emphasized their firm intention to use their moral authority to contribute to reconciliation and acceptance of diversity. Finally, they signed a commitment to promote world peace which recognized that all religious traditions teach that people should treat their neighbours as they would be treated themselves, whatever their differences might be in race, religion, ethnic origin, nationality, economic level, age and gender. 127. The Year of Dialogue among Civilizations also illustrates the contribution of UNESCO to interreligious dialogue. UNESCO has undertaken various activities in this field. In 1994, a Declaration on the Contribution of Religion to the Culture of Peace was adopted under its auspices and in 1995, the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance was adopted. UNESCO has launched programmes on intercultural and interreligious dialogue, basing its approach on a new dimension of the concept of dialogue. To the relevant traditional but reductionist approach to dialogue through mutual knowledge has been added the concept of interaction. In effect, mutual knowledge can reinforce identities, while interaction highlights proximity and pluralism. The Malta Declaration of 1997 suggested, inter alia, that collaboration should be promoted between academics and individuals involved in the interreligious dialogue on the ground with a view to combining reflection and action in order to extend the dialogue to families, communities and all levels of society, thus giving the dialogue a wider impact. UNESCO has also established institutes and chairs on mutual knowledge among religions, spiritual traditions and their specific cultures. The meeting held in Malta under UNESCO auspices in 1997 also recommended to that agency, States and the communities concerned that they should promote studies on the image and perception of the other in religious texts; promote research on the ways in which communities have used religious texts to justify conflicts; and review the textbooks used in schools, including religious schools, in order to eliminate any religious stereotyping. Finally, the Director-General of UNESCO established the International Committee for Interreligious Dialogue to advise on the development and implementation of activities to promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue. The Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief was requested to make a contribution as a member of the Committee. In that capacity, he participated in the International Congress on Interreligious Dialogue and the Culture of Peace at Tashkent in September 2000. 128. The High Commissioner for Human Rights has also made a contribution to the promotion of interreligious dialogue. For example, in November 1998, the Office of 35