Remarks by Under-Secretary-General Miguel Ángel Moratinos,
the High Representative for UNAOC
at the Joint Briefing to Member States on
VI World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue:
“Dialogue for Peace & Global Security: Cooperation & Interconnectivity”
New York, 12 April 2024
Your Excellency, Ambassador Yashar Aliyev,
Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
I wish to welcome His Excellency, the Deputy Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, Mr. Farid Jafarov, and his delegation.
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations is pleased to be one of the co-partners in the 6th World Forum for Intercultural Dialogue under the theme: “Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation & Interconnectivity”.
The forum this year covers a wide range of global and regional issues.
UNAOC will be leading 3 sessions: 1) An intergenerational Dialogue. A presentation on the format and content of that dialogue will follow later. 2) the second session on the interfaith dialogue as a confidence-building measure.
And the third session or side event in which we launch the first iteration of the UNAOC flagship programme, Young Peacebuilders in Central Asia and the Caucuses.
Excellencies,
I invite you to reflect for a moment on the keywords that constitute the theme for the 6th World Forum for Intercultural dialogue and particularly on Dialogue.
In a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-lingual societies, “Dialogue, Peace, Security, Cooperation and Interconnectivity” have increasingly become interrelated concepts, reinforcing each other.
Dialogue is the chain that interlinks them all together.
Dialogue serves as one of the soft power tools for conflict prevention and conflict resolution.
It defuses tensions before they escalate and bridges the gaps to deescalate and find mutually acceptable solutions.
Dialogue transforms relations among communities affected by conflict as it rebuilds trust between so that former enemies can envision and realize a shared future.
To put it in another way : Dialogue paves the way for reconciliation , to moving from a divided past towards a shared future
Excellencies,
Dialogue across cultures, religions and civilizations is the platform that the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations continues to reinforce not only as our mandate and mission but as an imperative for sustainable peace.
UNAOC continues to be committed to creating opportunities for cooperation and expanding platforms for community engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, including religious leaders, representatives of civil society organizations, youth, women, academia, media professionals, and the business community.
I am convinced that the complexity of today’s global challenges, require new approaches and new partnerships.
I will stop here and give the floor to H.E. Mr. Yashar Aliyev, the Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the United Nations.