UNITED NATIONS, Oct 18: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday called on cartoonists the world over to help society “promote peace and understanding”, warning that their work can also encourage intolerance as shown by the deadly furore earlier this year over caricatures of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Addressing the UN’s fifth Unlearning Intolerance seminar, he said this dispute showed how “vital and urgent” it is to engage cartoonists in discussion of how their work might be seen and felt by different groups of people.

“Cartoonists have a big influence on the way different groups of people look at each other. They can encourage us to look critically at ourselves, and increase our empathy for the sufferings and frustrations of others. But they can also do the opposite. They have, in short, a big responsibility,” he told cartoonists from all over the world gathered in New York.

“We need to engage cartoonists in the discussion. They can help us to think more clearly about their work, and how we react to it. And perhaps we can help them to think about how they can use their influence to promote peace and understanding.”