Remarks by H.E. Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos,
Under-Secretary-General, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations,
United Nations Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia
at the High-level panel discussion on
“Identifying Good Practices to Foster Effective Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue for Peace and Solidarity: Lessons Learned”
4 February 2026, Conference Room 8, UN Headquarters, New York
(As written; check against delivery.)
Your Excellency, Mr. Farid Jafarov,
Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
Your Excellency, Mr. Tofig Musayev, Ambassador,
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations,
Under-Secretary-General, Ms. Melissa Fleming,
Distinguished Panelists,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for inviting me, Ambassador Tofig Musayev, to this panel discussion. It is held during the World Interfaith Harmony Week and coincides with the International Day of Human Fraternity. UNAOC is honoured to be the leading United Nations Secretariat entity and substantive partner in commemorating them.
I wish to acknowledge the role of Jordan in spearheading United Nations General Assembly resolution 65/5 “World Interfaith Harmony Week”, and Egypt and the United Arab Emirates for championing resolution 75/200 “International Day of Human Fraternity”, which received a wide sponsorship and support from other Member States, many of whom are present today.
I commend Azerbaijan for its leading role in promoting intercultural and interreligious dialogue. It is a secular country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, where different religions live in spiritual solidarity, based on mutual respect and trust.
Excellencies,
Distinguished Participants,
In panels like this, we have an opportunity to identify new ways to put the values of dialogue, peace and solidarity into practice. It is particularly timely, as polarization has reached dangerous levels today. Wars and conflicts continue to rage in different corners of the world. Hate speech, xenophobia and religious intolerance are surging. All this fuels hatred, triggers fear and drives a wedge between communities. Under such circumstances, human fraternity is far from reach, while peace and solidarity seem to be elusive. This is where intercultural and interreligious dialogue becomes essential.
Allow me to highlight five examples of good practices of fostering intercultural and interreligious dialogue that I find deeply resonating and relevant to this discussion:
1) UNAOC continues to partner with the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan in the World Forums on Intercultural Dialogue since 2011 – a formula under the Baku Process that we started together with other partners, including UNESCO. The Baku Forums bring together governments, religious leaders, Parliamentarians, international organizations and youth, and generate practical commitments and long-lasting partnerships.
2) UNAOC consistently collaborates with the Caucasus Muslims’ Board under the leadership of His Eminence Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazadeh, and co-organizes advocacy events promoting interreligious dialogue across faith denominations to highlight the pivotal role of faith communities in global peace and prevention efforts.
3) Another notable example of promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue for peace and solidarity is the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, held in Astana under the leadership of the President, H.E. Mr. Kassym Jomart-Tokayev.
UNAOC is a standing partner of the Congress. I was honoured to take part in its latest session in September 2025, and I commend Kazakhstan for the adoption of the Astana Peace Declaration. The Declaration serves as a powerful boost and mobilizer to achieve mutual respect between different religions, nations and ethnic groups.
4) The Document of Human Fraternity for “World Peace and Living Together”, co-authored by His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed El Tayeb, is a significant milestone for all people of faith in modern history. At its core is a genuine call for meaningful dialogue among people regardless of their origin, culture or faith.
5) Across the United Nation system, a lot of progress has been made in the promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue for peace, examples of which you can find in the latest report of the Secretary-General on the “Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace”(A/80/501), coordinated by my office.
Therefore, my last, but not least, example will be about the people-centered work of the United Nations, supporting civil society and youth dialogue across cultures and religions.
UNAOC is partnering with the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan on the Peace4Culture initiative, under which we carried out the Young Peacebuilders in South Caucasus and Central Asia. The Programme equipped young people from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan with essential peacebuilding skills and competencies. Following extensive mentorship and capacity-building support, the participants established cross-cultural partnerships and developed action plans to foster intercultural and interreligious dialogue within their communities.
Their journey culminated at the 11th UNAOC Global Forum in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Young people stood tall on a global stage, presented their projects and their deep commitment to building peace locally and globally.
I would particularly like to highlight these examples:
- Three young women from Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia stood side by side, collectively presenting their efforts to foster greater connections among marginalized communities.
- Young people from Kazakhstan and Tajikistan utilized media and technology to promote intercultural dialogue, collaboration and cultural diversity among their peers.
- The Turkmen young peacebuilders transformed their newly acquired knowledge into a valuable peer-to-peer learning opportunity for others.
- Uzbek, Armenian and Azeri youth highlighted how they are addressing the age and gender gaps in peacebuilding.
- Finally, the Kyrgyz youth demonstrated their commitment to inclusion by engaging people with disabilities in promoting peace, ensuring they leave no one behind.
Excellencies,
My Dear Friends,
These powerful examples lead us to several lessons learned:
1) We learned the hard way that global peace is not a privilege, but a right and responsibility. And it is our duty to translate those rights and responsibilities into a tangible impact on the ground.
I firmly believe that we can build societies resilient in their cultural and religious diversity, strong in dialogue and rich in mutual respect – societies where peaceful coexistence is not merely celebrated during the Interfaith Harmony Week, but lived every day.
2) Peace and global solidarity cannot be achieved unless all members of society contribute – whether they are government authorities, religious leaders and faith actors, international organizations, or other relevant stakeholders. Peaceful coexistence begins locally – at home, in classrooms, workplaces – and digital spaces, where the seeds of intolerance can just as easily take root as those of solidarity.
3) Lastly, the passion of young people to achieve and to own peace, to choose dialogue over war, to choose empathy over hate, as demonstrated by our youth programme participants, is truly inspiring. Young people from different cultures and faiths learn from each other, demonstrate mutual respect and are willing and able to build a common future together. Let us admit – we all have a lot to learn from them, and it is our duty to support them by all means possible.
I thank you.