Culture Key Pillar for Peace-Oriented Civilization

By Leila Lemghalef Reprint | | Print |

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 30 2015 (IPS) - The power of intercultural dialogue in a diverse world was discussed from many angles at an event launching the Third World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue.

The forum will be held May 18-19, 2015, in Baku, Azerbaijan. The presentation focused largely on Azerbaijan as a microcosm of what can be experienced by humanity on a larger scale.

Azerbaijan belongs to both the Council of Europe and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and has been shaped by Islamic, Persian, European, Turkish and Russian communities.

The High Representative of the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, highlighted “the ever-growing involvement of Azerbaijan in promoting intercultural and interreligious understanding at the regional and international levels”.

He added that acts of terrorism are best left unassociated with specific religions, nationalities or civilizations, while reaffirming the need for commitments towards reconciliation and forgiveness, in favour of advancing “a common vision of inclusive, indivisible and respectful societies, contributing to the pressing themes of the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda”.

The global problems of religious extremism, violence and terrorism are being viewed from the solution standpoints of tourism and knowledge, among others.

Special representative of the U.N. World Trade Organization (UNWTO), Rafeeuddin Ahmad, took the podium to deliver a message on behalf of the UNWTO secretary general, Taleb Rifai.

“We live in a diverse, interdependent and interconnected world; we also live in a world going through turbulent times; a world in which every day we are reminded that despite our differences in cultures and fundamental beliefs, we need to live together in peace,” Ahmad read, going on to emphasize tourism as a force for peace, for promoting mutual understanding, because “visiting new places and meeting new people is a powerful transformative force”.
Dialogue and the rapprochement of cultures are acknowledged as indispensable to unity.

“This is the necessity of bringing better understanding to each other, to forget about phobias, forget about misunderstandings, try to listen to each other better, and to accept the right to exist within different cultures,” said Minister of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan, Abulfas Garayev.

“We all understand that culture connects people,” said Mike Hardy, Executive Director of the Center for Trust, Peace, and Social Relations at Coventry University. He said that through shared culture “we can together take responsibility for our shared security”.

Youth empowerment, as well as the roles and responsibilities to do with social media are also themes that will shape the forum this May.

Long-term investments in education and knowledge are another important way forward, which the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is addressing.