E/CN.4/2003/66 page 22 119. Religions nevertheless share many moral values and this could and should make it possible for them to come together. For while the practice of religion may take very diverse forms, it is still inspired by universal values. As former United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali has said, “Human rights, when viewed from a universal perspective, force us to face the most demanding of all dialectics: the dialectics of identity and otherness, of ‘self’ and ‘other’. They teach us, in the most direct way, that we are, at one and the same time, the same and different.” 120. It is also important to highlight the need for intrafaith dialogue: if they are to contribute to peace, religions should give some thought to how they handle manifestations of their own internal diversity, as part of a genuine culture of pluralism. 121. The Special Rapporteur has always stressed the importance of the many initiatives taken by the leaders of the great religions to come together and work for peace, one example being the Millennium World Peace Summit (A/56/253, para. 126). He has also described UNESCO’s work during 2001, proclaimed United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations. 122. These initiatives provide a ray of hope in the face of increasing extremism: they are models of behaviour, object lessons for the world in concord and dialogue and the more irreconcilable the differences appear, the clearer such lessons need to be. 123. Religious officials from around the world met once again this year to attempt to improve understanding between religions. 124. An interfaith summit of the three great monotheistic religions was held in Alexandria, Egypt, from 20 to 22 January 2002. This was the first such meeting in the Middle East to try to inject expressions of peace into the Israel-Palestinian conflict and it resulted in the religious leaders’ signing a joint declaration calling on all to oppose incitement, hatred and misrepresentation of the other, to refrain from demonization and to educate present generations in a spirit of mutual respect and trust. 125. On 24 January 2002, 200 of the most senior of the world’s religious leaders met in Assisi, Italy, at the invitation of Pope John Paul II and, at the end of the meeting, signed a joint commitment to peace. 126. An Interfaith Peace Summit in Africa, convened in Johannesburg between 14 and 19 October 2002 by the Lutheran World Federation, brought together religious representatives from 21 African countries. The participants made a solemn commitment, in a declaration adopted by consensus, to work to bring about peace and forestall violent conflict through genuine interfaith dialogue and to work for interreligious understanding by, among other things, supporting initiatives for peace in Africa and promoting respect for human rights, in particular religious freedom, in order to eliminate the culture of violence, hatred and prejudice. The declaration was accompanied by a plan of action.