*** "The General Assembly has proclaimed 1995 as the United Nations Year for Tolerance, a choice which is particularly appropriate for the Golden Jubilee of the United Nations Organisation itself. The same theme has been chosen for this years' Commonwealth Day.

We in the Commonwealth can teach the rest of the world something about tolerance, because it is at the heart of the unique association to which we belong. Although our countries are spread all over the world and face many different problems, we know a great deal about each other and it is therefore easier for us to understand each other's point of view even when we disagree.

That understanding is essential to a tolerant society, which is not simply one which gives to the individual scope and freedom from restraint. Rather it is a society which actively develops the people who belong to it, brings out their gifts and enriches their lives because it values their diversity. It does not condone persecution or the harming of some people by others, but it knows how to make allowances when things go wrong. It can forgive mistakes as well as giving encouragement and guidance on how to avoid them. It knows also that enhancing the quality of life of the individual brings benefit to the family, to the community, to the nation and to international relations.

That sort of tolerance is something which all of us must learn if we are to restore peace in the world, and here the young people of the Commonwealth have a special part to play. The young have the vision and ability to make the world a better place, and are not fettered by experience. They can see where the older generation have made their mistakes through intolerance, and they can do better.

Over the last year we have seen shining examples of this quality in action in the emergence of a new South Africa, which I shall be visiting next week, and in the recent signs of change in Northern Ireland. We pray that these examples will inspire everyone to try harder to make tolerance a universal rule of life. On this Commonwealth Day, as we make the traditional affirmations which are at the centre of the Commonwealth Day Observance, I send to all of you, with these examples in mind, a message of encouragement and hope for the future.''