UN envoy highlights India’s pluralism as model for interfaith harmony

India's millennia-old tradition of pluralism offers the world a living model for interfaith harmony at a time of rising polarisation and religious intolerance, the UN’s top official for intercultural dialogue said yesterday.

Miguel Angel Moratinos, High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and UN Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, made the remarks in a keynote address at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in New Delhi, where scholars and diplomats gathered for a panel discussion on "India's Civilizational Ethos of Pluralism: A Model for Interfaith Harmony."

"There can be no lasting peace without understanding, no sustainable development without inclusion, and no true security without trust among peoples," Moratinos said.

He invoked a 1582 letter by Emperor Akbar to King Philip II of Spain — in which the Mughal ruler wrote of his resolve ‘not to pay attention to differences in religion and variety of manners, and to regard the tribes of mankind as the servants of God’ — as a historical reflection of pluralism and tolerance.

Moratinos outlined four priorities for building peaceful societies: ending wars and conflicts, empowering youth, investing in education, and combating racism and discrimination in all forms. He noted that UNAOC's alumni network in India now includes more than 40 young leaders, and highlighted grassroots programmes such as Shreeja India — supported through a UNAOC-BMW Group partnership — which uses sports-based education to empower underprivileged women.

He also pointed to India's hosting of the AI Impact Summit for the Global South in February, quoting UN Secretary-General António Guterres' call to build artificial intelligence "for everyone — with dignity as the default setting" — framing technology governance as inseparable from the broader challenge of protecting social cohesion.

The panel included remarks from Prof. B.R. Mani of the Indian Institute of Heritage and Prof. Akhlaq Ahmad Ahan of Jawaharlal Nehru University's Centre of Persian and Central Asian Studies.

The ICWA address was the final engagement of a three-day visit to India by Moratinos from April 6-8. During the visit, he toured Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, Jama Masjid, the Bahai Temple and Akshardham Temple, reflecting India's multifaith landscape. He met the International Buddhist Confederation, visited Jamia Millia Islamia university, and held a working lunch with Ambassador Sibi George, Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs.

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