Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury chaired the Forum on Nov. 18, 2014 in New York at the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations. Credit: Roger Hamilton-Martin/IPS

By Roger Hamilton-Martin
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 29 2014 (IPS)

As politics, economies, conflicts and cultures become increasingly intertwined, will individual identities also begin to transcend national boundaries?

The elusive nature of “global citizenship” was noted by Sri Lanka’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Dr. Palitha Kohona, at an IPS Forum on Global Citizenship last week at the Sri Lankan Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York."We should come out of our narrow boundaries, not only of ourselves but of our communities." -- Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury

“The concept of global citizenship has challenged the minds of humans for a very long time although its exact definition has never really crystallised,” Kohona said.

The idea was famously put forth by Tony Blair during a speech in Chicago in 1999. “We are all internationalists now, whether we like it or not. We cannot refuse to participate in global markets if we want to prosper. We cannot ignore new political ideas in other countries if we want to innovate,” Blair said.

Ambassador Kohona said that even after the collapse of the empires spawned by the Westphalian system, the growth of powerful individual states has not encouraged the development of a genuinely global system.

Kohona stressed the importance of the United Nations as an institution in which to hold up the principle of global citizenship.

“The establishment of the United Nations has created the forum for humanity to make an effort to address common issues together from a global perspective. It is the most effective forum available to all nation states. The United Nations and its agencies have been successful in generating sympathy for the usefulness of approaching many of today’s challenges together.”

The Forum was chaired by Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, former representative for Bangladesh and the prime mover of the 1999 General Assembly resolution that adopted the U.N. Declaration and the Programme of Action (PoA) on the Culture of Peace.

“When we speak of global citizenship, certain thoughts come to mind,” he said. “The first thing to understand is spirituality. What are our values, what are our commitments as human beings? The second is the belief in the oneness of humanity. We should come out of our narrow boundaries, not only of ourselves but of our communities.”

Despite challenges, many of the panellists agreed that the promotion of global citizenship is advancing against the headwinds of the purported clash of civilisations, declining resources, and cultural cynicism.

IPS Chair Ambassador Walther Lichem noted that, “Almost to the day 200 years after the initiation of multilateral diplomacy at the Congress of Vienna, we become aware that multilateral diplomacy is increasingly giving way to global governance.”

Lichem noted that global citizenship needs to be seen in the context of a system that espouses norms such as the “responsibility to protect,” a principle that puts the international community above the nation state when it comes to protecting its own citizens.

“Global citizenship is to be understood as a citizenship with human rights as a way of life,” Lichem said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has identified global citizenship as the third priority area in his Global Education First initiative, seeing it as important that students don’t simply learn how to pass exams and get jobs in their own countries, but are instilled with an understanding of the importance of respect and responsibility across cultures, countries and regions.

“Global citizenship is a fight against limbo,” said Erol Avdovic, vice president of the United Nations Correspondents Association. “It is the fight against misconception and against ignoring – or even worse, manipulating – simple facts.”

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, an entity that explores the roots of polarisation between societies and cultures was in attendance at the Forum, with spokesperson for the High Representative Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, Nihal Saad noting that education for global citizenship “has the power to shape a sustainable future and better world.

“Educational policies should promote peace, mutual respect and environmental care. It does not suffice for education to produce individuals who can read, write and count. Education should and must bring shared values to life.”

Saad’s sentiments were shared by Monte Joffee, Soka Gakkai International’s USA representative, who said, “Our curriculum needs to include more topics of a global nature so our students can develop empathetic resonance with ‘the other’.

“This does not reach to the core of today’s educational crisis. Speaking only of American education, I must say that the inequalities of educational funding, the levels of despair and hopelessness in too many of our communities… are numbing realities and ‘add-ons’ to the curriculum about global citizenship are not the solution.”

Joffee related the story of Anand Kumar, an Indian mathematician who is well known for his “Super 30” programme in Patna, Bihar. It prepares economically disadvantaged students for the entrance examination for the renowned Indian Institutes of Technology (ITT) engineering schools, with great success.

His programme selects 30 talented candidates from disadvantaged, tutors them, and provides study materials and lodging for a year.

Joffee noted that this story provides a great model for Global Citizenship Education. “Educators must say, ‘I will start right here, with the student right in front of me.'”

Ramu Damodaran from United Nations Department of Public Information Outreach Division also spoke of the importance of academics being given more opportunities to have a voice at the United Nations.

Edited by Kitty Stapp

Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser. Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

By Roger Hamilton-Martin
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 10 2014 (IPS)

Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser currently heads the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. Between 2011-2012 he was president of the General Assembly, setting the agenda for debate in the assembly during the Arab Spring.

His new book, “A year at the helm of the General Assembly” has just been published by NYU Press.You don’t want to enlarge the Security Council for the sake of representation only. No, (you must enlarge) for the commitment, the contribution.

IPS correspondent Roger Hamilton-Martin interviewed the ambassador on issues central to the book– mediation and U.N. reform. Excerpts from the interview follow.

Q: How can we reform the General Assembly to ensure that practical steps are taken to improve implementation of resolutions by member states?

A: I look at the problem from (the perspective of) the mandate of the president of the General Assembly. One year. How can you achieve good results in one year? I was lucky because I was elected in February 2011 and I was still the ambassador of Qatar to the U.N., so it gave me enough time to prepare and organise.

I was ready from June, you know. June 2011. I took over in September. For someone who doesn’t know the system very well, he doesn’t know many people in the U.N… by the time he takes over, half of the year is gone. By the time he wants to discuss and reach agreement or create consensus, the other half is gone.

We need at least two years for the president. At least, if not more. One of the former PGAs tried to, with many countries, to try to come up with an agreement and a draft resolution to amend the charter. They faced great difficulties.

Q: On the Security Council, some say that certain countries are less relevant to global security currently than they were – Britain and France, for example. Should these countries stay as permanent members?

A: It is not up to me to say, “This country is better than that country.” This is a negotiation that must be had amongst the P5. We are looking at this to increase the permanent members not to decrease the current (P5) – they will be there.

We need more, you see many emerging powers around the world and they can also contribute to peace and security. You don’t need them for prestige; you need them for their involvement, for their support, for their role in the regions.

That’s where I am talking about how to reform, not to change the structure. We need a very effective council. How to achieve that? You have to look at what was the problem in the last 60, 70 years and how you can change based on that. I served there, I represented Qatar. If you don’t have consensus, and solidarity on issues, it’s a big problem.

The agreement among the 15 is very important. First among the P5, and then among the 15. So you don’t want to enlarge the council for the sake of representation only. No, (you must enlarge) for the commitment, the contribution.

Q: Is there a reluctance to amend the charter?

A: The P5 will not allow it. The United Nations always been accused by many people, NGOs, governments, but they don’t know, it’s not the fault of the U.N.

The U.N. is a state-driven – if there is consensus, there is agreement, and there is achievement. If there is no achievement, there is nothing. I want here to add a commend to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon – he in his two terms did a lot, but still needs the support of member states.

If there is support you will see a different U.N.  I’m sure in the constitutions of many countries from time to time there is an amendment to deal with issues that weren’t there 100 or 200 years ago. It’s very essential and very important.

Q: In the history of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA), there have only been three female presidents. What could be done to heighten participation?

A: We would love to see UNGA female presidents. Women who have assumed senior positions at the U.N. in general as under secretary-generals or assistant secretary generals have done remarkable jobs. I am sure they will do great as presidents of the General Assembly as well.

We need to encourage member states who nominate their candidates for this top position to support women candidates.  I am all for women leadership and gender balance.

Q: With the current situation in Iraq and Syria, what role does mediation have to play when it comes to ISIS? Is there a place for sitting down at the table with a militant organisation?

A: Today we always accuse governments that they are not doing enough. But politics and political decisions are not enough.  There is a responsibility on the religious leaders, there is responsibility on civil society, there is a responsibility on academia and university, there is responsibility even on the private sector.

So I think we should work together – religious leaders today can get involved in what’s going on with ISIS. You know young people – lack of education, negative environment, they an easy target for those people (ISIS).

Edited by Kitty Stapp

By Ramesh Jaura
BERLIN/ROME, Aug 26 2014 (IPS)

Inter Press Service News Agency has braved severe political assaults and financial tempests since 1964, when Roberto Savio and Pablo Piacentini laid its foundation as a unique and challenging information and communication system.

Fifty years on, IPS continues to provide in-depth news and analysis from journalists around the world – primarily from the countries of the South – which is distinct from what the mainstream media offer. Underreported and unreported news constitutes the core of IPS coverage. Opinion articles by experts from think tanks and independent institutions enhance the spectrum and quality offered by IPS.

IPS coverage of the United Nations and its social and economic agenda is widely recognised as outstanding in the global media landscape. Credit: cc by 2.0

As the social media transforms the communication environment, IPS is determined to consolidate its unique niche and is tailoring its offer to adapt to the changes under way, while remaining true to its original vocation: make a concerted effort to right the systematic imbalance in the flow of information between the South and the North, give a voice to the South and promote South-South understanding and communication. In short, nothing less than turning the world downside up.

The fiftieth anniversary coincides with IPS decision to strengthen coverage not only from the U.N. in New York, but also from Vienna – bridging the U.N. there with the headquarters – as well as from Geneva and Nairobi, the only country in Africa hosting a major U.N. agency, the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP).

Turning 50 is also associated with a new phase in IPS life, marked not only by challenges emerging from rapid advance of communication and information technologies, but also by globalisation and the world financial crisis.

The latter is causing deeper social inequalities, and greater imbalances in international relations. These developments have therefore become thematic priorities in IPS coverage.

The consequences of “turbo-capitalism”, which allows finance capital to prevail over every aspect of social and personal life, and has disenfranchised a large number of people in countries around the world constituting the global South, are an important point of focus.

IPS has proven experience in reporting on the issues affecting millions of marginalised human beings – giving a voice to the voiceless – and informing about the deep transitional process which most of the countries of the South and some in the North are undergoing.

This latter day form of capitalism has not only resulted in dismissal of workers and catapulted their families into the throes of misery, but also devastated the environment and aggravated the impact of climate change, which is also playing havoc with traditional communities.

IPS also informs about the critical importance of the culture of peace and points to the perils of all forms of militarism. A Memorandum of Understanding between IPS and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) provides an important framework for seminars aimed at raising the awareness of the media in covering cross-cultural conflicts.

Nuclear weapons that are known to have caused mass destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki 69 years ago, represent one of the worst forms of militarism. IPS provides news and analysis as well as opinions on continuing efforts worldwide to ban the bomb. This thematic emphasis has educed positive reactions from individual readers, experts and institutions dealing with nuclear abolition and disarmament.

As globalisation permeates even the remotest corners of the planet, IPS informs about the need of education for global citizenship and sustainable development, highlighting international efforts such as the United Nations Global Education First Initiative. IPS reports on initiatives aimed at ensuring that education for global citizenship is reflected in intergovernmental policy-making processes such as the Sustainable Development Goals and Post-2015 Development Agenda.

IPS reports accentuate the importance of multilateralism within the oft-neglected framework of genuine global governance. It is not surprising therefore that IPS coverage of the United Nations and its social and economic agenda is widely recognised as outstanding in the global media landscape.

This is particularly important because the news agency has come to a fork in the road represented by the financial crunch, which is apparently one of the toughest IPS has ever faced. However, thanks to the unstinting commitment of ‘IPS-ians’, the organisation is showing the necessary resilience to brave the challenge and refute those who see it heading down a blind alley.

At the same time, IPS is positioning itself distinctly as a communication and information channel supporting global governance in all its aspects, privileging the voices and the concerns of the poorest and creating a climate of understanding, accountability and participation around development and promoting a new international information order between the South and the North.

IPS has the necessary infrastructure and human resources required for facilitating the organisational architecture of an information and communication platform focused on ‘global governance’ (GGICP). Whether it is the culture of peace, citizen empowerment, human rights, gender equality, education and learning, development or environment, all these contribute to societal development, which in turn leads towards global governance.

In order to harness the full potential of communication and information tools, adequate financial support is indispensable. Projects that conform to the mission of IPS – making the voiceless heard by the international community, from local to global level – are one way of securing funds.

But since projects alone do not ensure the sustainability of an organisation, IPS is exploring new sources of funding: encouraging sponsorships through individual readers and institutions, enlightened governments and intergovernmental bodies as well as civil society organisations and corporations observing the UN Global Compact’s 10 principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption, which enjoy universal consensus.

Ramesh Jaura is IPS Director General and Editorial Coordinator since April 2014.

Edited by Phil Harris

The writer can be contacted at headquarters@ips.org

Excerpt:

Nobel Laureate Betty Williams started her speech to a peace forum at the U.N. headquarters Thursday with perhaps the last thing the audience would expect her to say.

From left: H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations; Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, Former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative; and Ms. Betty Williams, 1976 Nobel Peace Laureate. Credit: Minh Le/IPS

She urged them to stop glorifying working for peace.

“We could sit all day here and glorify it, but it’s not a thing that should be glorified,” she said. “It’s a thing that should be done in reality, every single day of our lives.”

Williams, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for promoting a peaceful society, believes that each person, as a global citizen, has a role to play in bringing peace to the world.

“We can’t say ‘I don’t have to do it. Let them do it.’ Every child that dies in our world from conditions of malnutrition, from disease, from war, we are all guilty. As a human family, we are all guilty,” she said.

Her sentiment for global solidarity and responsibility was echoed by many others at the forum, where diplomats, educators and peace activists gathered to discuss the topic of “Global Citizenship and the Future of the U.N.”

The Feb. 20 event, sponsored by the U.N. Alliance of Civilisations and organised by Soka Gakkai International (SGI), Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency and the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research, also saw the launch of “A Forum for Peace: Daisaku Ikeda’s Proposals to the U.N.”

The book is a collection of 30 years of annual peace proposals by Buddhist thinker Ikeda, whose recommendations for global change and for the U.N. are seen as words of wisdom by Williams and other speakers at the forum.

“This is the book that really needs to be read by all of us,” said Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, former under-secretary-general and high representative.

“No human being in the world history has written so consistently and so substantively about the work of the U.N.,” he said, adding that many of Ikeda’s proposals, including the empowerment of women and young people in creating peace, have been reflected in the way the global body operates.

Ikeda’s concept of the “Culture of Peace,” Chowdhury said, is essential to make the world a secure place for future generations, by promoting peace through dialogue and nonviolence.

Global citizenship

In his remarks sent to the forum, Ikeda said he has “repeatedly stressed the importance of fostering an awareness of our role and responsibility as global citizens,” which he considers the spiritual basis for countries to resolve conflicts and the source of hope for the future of the U.N.

He then called for a brand new programme of education specifically for global citizenship to be promoted by the U.N.

Education, Ikeda said, needs to deepen understanding of challenges facing humankind and promote a shared pledge among all people “not to seek one’s happiness and prosperity at the expense of others.”

In 2012, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched “Education First,” an initiative aiming to get every child into school, increase education quality and foster global citizenship.

According to the U.N., it is not enough to only produce students who can read, write and count, but they also need to learn how to “think and act for the dignity of fellow human beings.” The problem with the current education system is that the values of peace, human rights, respect, cultural diversity and justice are not often embedded and emphasised in the ethos of schools.

William Gaudelli, associate professor of social studies and education at Teachers College, said in order to have a new generation of global citizens, first it is necessary to have teachers who are more open to and more thoughtful about the world.

The concept of global citizenship, he said, is not a novelty and in fact can be traced back to the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes, who described himself as “a citizen of the world”.

Gaudelli said while it may seem a “crazy” idea now to ask people who live in “neatly divided countries” to think of themselves as global citizens, the world really needs to come together to solve ongoing problems.

“There are so many challenges, from infectious diseases, small arms trading, human trafficking, global warming, animal extinction and the list grows,” he said, calling for all members of the global society to truly listen to and learn from others, rather than waiting for “an opening to talk.”

Role of the U.N.

Olivier Urbain, who edited the book, said he was impressed by Ikeda’s firm belief in the power of ordinary people and his trust in the potential of solidarity.

He also noted that Ikeda’s promotion for a world without war does not stop with abolishing actual nuclear warheads, but it also deals with the mentality behind the fact that the world still have these weapons.

“It’s not possible to build one’s happiness on the misery of another human being. The same thing with countries: it is not possible to build true lasting national security on the misery and terror of other countries that are so terrified by the weapon,” he said.

Despite conflicts and threats around the world, Urbain said there was “a tremendous sense of hope” when he read the book.

“As long as we have the space for personal creativity and solidarity, there is nothing that human beings cannot overcome,” he said.

Urbain said the U.N., therefore, needs to create channels and mechanisms for people’s voices to be heard and, in so doing, let itself be empowered by the people.

Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, High Representative for the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations, said the peaceful and prosperous co-existence of peoples and nations is the cornerstone of the U.N. mission.

“We are bound together as the international community in the belief that despite different cultures, languages and religions, there are fundamental shared values and principles that underpin our humanity,” he said.

“We are bound together as the U.N. family because we recognise that it is through the celebration of our diversity, as well as through the promotion of tolerance and dispelling fears of the “other”, that we will build a more peaceful world,” he told the forum.

Even though it was clear that many speakers were believers in the U.N., they did not shy away from the fact that the global organisation is not perfect. That is why reforms and recommendations proposed by thinkers like Ikeda are important, they said.

“The U.N. is all that we have in our world to try and make it better,” said Williams. “I know that in certain areas it could do with a lot of improvements but give me one organisation in the world that is being run smoothly?”

“What could we do if we didn’t have this organisation? How much worse would it be?” she asked.

His Excellency Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of Qatar, U.N. High Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations, stands with youth from City Kids, a local non-profit organisation in New York. Credit: Joan Erakit/IPS

By Joan Erakit
NEW YORK, Apr 13 2013 (IPS)

Today’s youth are hardly passive consumers of content – they create it, endlessly updating via social media and spreading information faster than one can say “go”.

This weekend at New York’s Columbia University, the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) teamed up with Columbia’s Teachers College for a symposium titled “Conversations Across Cultures: Youth Media Visions“, exploring how young people from around the globe view diversity, migration and social inclusion, via video production.

Inaugurating the symposium, His Excellency Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of Qatar, a former president of the U.N. General Assembly and U.N. High Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations, emphasised the deep investment of the UNAOC in the development of young people.

“The UNAOC is committed to facilitating the participation of youth with their visions and opinions of the political process. Several of the UNAOC initiatives channel this commitment,” he said.

“The UNAOC is also committed to supporting the distribution of outreach of new media, and of media messages where youth represent themselves.”

Representation for Change

And that seems to be the precise reason for giving young people a mic, a video camera and access to the Internet. Though mainstream media may not always be keen to allow the voices of the young for fear of unorthodox opinions, Youth Media Visions pushes young people to the frontline, facilitating all aspects of education and production under the guidance of experienced media professionals.

“It’s very appropriate to welcome a programme that’s of enormous impact because this is a way that youth can speak and make a difference, and communicate across cultures and help people understand each other.” Dr. Susan Furhman, president of Teachers College, told a packed room at the Macy’s Gallery.

The symposium, which features various digital aspects including film, workshops and video production, is an avenue of dialog that brings educators and youth together to discuss mediums of change.

How do you get young people to voice their opinions on the matters that truly concern them? Well, you start by giving them a video camera.

In 46 short films made by youth all over the world, subjects such as migration, education, bullying, unemployment and poverty are covered with such unflinching clarity and honesty, it’s almost difficult to watch.

In a short video entitled “Living in Limbo: Youth Out of Work and Out of School”, a group of teenagers shoot a day in the life of a young New York mother as she struggles to navigate the perils of job hunting whilst dealing with two young children and bouts of depression. The film works to shed light on the United States’ disconnected youth, a phenomenon that has left many out of school.

Build it and they will come

Regardless of where a child grows up and what resources are available to them, technology – once introduced – becomes a learning tool unlike any other.

“Technology promotes this sort of playfulness, you get to know things through a sort of game,” Laia Sole, an artist and arts educator who curated the project, told IPS.

Youth Media Visions embraces this aspect by engaging its participants in the conversations surrounding the introduction of media and technology to remote villages and cultural settings usually isolated from technology.

“Children every day act in a very similar manner. The introduction of media and technology into a classroom is something that we can see all over the world. It’s changed the way we approach technology and how we build it. It is something that promotes interaction and it’s more based on the senses; it’s more tactile and visual and it’s something that humans, particularly children, relate to,” Sole told IPS.

The symposium, which runs Apr. 12- 14, also features eight non-profit organisations from all over the world whose main goal is to empower young people by using media.

CHINH, Global Action Project, Cinema en Curs, One Minutes Jr., Educational Video Center, Plural +, Fundacion Kine and Wapikono Mobile are all organisations that will participate in the three-day event which encourages visitors to take active digital roles in the discussion of formal and informal education.

“One of the things that became relevant to me while working on this project was learning from these organisations that we have here,” Sole added. “They are mobile, they are flexible, they can work whether in formal or informal settings, which means that they can reach communities which otherwise could not be reached.

“My main goal would be that we see how these different organisations operate, in order to see what are the advantages of working with media in any educational setting whether it’s formal or informal,” she concluded.

Youth Media Visions will be on display at the Macy Gallery Apr. 12 through 19.

Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, Incoming High Representative of the UNAOC. Credit: photonews.at/Georges Schneider

By Pavol Stracansky
VIENNA, Mar 1 2013 (IPS)

The fifth global forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC), founded to promote intercultural understanding and dialogue to bring civilisations closer, came to a close Thursday after two days of talks, at which world leaders restated their commitment to the Alliance’s ideals and pledged to build on the foundations it had laid to expand its work.

But the summit also heard of the challenges and threats to pluralism and diversity in a world with rising levels of intolerance and extremism, and that the Alliance, together with governments, media, civil society and the corporate sector, must work to overcome those challenges.

Incoming High Representative of the UNAOC, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, spoke to IPS at the end of the conference about the Alliance and his aims as he leads the organisation over the next five years.

Q: During the forum you outlined the main aims of what you want to do with the Alliance. Do you believe that under your leadership the Alliance can effect real, meaningful and concrete change?

A: My new role as High Representative is a very challenging one, and while in the past I have held a number of very important posts, this one in particular is extremely important. My predecessor, President Jorge Sampaio, did a great job. But as I said during the forum, I want to upgrade the work that the Alliance has done until now and I have my own good ideas. But in the end we have to convince states, and civil society, academia, the private sector, international organisations, to collectively implement what has been agreed both here in Vienna, and at previous fora.

Q: A lot of mainstream media did not report on the forum. Is that a signal that the media is failing to address the Alliance’s ideals in some way and if so, does this mean that the Alliance has to find another way of getting its message across?

A: Media is very important for the Alliance. It is one of the key things we are focused on. But some countries have covered this conference in quite a big way. I come from Qatar and I saw that newspapers there had very large coverage of the forum. But all the speeches here at this forum, from the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, the President of Austria, Heinz Fischer, from me, and from other high level representatives of states, make it clear that the Alliance’s role is expanding, not decreasing.

Q: The forum heard a lot about the importance of education in dealing with prejudices, especially in the education of school children. Does the Alliance plan to work with national governments over their school curricula to build its ideas into school teaching at early levels?

A: The Alliance is going to work very closely with UNESCO. There are many initiatives in the world on this, such as the one launched last September by the U.N. secretary-general, ‘Education First’, and others. Education is one of the pillars of the Alliance’s work and we will work very hard with all agencies of the U.N. at national, regional and sub-regional level.

Q: A key theme at the forum was religious intolerance and religious extremism and how while it is perceived to be largely associated with Muslims, that there is plenty of extremism among Christians and other religious groups. This has helped fuel negative perceptions of Muslims. Do you see the Alliance having a role in correcting these perceptions?

A: The Alliance is here to serve the international community, not just one country or one religion, and the Alliance is about the idea of ‘one humanity, different cultures’. I will try my best to promote dialogue and cultural peace and try to engage with civil society because many of those organisations are religious and we can really listen to them and see how we can create cultural peace and bring people together through dialogue, creating harmony instead of division, and reduce intolerance and hatred. My job is going to be very challenging and I will do my best to implement what has already been agreed at our previous fora and what has been agreed here as well.

Excerpt:

Amid calls from world leaders for media diversity and plurality to be strengthened to combat a rising tide of extremism and intolerance, media experts have warned that change should not be expected overnight and that governments and states have a crucial role to play in the process.

Heads of state, government representatives and experts are meeting in the Austrian capital, Vienna, at the fifth United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) Global Forum in a bid to promote intercultural dialogue and understanding as a path to reduce global conflict.

The role of the media in encouraging such dialogue, specifically in its representation of diverse communities, minority groups and cultures, has been one of the central discussion points over the two days of the conference.

UN officials and world leaders all spoke on the importance of using media as a tool to bring nations closer together at a time when, as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said, “intolerance and extremism are growing”, emphasising the responsibility media has in fostering understanding and defusing conflict.

Leaders from the conflict-plagued Middle East were among the strongest voices calling for media to recognise its responsibility in reporting on diverse cultures fairly and accurately.

Emir of Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, said: “Understanding others and respecting their cultures and beliefs and the renunciation of extremism, hatred and racism are the most effective ways to plug the pretexts used by those who try to exploit these manifestations to encourage violence and terrorism. There is a growing responsibility of media in portraying the right image of ‘the other’ while avoiding prejudices and stereotyping others, and looking at the facts to judge accordingly.”

He added: “Even under the domination of market laws the media’s mission should go beyond excitement and to secure high rates of audience, and (be aware) that their writers and journalists might be carrying preconceived notions as a result of their own upbringing and nurture, and that freedom of expression is vital but not enough, and must be coupled with responsibility.”

But journalists and media experts at the conference said that while the goal was a laudable one, effective change was unlikely to come quickly.

Speaking to IPS at the UNAOC summit, Alison Bethel McKenzie of the International Press Institute based in Vienna, said: “It is possible that eventually media across the world will be fully diverse and will have adequate plurality.

“But it will take a long time and it will be an uphill struggle because there are differences between what some communities will want, for instance indigenous peoples wanting their own separate media instead of being inclusive, and by nature I think that human beings just don’t reach out to people who are different to them and the media is no different in that respect.”

She added: “In fact sometimes it appears that we are going in the opposite direction and are not embracing people’s differences and being inclusive towards them.”

Other journalists at the summit highlighted that a number of issues the media needed to address itself to related to a lack of diversity and inclusiveness in its reporting, including the need to widen the representation of cultures and minorities in newsrooms, improving the accuracy of reporting on minorities and diverse cultures, and strengthening the implementation of ethical codes and reporting guidelines.

Milica Pecic, executive director of the London-based Media Diversity Institute, said there remain stark deficiencies in many media organisations in all these areas, pointing out that in media in western countries, which encourage social inclusion in legislation and policy practice, minorities are often sorely underrepresented in newsrooms.

“These are issues that really need to be addressed. For instance, if you look at news organisations, there may be many female reporters, but how many women hold senior positions in those organisations? Not very many,” she said.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, three Middle Eastern states – Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran – currently have the most repressive state restrictions on reporting. State censorship of news outlets remains omnipotent in China while most established media outlets in Russia are either controlled by or heavily influenced by the state.

In Western states the independence of media in the face of ever-concentrating media ownership – which critics say threatens diversity of opinion and plurality as owners could push their own interests in their media – has been increasingly questioned.

In the U.S., investigations were undertaken into cable provider Comcast over claims it was limiting competition. This came after it was bought by the NBC network – a move which third sector groups said could see Comcast favouring content from NBC to the detriment of others.

In the UK, there has been repeated concern over global broadcast giant News Corporation’s relationship with the country’s largest pay-TV broadcaster, BSkyB. The Murdoch media group controls 39.1 percent of BskyB, and is the dominant influence on its board.

This remains a serious problem, McKenzie told IPS. And while the summit showed that media experts were split on the need for legislation to ensure accurate and fair depiction and reporting of diverse cultures and minorities in the media, this was an issue where governments needed to take decisive action.

She told IPS: “Governments absolutely have got to crack down on media monopolies because it allows media to give only one perspective. It’s not fair to people and it’s ridiculous because these media then become just a propaganda tool.”

But there remains some hope that even if governments do not, or cannot act, a young media and technology-savvy generation is ensuring, if not complete plurality and diversity, at least independence in information provision.

McKenzie said: “In some developing countries, and certainly in the Middle East following the Arab spring, more people are really insisting on independent media even if they have to create it themselves.

“Young people are becoming more media literate, they are creating media themselves. Independent media is mostly online and when I talk to young people it’s amazing, it seems like they just woke up to the media, its importance what news is being covered and how they themselves are being represented. That’s a really good thing for the future.” (end)

A UN summit designed to promote tolerance, plurality and global inclusiveness of civilisations has opened with dire warnings of the threat of religious and ethnic intolerance – at the same time as many states that have ostensibly signed up to the UN’s ideals continue to enforce laws and practices restricting religious freedom, and implicitly marginalising communities.

The United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) includes more than 130 states and hundreds of thousands of NGOS across the world. It was created to foster cross-cultural dialogue and understanding in a bid to bring cultures and societies closer together.

And at the two-day fifth UNAOC Global Forum which opened in the Austrian capital Wednesday, UN leaders, including U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and incoming UNAOC president Nasser Abdulaziz Al-Nasser warned of the dangers of intolerance and extremism turning diversity into a means to exclude certain groups.

Al-Nasser said: “We live today in a world of xenophobia, conflict and intolerance. In some societies culture is perceived as a source of division instead of a path to inclusion and peace…. and we see dangerous religious intolerance. In some countries, religious symbols are denigrated and literature burnt. We must work (to prevent this) and promote peace and tolerance.”

But while discussions began on the best forms of cross-cultural bridge-building, some participants were concerned about laws that many countries, including some of those who sent representatives to the meeting, retain on their statute books.

Rabbi Arthur Schneier, president of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, said: “What needs to be done is for every state law of every state in the UNAOC to be checked to see if matches up with UN human rights charters.”

Religious leaders meeting at the conference told of how minorities in many countries across the world were facing continued problems, including the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and violence against Muslims, both by other Muslims and different religious groups. They talked of documented continued attacks on temples, churches, mosques and synagogues.

But they also warned of the scale of state support or sanctioning of religious oppression, either through laws or policy.

Brian Grim of the Pew Research Centre which researches religious freedom, said that in one-third of the world’s countries people faced high or very high restrictions on religion. He added that the Centre had identified a very strong correlation between certain types of government action to restrict religion, and social hostilities.

And those restrictions are often spread across borders, Grim said, citing an example of a Saudi Arabian man who fled the country over a tweet he sent which was considered blasphemous. He was detained in Malaysia and extradited back to Saudi Arabia.

“What we are seeing is the spread of one legal restriction on religion to another state,” he said.

Some countries are well known for their repressive religious laws. Saudi Arabia which has arguably the world’s strictest laws on the observance of Islam, and capital punishment for conversion to other religions and blasphemy, and outlaws the following of any other religions, has long been criticised by rights groups for repressively enforcing religious exclusivity.

But similar restrictions, if not quite as draconian, are applied in many other states. In Malaysia, often touted as a highly-multicultural and open society, the country’s constitution emphasises the elevated position of the Malay population and also states Islam as the country’s religion and that all Malays must be Muslims.

State policies have been designed to discourage non-Muslim religious activity and promote Islam, including the refusal of permission to build churches and temples for other religions, and not releasing land for burial sites for non-Muslims. Meanwhile, conversions to Islam can also be forced by law.

Malay and Islamic cultural traditions are also overtly promoted, implicitly to the detriment of the country’s Chinese and Indian people, which form more than 40 percent of the population, and who wish to retain their own cultures. Economic policies favouring the Malay community over others have also been brought in. In education and in certain professions, Malays are favoured through quota systems.

In Indonesia, the situation for minorities is perhaps worse. According to the Wahid Institute, in 2011 alone there were 93 government-instigated violations of religious freedom, up from 64 the year before, and there were documented cases of the closure of temples and churches and restrictions on the building of houses of worship.

Meanwhile, in Kazakhstan, which sent a high-level government representative to the Vienna UNAOC conference, a law passed in 2011 saw the number of officially recognised religions cut from 46 to 17. The law forced all religious denominations and faith-based NGOs to re-register.

All religious literature must be approved by a state body before it can be used and distributed while religious activities are banned from state institutions, secondary schools and universities. The law has been enforced strongly by police, and raids on mosques and churches have been widely reported.

The authoritarian regime in Astana said it brought the law in to guard against religious extremism, but Muslim leaders in the country have warned that by restricting religious freedom, the legislation may simply encourage extremism.

But it is not just in supposedly less developed or predominantly Muslim states where there is state-sanctioned religious intolerance.

In Switzerland, the construction of minarets has been banned, and that ban is now enshrined in the country’s constitution. In Austria, the host of the UNAOC summit, a similar ban has been brought in at regional level.

All of these states are members of the UNAOC and have signed up to its ideas.

But despite this, religious leaders at the summit were keen to stress that they had seen positive progress in addressing religious freedom in law.

Grim said: “While many countries do have high or very high levels of religious restriction, in three-quarters of the world’s countries we have registered governments taking some action to reduce religious restrictions.”

Others, meanwhile, said that despite the apparent hypocrisy of signing up to an alliance that condemns religious intolerance and exclusion while continuing to enforce repressive laws on minorities, it is the first step to bringing about meaningful change in promoting social inclusion.

Rabbi Schneier told IPS: “The fact that such countries have signed up to the UNAOC shows that they are, at least in spirit, in agreement with what we stand for. Things don’t change overnight, it’s an evolutionary process. In the U.S. we had discrimination against blacks, slavery. Now we have an Afro-American president for the first time, and we will one day have a female president. It takes time.

“By joining the UNAOC it is a first step, it is a way for a country to embrace the standards of the international community. “All we can hope for is that through joint efforts by those of us in the international community who believe in co-existence that eventually they will open up to this.” (end)

Border guards in Bangladesh refuse entry to Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. Migration is one factor that can contribute to polarising communities. Credit: Anurup Titu/IPS

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 25 2013 (IPS)

Amidst the rising tide of racial and religious intolerance worldwide – including xenophobia, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia – the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) will meet in the Austrian capital of Vienna later this week to strengthen cross-cultural relations in a world it describes as “alarmingly out of balance”.

In our inter-connected information age, says Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, “we may not be able to prevent every merchant of hate in every corner of the world.

“But we can build bridges that are strong enough to withstand those forces,” he adds.The television cameras focus on the fringe. The extremists gain easy publicity with their bonfires of bigotry.

And the task of constructing those bridges is one of the primary responsibilities of UNAOC, which holds its Fifth Global Forum aimed at “Promoting Responsible Leadership in Diversity and Dialogue.”

The last four Forums were held in Madrid, Spain (2008), Istanbul, Turkey (2009), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2010) and Doha, Qatar (2011).

The Vienna Forum, scheduled to take place Feb. 27-28, will be the first to be headed by the new High Representative of UNAOC Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of Qatar, a former president of the U.N. General Assembly and chairman of the Board of Directors of Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency.

Asked about the most effective way of remedying the growing malaise, UNAOC Director Matthew Hodes told IPS intolerance and discrimination have been a sad, unacceptable part of the human experience, and may never be completely eradicated.

“What the international community can do, what U.N. bodies have and will continue to do is maintain the fight against these scourges,” he said.

Whether it is by setting standards through international instruments, vigilant reporting of abuses of those standards, or proactive efforts at reconciliation, “We all have a role to play in that fight,” he added.

Meanwhile the spread of hate crimes has also been attributed to sensational coverage by the international news media.

When the United Nations commemorated International Day of Peace last September, the celebrations were marred by news of widespread rage in the Islamic world, a continued bloody civil war in Syria, suicide bombings in Iraq and Afghanistan and violent demonstrations in Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh against a video caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad.

In his address, the secretary-general warned that the world was facing global protests and violence in response to another ugly attempt to sow bigotry and bloodshed.

But he also directed his jabs at the media. In today’s world, he said, the loudest voices tend to get the microphone.

“The television cameras focus on the fringe. The extremists gain easy publicity with their bonfires of bigotry,” he said.

Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, was equally unhappy with the news coverage when she said the best way to deal with provocations, including religious intolerance, was to ignore them. But the news-conscious media doesn’t.

Asked whether the press is a contributory factor to the current state of hate crimes through sensationalism in news reporting, Hodes told IPS, “The societies in the world that are the most free are also those with the most unfettered media.”

He pointed out that those who work in the media are subject to professional standards set in each country: standards that when followed tend to ensure responsible reporting.

“And let’s be clear: when I speak about vigilant reporting of abuses I am speaking not only of international civil servants but the media as well,” he added.

Hodes said the media has a central role to play in increasing the public understanding of sensitive issues, including religious intolerance, migration and diversity.

All of these factors can contribute to polarising communities.

“The UNAOC tries to address this challenge by regularly convening editors, media owners and experts to establish a platform for dialogue leading to concrete recommendations,” said Hodes. “And we aim to organise a meeting around religion and religious intolerance in the year to come.”

Asked about a proposal for an international convention against Islamophobia, one of the most widespread of religious intolerances, he said: “While I would not comment on any particular proposed convention it is apparent that an agenda of fear has taken root in certain parts of the world”.

But that cannot justify the vilification of an entire religion or its adherents, he added.

“Islamophobia is a real phenomenon in certain places and must be addressed,” Hodes said.

A concept paper jointly prepared by the UNAOC Secretariat and the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, which will be discussed at the Vienna Forum, will focus on how responsible leadership can make a difference in the following three major issues:

First, promotion, protection and full enjoyment of the right to religious freedom in a context of religious pluralism which consists not only of greater diversity, but also of perceptions of that diversity and new patterns of interaction among religious groups;

Second, media pluralism and diversity of media content and their contribution to fostering public debate, democracy and awareness of diverse opinions;

Third, shaping a new narrative for migration, integration and mobility in the global economy.

Twelve young leaders from North Africa and the Middle East are arriving in New York this week with the aim of creating new alliances and gaining knowledge and understanding of the United States and Europe.

They will travel across the US and then head to Europe, landing first in Paris. They will be part of the Fellowship Programme of the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) which focuses on creating opportunities for young leaders, across the Arab world and the West, and aims to increase mutual understanding through experiential learning and direct interaction with civil society.

The trip takes place in the aftermath of the Benghazi crisis, demonstrating that the need is greater than ever for increased dialogue and exchange between the Western and Muslim worlds.

Organized by the Alliance, the two-week programme is funded by the German Foreign Office with the support of the Guerrand-Hermes Foundation for Peace and developed in partnership with the League of Arab States, ISESCO, the Institute of International Education, the Government of Jordan, OIC and the Qatar Committee for the Alliance of Civilizations.

The Fellowship Programme is the first and only young leaders exchange programme developed jointly with partners and resources from the Arab and Muslim world, Europe, and the United States.

During its first stop in New York, the group will meet with the United Nations, spend election night at NYU and volunteer with The Bowery Mission post Hurricane Sandy. The group will also visit national and community-level service sites such as the Bronx transformation project in New York and the National Women’s Law Center in Washington, DC. Another activity in Washington will be a meeting with the US State Department.

From there, the group will fly to Europe where fellows will meet with the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, NATO, as well as a pioneering meeting with Charb, a Director at Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine. They will also visit the French suburbs of Bobigny (93). Along the way, the group will interact with the alumni fellows from the 2012 class (Spring and Fall) of the Fellowship Programme who are currently living in New York, Washington, Paris and Brussels.

“Our objective is to create an opportunity for these emerging leaders to see the reality of diverse societies, to deconstruct stereotypes, and to become the messengers of new relations between the western and the Muslim world,” says Jean-Christophe Bas, UNAOC Senior Advisor.

The 12 fellows, selected among hundreds of applicants, include:

Sondos Asem (Egypt) is the editor-in-chief of the Muslim Brotherhood’s official English-language website Ikhwanweb.com and a member of the Foreign Relations team of the Freedom and Justice Party. After The Egyptian January 25 revolution, she launched the Muslim Brotherhood’s interactive social media platform @Ikhwanweb on Twitter. Ms. Asem was an active participant in the Egyptian revolution that overthrew the country’s longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak in January 25, 2011,

Mbarka Bouaida is a member of the National Council of the political party “National Rally for Independents” (RNI), which forms the first party in the Opposition against the current Government leaded by the Islamists. Member of Parliament from 2007 to 2011, Mbarka was elected as a Chair of the Committee of Foreign Affairs in the Moroccan House of Representatives.

Last month, on the Western leg of the Fellowship Programme, twelve young leaders from North America and Europe travelled to Morocco, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates to meet with government, civil society and other groups.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last week  designated Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser, President of the 66^th session of the United Nations General Assembly, as High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, replacing Jorge Sampaio.

During his tenure as President of the General Assembly,  Al-Nasser exerted efforts to mainstream the importance of the Alliance of Civilizations as a tool for building peace and stability across all nations, Ban said.  As High Representative, he will provide the vision and leadership required to strengthen the work of the Alliance and enhance dialogue with stakeholders to exert their influence in progressing the objectives of the Alliance.

Ban also expressed his gratitude to Sampaio, former President of Portugal, for his commitment to advancing understanding across cultures, religions, and communities.  He said he was  particularly appreciative of  Sampaio’s visionary stewardship of the Alliance over five years since its early days.

For the past 13 years, from 1998 to 2011,  Al-Nasser served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations.  He represented his country on the U.N.  Security Council during the two-year term of Qatar as a non-permanent member (2006 to 2007).  He also presided over three of the subsidiary bodies of the Council, according to a statement released here.

During his term as Ambassador to the United Nations,  Al-Nasser also served as a Vice-President of the fifty-seventh session of the  General Assembly (2002 to 2003).  At the same time, he served as non-resident Ambassador to a number of countries in the Americas, including Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Earlier,  Al-Nasser was appointed as his country’s resident Ambassador to Jordan (1993 to 1998), before which he was first posted to the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the United Nations, New York, as Minister Plenipotentiary (1986 to 1993).

The recipient of numerous decorations and awards,  Al-Nasser was made an honorary fellow of the Foreign Policy Association in New York in 2009.  He also holds three honorary doctorates:  in international affairs from the Government of China through Chongqing University; from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in recognition of his efforts to foster cross-cultural understanding and strengthen the work of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations initiative; and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Fordham University in the United States.

A wide range of countries have conferred on him their national awards, including the Medal of Independence of the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Grand Officer, Order of Merit (Italy); Medal of Grand Commander of the Order of Makarios III (Cyprus); National Order of Doctor José Matias Delgado (El Salvador); and Commander of the National Order of the Republic (Côte d’Ivoire).