Welcoming remarks by:
H.E. Mr. Lula da Silva, President of the Republic of Brazil [pdf]
H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General [pdf]
H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of Turkey [pdf]
H.E. Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Spain
H.E. Mr. Jorge Sampaio, High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations, former President of Portugal [pdf]
H.H. Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned, Chair, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science & Community Development, Consort of His Highness the Emir of Qatar [pdf]
10:00-10:20Presentation of the “Dialogue Café” – a virtual round table with personalities of several countries
10:30-12:30 SUMMIT PLENARY: CULTURAL DIVERSITY AS THE PATH TO PEACE
Speakers:
H.E. Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, President of the United Nations General Assembly
H.E. Mr. Saud Al Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who will read a message from His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
H.E. Ms. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of the Republic of Argentina
H.E. Mr. José Socrates, Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic
Commentators:
H.E. Mr. Amr Moussa, Secretary General of the League of Arab State
H.E. Mr. Enrique Iglesias, Secretary General of the Ibero-American General Secretariat
Speakers:
H.E. Mr. Evo Morales, President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia
H.E. Mr. Pedro Verona Rodrigues Pires, President of the Republic of Cape Verde
Commentators:
H.E. Mr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference – OIC
H.E. Mr. Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
H.E. Ms. Irina Bokova, Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – UNESCO
Moderators:
Ms Guila Flint, journalist
Mr Henrique Cymerman, journalist
15:00-18:00 MINISTERIAL MEETING OF THE UNAOC GROUP OF FRIENDS: REINFORCING OUR COMMITMENT TO THE ALLIANCE
Co-Chairmen:
H.E. President Jorge Sampaio, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
H.E. Ali Abdussalam Treki, President of the United Nations General Assembly
Participants:
Ministers and other Heads of delegation of States and International Organizations, members of the Group of Friends of the Alliance of Civilizations
15:00-16:15 FIRST SERIES OF PARALLEL SESSIONS
THEMATIC SESSION 1: DEMOCRACY, GOOD GOVERNANCE AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Co-organizers: Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), Carter Center
Rapporteur: Ambassador Anda Filip, Director of External Relations, IPU
Moderator: Senator Angel Alonso Diaz-Caneja, Vice President of IPU, Mexico
Panelists :
H.E. Mr. João Luiz Silva Ferreira, Minister of Culture, Brazil
Ms. Marta Lagos, Executive Director, Latinobarómetro, Chile
H.E. Melvut Cavusoglu, President, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Turk
H.E. Mr. Kjell Magne Bondevik, Former President of Norway
Prof. Franz Magnis-Suseno, Professor of Philosophy, Driyarkara School for Philosophy and Universitas Indonesia
Summary:
The thematic session on Democracy, good governance, and cultural diversity emphasized the importance of building trust through dialogue through mechanisms such as inter-religious councils who have a regular and ongoing program of consultations and discussions, which can help to diffuse tension and misperception. It was also pointed out that authorities need to facilitate and promote the effective participation of ethnic and cultural minorities in public life. Political parties have a particular responsibility in ensuring gender equality and the political representation of minorities. Finally, the session called on the need to invest in youth through education for all, offering spaces for youth to express themselves in public life, and facilitate exchanges among youth of different cultural backgrounds. One concrete proposal referred to the establishment of youth political shadow systems, to advise government officials with youth perceptions and suggestions on major political, economic and social issues.
THEMATIC SESSION 2: EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH EDUCATION
Co-organizers: UN office of the special adviser on Gender Issues; Menengage
Rapporteur: Thomas Uthup, Research, UNAoC Secretariat
Moderator: Mrs Mona El Tahawy, Journalist
Panelists :
Ms. Teresa Langle de Paz, Professor, Houston University, USA
Mr. Laxman Belbase, Regional Coordinator, MenEngage Alliance, South Asia, Nepal
Ms. Nilcea Freire, Minister, Special Secretariat for Gender Policy, Brazil
Mr. Ted Bunch, Co-Founder, A Call to Men
Dr. Siti Musdah Mulia, Research Professor, Institute of Sciences, Indonesia
H.E. Dr. Esther Brimmer, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, (Remarks delivered by Delivered by Deputy Counselor for ECOSOC issues at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York, Ms. Laurie Phipps), USA
Summary:
The Empowering Women through Education session emphasized the transformative power of education, not only for women, but for societies and the world. Recognizing this, some governments have chosen to magnify this transformative power through policies at the national level and through their international aid policies. NGOs representatives emphasized the importance of educating boys and girls, men and women through both formal and informal education. It was also pointed that when cultural groups are marginalized and denied access to opportunity, half of such groups are women. An innovative element of this was the Soliya Terana project of bringing voices, through videos, from diverse countries who opined on the issue considered by the session.
THEMATIC SESSION 3: SHAPING PERCEPTIONS, CHALLENGING STEREOTYPES – THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA TODAY
Moderator: Mr. Yen Feng, religion correspondent, Straits Times, Singapore
Panelists :
Mr. Philippe Cayla, Chairman and CEO, Euronews,
Ms. Melody Moezzi, Commentator, for National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, USA
Ms. Randa Achmawi, Senior Diplomatic Correspondent, Al-Ahram Hebdo, Egypt
Mrs. Maryam Al-Khater, Deputy Director General, Doha Center for Media Freedom and Columnist and writer for Al-Sharq newspaper, Qatar
Mr. Paul Walton, Director of Communications, Anna Lindh Foundation, UK
Mr. Muddassar Ahmed, CEO, Unitas Communications
Summary:
In the Shaping Perceptions, Challenging Stereotypes session, multiple examples such as the coverage of issues related to Iran and Gaza demonstrated the differences that shape perception. These include language, access to media, and agendas of different players. Although speakers felt that we are closer than ever before in terms of an interconnected world, media coverage does not necessarily reflect this fact. One of the key questions to be explored further is: how do we diversify voices that we hear from within the context of different media markets?
THEMATIC SESSION 4: LIVING TOGETHER IN URBAN SOCIETIES
Co-organizers: Council of Europe and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)
Rapporteur: Mr. Eduardo Miralles I Ventimilla, UCLG
Moderator: Mr. Phil Wood, urban therapist, researcher and analyst
Panelists :
H.E. Mr. Marcio Fortes, Minister for Cities, Brazil
H.E. Mr. Alfredo Sánchez Monteseirín, Mayor of Seville, Spain
Ms. Irena Guidikova, Head of Division of Cultural Policy, Diversity and Dialogue, Council of Europe
H.E. Mr. António Costa, Mayor of Lisbon, Portugal
H.E. Mr. Vincenzo Scotti, Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Italy
H.E. Mr. Kadir Topbaş , Mayor of Istanbul , Co-President of United Cities and Local Governments, Turkey
Mr. Sérgio Besserman Vianna, President of the Chamber for Sustainable Development of the City of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ms. Cecilia Martinez, Director of UN-HABITAT regional Office for Latin America and Caribbean
Summary:
The Thematic Session 4 “Living Together in Urban Societies” explored the advantages that cities can achieve from overcoming barriers of ethnicity, culture, social status and distance and connecting people – across neighborhoods and across continents. The session highlighted intercultural cities that realized their ‘diversity advantage’, inviting speakers to exchange on practical methods to resolve disputes and build dialogue, on places and spaces to build a common urban citizenship and to learn from the rich experience of cultures living together in the host city of Rio de Janeiro.
Speakers agreed that diversity in cities was a factor enabling growth and development. They nonetheless highlighted the challenges in addressing poverty and inequality in urban contexts. Second, the role of multilevel governance, and in particular municipalities, was underscored as critical in enhancing the diversity advantage of multi-cultural urban societies, and the role of local governments. Third, speakers addressed the importance of learning about practical, concrete and feasible projects and good practices, such as new technologies and education for a better understanding of cultural diversity.
16:30–17:45 SECOND SERIES OF PARALLEL SESSIONS
THEMATIC SESSION 5: THE NEW MEDIA: TOWARDS NEW FORMS OF SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION
Co-organizer: Soliya
Rapporteur: Mr. Daanish Masood, Media, UNAoC Secretariat
Moderator: Mr. Lucas Welch, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Soliya, USA
Panelists:
Mr. Riyaad Minty, Head of Social Media, Al Jazeera, Qatar
Mrs Mona El Tahawy, Journalist
Mr. Luís Nassif, Journalist, Brazil
Mr. Ricken Patel, Executive Director, AVAAZ, Canada
Mr. Ramzi Khoury, Creator, Sleepless in Gaza , Palestine
Summary:
In the New Media session panelists discussed how the Internet is allowing people to connect and mobilize in innovative ways, and access and provide news through alternative channels. This is particularly relevant to regions where traditional media face challenges. At the same time, one must recognize that there are limits to new media, such as the digital divide. Additionally, there are consequences for people who are sharing information that is perceived as sensitive for governments.
THEMATIC SESSION 6: HUMAN RIGHTS, ETHICS AND SOLUTION TO CONFLICTS
Co-organizer: People’s Movement for Human Rights Learning and Danish Institute for Human Rights
Rapporteur: Mrs. Beate Winkler, Interim Director, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Austria
Moderator: Dr. Kamal Hossain, Chairman, Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs [speaking notes pdf]
Panelists:
H.E. Mr. Pailo Vanucci, Minister for Human Rights, Brazil
Ms. Shulamith Koenig, Founding President and former Executive Director of The People’s Movement for Human Rights Learning (PDHRE)
Ms. Olenka Ochoa, Human Rights Activist [speaking notes pdf]
Ms. Charlotte Flindt Pedersen, Deputy Director, Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) [speaking notes pdf]
Dr. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar
Mr. Radhouane Nouicer, Director of the UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for the Middle East and North Africa
Summary:
The main result of the discussions at the Human Rights Session was that it should be our aim that we experience human rights as our daily culture where everybody has the feeling of belonging to a community with dignity and respect. For this we need 3 Cs: cooperation, communication, and competence; and 3 Is: information, inspiration, and involvement. In conclusion, we need a new social contract and a personal commitment by all of us to pursue human rights in our communities.
THEMATIC SESSION 7: HISTORY AS A TOOL FOR CULTURAL COOPERATION
Co-organizer: Council of Europe, IRCICA (Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture) Council of Europe North-South Centre
Rapporteur: Mr. Jean-Pierre Titz, Council of Europe
Co-Moderators:
Mr. Denis Huber, Executive director of the Council of Europe North-South Centre, Portugal
Mr. Halit Eren, Director General of IRCICA, Turkey
Panelists :
Mr. Gaspar Zarrias, secretary for Institutional Relations and Political Autonomy of the PSOE, Spain
Prof. Thomas W. Zeiler, Director of the Global Studies Academic Program of the University of Colorado, and executive editor of the journal Diplomatic History, USA
Prof. Mustapha Tlili, Director, Center for Dialogues at New York University, USA
Mr. Joao Carlos Nogueira, Secretary-General, Ministry of the Secretariat for Policies of Promotion of Racial Equality, Brazil
Summary:
The History as an Integral Dimension of Intercultural Dialogue session speakers pointed out that history teaching should emphasize interactions – both positive and negative – to enable understanding of the complexity of history. It was felt that a major challenge was to transform the enormous amounts of available material into forms that could be educational in the classroom and the larger public. Although the use of new technology could help tremendously in this regard, there was a need for training, tracking, and judicious selection. The Alliance of Civilizations was encouraged to work with international partners to develop concrete projects in this regard in the Mediterranean and other regions of the world, as in the case of Southeastern Europe. A youth representative pointed out that since youth were important agents of change in promoting inclusive history, youth should be encouraged to develop inclusive history projects worldwide.
THEMATIC SESSION 8: EMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY REDUCTION IN TIMES OF CRISIS
Co-organizer: Club of Madrid
Rapporteur: Mr Carlos Valdes, Program Assistant, the Shared Society Project, Club de Madrid
Moderator: Dr Necla Tschirgi, Senior Researcher, Former Senior Policy Advisor at UN Peacebuilding Support Office, Canada
Panelists:
Dr. Ricardo Henriques, Professor, Institute of Applied Economic Research, Brazil
H.E. Mr. Kjell Magne Bondevik, Former Prime Minister of Norway, and Club de Madrid Member
H.E. Ms Beatriz Merino, National Ombudswoman of Peru
Mr. Ron Bruder, Founder and CEO, Education for Employment Foundation, USA
H.E. Mr. John Kufuor, Former President, Ghana, and Club de Madrid Member
Mr. Ahmed Younis, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications at Silatech
Mr. Jean Marinat, Deputy Secretary General of the ILO
18:15-19:45 SPECIAL SESSION: BUILDING PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS FOR INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE AND DIVERSITY
Rapporteur : Cly Wallace Aramian, UNAOC Advisor, UK
Moderator: Jean-Christophe Bas, UNAOC
Panelists:
Ms. Pascale Thumerelle, Vice-President, Director of Sustainable Development of Vivendi, France
Mr. Nelson Savioli, Secretary General of the Fundacao Roberto Marinho, Brazil
Mr. Marcelo Drugg Barreto Vianna, Partner Deloitte-Touche Tohmatsu, Brazil
Mr. Effenus Henderson, Chief Diversity Officer Weyerhaueser, USA
Mr. Mansour Javidan, Board Member Business for Diplomatic Action and Dean of Research, Thunderbird School of Global Management, USA
Mr. Fernando Rossetti, Secretary general, GIFE (Grupo de Institutos Fundações e Empresas), Brazil
Dr. Tariq H. Cheema, Founder & CEO of the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists
Mr. Andrew Barnett, Gulbenkian Foundation
Summary:
In the Public-Private partnership session, a consensus emerged that intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity are a full component of the sustainable development agenda, or at least should be recognized as such. Indeed, sustainable development cannot be restricted to economic and social goals (MDGs) and climate change. This strong message reinforced the need to mainstream intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity in the sustainability agenda. An outcome of the meeting was that a group of partners are willing to generate a set of rough indicators and measures to assess progress made by countries in the field of intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity.
Program for May 28, 2010
THIRD GLOBAL FORUM OF THE ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS in Rio de Janeiro
BRIDGING CULTURES, BUILDING PEACE
Links to program by day:
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Friday, 28 May 2010
Saturday, 29 May 2010
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Friday, 28 May 2010
09:00-10:00 OPENING SESSION (VIVO RIO)
Welcoming remarks by:
H.E. Mr. Lula da Silva, President of the Republic of Brazil [pdf]
H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General [pdf]
H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of Turkey [pdf]
H.E. Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Spain
H.E. Mr. Jorge Sampaio, High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations, former President of Portugal [pdf]
H.H. Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned, Chair, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science & Community Development, Consort of His Highness the Emir of Qatar [pdf]
10:00-10:20 Presentation of the “Dialogue Café” – a virtual round table with personalities of several countries
10:30-12:30 SUMMIT PLENARY: CULTURAL DIVERSITY AS THE PATH TO PEACE
Speakers:
H.E. Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, President of the United Nations General Assembly
H.E. Mr. Saud Al Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who will read a message from His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
H.E. Ms. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of the Republic of Argentina
H.E. Mr. José Socrates, Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic
Commentators:
H.E. Mr. Amr Moussa, Secretary General of the League of Arab State
H.E. Mr. Enrique Iglesias, Secretary General of the Ibero-American General Secretariat
Speakers:
H.E. Mr. Evo Morales, President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia
H.E. Mr. Pedro Verona Rodrigues Pires, President of the Republic of Cape Verde
Commentators:
H.E. Mr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference – OIC
H.E. Mr. Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
H.E. Ms. Irina Bokova, Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – UNESCO
Moderators:
Ms Guila Flint, journalist
Mr Henrique Cymerman, journalist
15:00-18:00 MINISTERIAL MEETING OF THE UNAOC GROUP OF FRIENDS: REINFORCING OUR COMMITMENT TO THE ALLIANCE
Co-Chairmen:
H.E. President Jorge Sampaio, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
H.E. Ali Abdussalam Treki, President of the United Nations General Assembly
Participants:
Ministers and other Heads of delegation of States and International Organizations, members of the Group of Friends of the Alliance of Civilizations
15:00-16:15 FIRST SERIES OF PARALLEL SESSIONS
THEMATIC SESSION 1: DEMOCRACY, GOOD GOVERNANCE AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Co-organizers: Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), Carter Center
Rapporteur: Ambassador Anda Filip, Director of External Relations, IPU
Moderator: Senator Angel Alonso Diaz-Caneja, Vice President of IPU, Mexico
Panelists :
H.E. Mr. João Luiz Silva Ferreira, Minister of Culture, Brazil
Ms. Marta Lagos, Executive Director, Latinobarómetro, Chile
H.E. Melvut Cavusoglu, President, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Turk
H.E. Mr. Kjell Magne Bondevik, Former President of Norway
Prof. Franz Magnis-Suseno, Professor of Philosophy, Driyarkara School for Philosophy and Universitas Indonesia
Concept Paper
Summary:
The thematic session on Democracy, good governance, and cultural diversity emphasized the importance of building trust through dialogue through mechanisms such as inter-religious councils who have a regular and ongoing program of consultations and discussions, which can help to diffuse tension and misperception. It was also pointed out that authorities need to facilitate and promote the effective participation of ethnic and cultural minorities in public life. Political parties have a particular responsibility in ensuring gender equality and the political representation of minorities. Finally, the session called on the need to invest in youth through education for all, offering spaces for youth to express themselves in public life, and facilitate exchanges among youth of different cultural backgrounds. One concrete proposal referred to the establishment of youth political shadow systems, to advise government officials with youth perceptions and suggestions on major political, economic and social issues.
THEMATIC SESSION 2: EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH EDUCATION
Co-organizers: UN office of the special adviser on Gender Issues; Menengage
Rapporteur: Thomas Uthup, Research, UNAoC Secretariat
Moderator: Mrs Mona El Tahawy, Journalist
Panelists :
Ms. Teresa Langle de Paz, Professor, Houston University, USA
Mr. Laxman Belbase, Regional Coordinator, MenEngage Alliance, South Asia, Nepal
Ms. Nilcea Freire, Minister, Special Secretariat for Gender Policy, Brazil
Mr. Ted Bunch, Co-Founder, A Call to Men
Dr. Siti Musdah Mulia, Research Professor, Institute of Sciences, Indonesia
H.E. Dr. Esther Brimmer, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, (Remarks delivered by Delivered by Deputy Counselor for ECOSOC issues at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York, Ms. Laurie Phipps), USA
Concept Paper
Summary:
The Empowering Women through Education session emphasized the transformative power of education, not only for women, but for societies and the world. Recognizing this, some governments have chosen to magnify this transformative power through policies at the national level and through their international aid policies. NGOs representatives emphasized the importance of educating boys and girls, men and women through both formal and informal education. It was also pointed that when cultural groups are marginalized and denied access to opportunity, half of such groups are women. An innovative element of this was the Soliya Terana project of bringing voices, through videos, from diverse countries who opined on the issue considered by the session.
THEMATIC SESSION 3: SHAPING PERCEPTIONS, CHALLENGING STEREOTYPES – THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA TODAY
Co-organizer: Anna Lindh Foundation
Rapporteur: Stephanie Durand, Media, UNAoC Secretariat
Moderator: Mr. Yen Feng, religion correspondent, Straits Times, Singapore
Panelists :
Mr. Philippe Cayla, Chairman and CEO, Euronews,
Ms. Melody Moezzi, Commentator, for National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, USA
Ms. Randa Achmawi, Senior Diplomatic Correspondent, Al-Ahram Hebdo, Egypt
Mrs. Maryam Al-Khater, Deputy Director General, Doha Center for Media Freedom and Columnist and writer for Al-Sharq newspaper, Qatar
Mr. Paul Walton, Director of Communications, Anna Lindh Foundation, UK
Mr. Muddassar Ahmed, CEO, Unitas Communications
Concept Paper
Summary:
In the Shaping Perceptions, Challenging Stereotypes session, multiple examples such as the coverage of issues related to Iran and Gaza demonstrated the differences that shape perception. These include language, access to media, and agendas of different players. Although speakers felt that we are closer than ever before in terms of an interconnected world, media coverage does not necessarily reflect this fact. One of the key questions to be explored further is: how do we diversify voices that we hear from within the context of different media markets?
THEMATIC SESSION 4: LIVING TOGETHER IN URBAN SOCIETIES
Co-organizers: Council of Europe and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)
Rapporteur: Mr. Eduardo Miralles I Ventimilla, UCLG
Moderator: Mr. Phil Wood, urban therapist, researcher and analyst
Panelists :
H.E. Mr. Marcio Fortes, Minister for Cities, Brazil
H.E. Mr. Alfredo Sánchez Monteseirín, Mayor of Seville, Spain
Ms. Irena Guidikova, Head of Division of Cultural Policy, Diversity and Dialogue, Council of Europe
H.E. Mr. António Costa, Mayor of Lisbon, Portugal
H.E. Mr. Vincenzo Scotti, Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Italy
H.E. Mr. Kadir Topbaş , Mayor of Istanbul , Co-President of United Cities and Local Governments, Turkey
Mr. Sérgio Besserman Vianna, President of the Chamber for Sustainable Development of the City of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ms. Cecilia Martinez, Director of UN-HABITAT regional Office for Latin America and Caribbean
Concept Paper
Long Report
Summary:
The Thematic Session 4 “Living Together in Urban Societies” explored the advantages that cities can achieve from overcoming barriers of ethnicity, culture, social status and distance and connecting people – across neighborhoods and across continents. The session highlighted intercultural cities that realized their ‘diversity advantage’, inviting speakers to exchange on practical methods to resolve disputes and build dialogue, on places and spaces to build a common urban citizenship and to learn from the rich experience of cultures living together in the host city of Rio de Janeiro.
Speakers agreed that diversity in cities was a factor enabling growth and development. They nonetheless highlighted the challenges in addressing poverty and inequality in urban contexts. Second, the role of multilevel governance, and in particular municipalities, was underscored as critical in enhancing the diversity advantage of multi-cultural urban societies, and the role of local governments. Third, speakers addressed the importance of learning about practical, concrete and feasible projects and good practices, such as new technologies and education for a better understanding of cultural diversity.
16:30–17:45 SECOND SERIES OF PARALLEL SESSIONS
THEMATIC SESSION 5: THE NEW MEDIA: TOWARDS NEW FORMS OF SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION
Co-organizer: Soliya
Rapporteur: Mr. Daanish Masood, Media, UNAoC Secretariat
Moderator: Mr. Lucas Welch, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Soliya, USA
Panelists:
Mr. Riyaad Minty, Head of Social Media, Al Jazeera, Qatar
Mrs Mona El Tahawy, Journalist
Mr. Luís Nassif, Journalist, Brazil
Mr. Ricken Patel, Executive Director, AVAAZ, Canada
Mr. Ramzi Khoury, Creator, Sleepless in Gaza , Palestine
Concept Paper
Summary:
In the New Media session panelists discussed how the Internet is allowing people to connect and mobilize in innovative ways, and access and provide news through alternative channels. This is particularly relevant to regions where traditional media face challenges. At the same time, one must recognize that there are limits to new media, such as the digital divide. Additionally, there are consequences for people who are sharing information that is perceived as sensitive for governments.
THEMATIC SESSION 6: HUMAN RIGHTS, ETHICS AND SOLUTION TO CONFLICTS
Co-organizer: People’s Movement for Human Rights Learning and Danish Institute for Human Rights
Rapporteur: Mrs. Beate Winkler, Interim Director, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Austria
Moderator: Dr. Kamal Hossain, Chairman, Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs [speaking notes pdf]
Panelists:
H.E. Mr. Pailo Vanucci, Minister for Human Rights, Brazil
Ms. Shulamith Koenig, Founding President and former Executive Director of The People’s Movement for Human Rights Learning (PDHRE)
Ms. Olenka Ochoa, Human Rights Activist [speaking notes pdf]
Ms. Charlotte Flindt Pedersen, Deputy Director, Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) [speaking notes pdf]
Dr. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar
Mr. Radhouane Nouicer, Director of the UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for the Middle East and North Africa
Concept Paper
Summary:
The main result of the discussions at the Human Rights Session was that it should be our aim that we experience human rights as our daily culture where everybody has the feeling of belonging to a community with dignity and respect. For this we need 3 Cs: cooperation, communication, and competence; and 3 Is: information, inspiration, and involvement. In conclusion, we need a new social contract and a personal commitment by all of us to pursue human rights in our communities.
THEMATIC SESSION 7: HISTORY AS A TOOL FOR CULTURAL COOPERATION
Co-organizer: Council of Europe, IRCICA (Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture) Council of Europe North-South Centre
Rapporteur: Mr. Jean-Pierre Titz, Council of Europe
Co-Moderators:
Mr. Denis Huber, Executive director of the Council of Europe North-South Centre, Portugal
Mr. Halit Eren, Director General of IRCICA, Turkey
Panelists :
Mr. Gaspar Zarrias, secretary for Institutional Relations and Political Autonomy of the PSOE, Spain
Prof. Thomas W. Zeiler, Director of the Global Studies Academic Program of the University of Colorado, and executive editor of the journal Diplomatic History, USA
Prof. Mustapha Tlili, Director, Center for Dialogues at New York University, USA
Mr. Joao Carlos Nogueira, Secretary-General, Ministry of the Secretariat for Policies of Promotion of Racial Equality, Brazil
Concept Paper
Summary:
The History as an Integral Dimension of Intercultural Dialogue session speakers pointed out that history teaching should emphasize interactions – both positive and negative – to enable understanding of the complexity of history. It was felt that a major challenge was to transform the enormous amounts of available material into forms that could be educational in the classroom and the larger public. Although the use of new technology could help tremendously in this regard, there was a need for training, tracking, and judicious selection. The Alliance of Civilizations was encouraged to work with international partners to develop concrete projects in this regard in the Mediterranean and other regions of the world, as in the case of Southeastern Europe. A youth representative pointed out that since youth were important agents of change in promoting inclusive history, youth should be encouraged to develop inclusive history projects worldwide.
THEMATIC SESSION 8: EMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY REDUCTION IN TIMES OF CRISIS
Co-organizer: Club of Madrid
Rapporteur: Mr Carlos Valdes, Program Assistant, the Shared Society Project, Club de Madrid
Moderator: Dr Necla Tschirgi, Senior Researcher, Former Senior Policy Advisor at UN Peacebuilding Support Office, Canada
Panelists:
Dr. Ricardo Henriques, Professor, Institute of Applied Economic Research, Brazil
H.E. Mr. Kjell Magne Bondevik, Former Prime Minister of Norway, and Club de Madrid Member
H.E. Ms Beatriz Merino, National Ombudswoman of Peru
Mr. Ron Bruder, Founder and CEO, Education for Employment Foundation, USA
H.E. Mr. John Kufuor, Former President, Ghana, and Club de Madrid Member
Mr. Ahmed Younis, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications at Silatech
Mr. Jean Marinat, Deputy Secretary General of the ILO
Concept Paper
18:15-19:45 SPECIAL SESSION: BUILDING PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS FOR INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE AND DIVERSITY
Rapporteur : Cly Wallace Aramian, UNAOC Advisor, UK
Moderator: Jean-Christophe Bas, UNAOC
Panelists:
Ms. Pascale Thumerelle, Vice-President, Director of Sustainable Development of Vivendi, France
Mr. Nelson Savioli, Secretary General of the Fundacao Roberto Marinho, Brazil
Mr. Marcelo Drugg Barreto Vianna, Partner Deloitte-Touche Tohmatsu, Brazil
Mr. Effenus Henderson, Chief Diversity Officer Weyerhaueser, USA
Mr. Mansour Javidan, Board Member Business for Diplomatic Action and Dean of Research, Thunderbird School of Global Management, USA
Mr. Fernando Rossetti, Secretary general, GIFE (Grupo de Institutos Fundações e Empresas), Brazil
Dr. Tariq H. Cheema, Founder & CEO of the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists
Mr. Andrew Barnett, Gulbenkian Foundation
Concept Paper
Summary:
In the Public-Private partnership session, a consensus emerged that intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity are a full component of the sustainable development agenda, or at least should be recognized as such. Indeed, sustainable development cannot be restricted to economic and social goals (MDGs) and climate change. This strong message reinforced the need to mainstream intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity in the sustainability agenda. An outcome of the meeting was that a group of partners are willing to generate a set of rough indicators and measures to assess progress made by countries in the field of intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity.
« back to general program