Worldwide Participation in Doha Alliance of Civilization Forum

Doha, December 07 (QNA) - The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) will convene its fourth annual Forum in Doha next Sunday under the theme "'Intercultural Dialogue to Boost Development". More than 2000 political and corporate leaders, civil society activists, youth groups, faith communities, research centers, foundations and journalists will come together at the UNAOC s Forum in Doha to agree on joint actions to improve relations across cultures, combat prejudice and build lasting peace. The Doha Forum will be a platform to share ideas and learn from each other, present new initiatives and announce exciting commitments from partners and the organizers. The program will also feature project-specific working sessions, interactive discussions and debates, as well as provide a convening space for civil society organizations to present their exciting initiatives. On a welcome message published on the Doha Forum website, HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the Ambassador of the Alliance of Civilizations, said: "The Doha Forum will provide the opportunity for us all governments, civil society organizations and international agencies alike to meet together as partners to further reiterate our commitment to building a culture of peace and dialogue among civilizations." "An essential addition will be hearing from the delegation of young people who will be joining us from different parts of the world," HH Sheikha Moza added. The world is undergoing some remarkable changes which demonstrate that now, more than ever, is the time for action not words, HH underlined. "New thinking and innovative approaches are urgently needed to face the growing challenges in vital areas such as education, health, poverty, youth, media and culture. Both the Alliance of Civilizations and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals provide mechanisms to tackle challenges in these areas," HH Sheikha Moza said. "However, by uniting the values of the Alliance of Civilizations with the measurable pragmatic path of the Millennium Development Goals, we can creatively collaborate to find these needed fresh ideas," HH Sheikha Moza noted. HH underlined that this collaboration can be the turning point for the AOC toward our common quest for better understanding, stability and peace. HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser called for working together to leverage the Alliance s principles by transforming them into more practical solutions on the ground. Youth activities will be held on Saturday ahead of the opening of the UNAOC Forum. The activities include the "Youth Walk", the "Youth Event" and the "Doh art Intercultural Festival". The youth activities are among the new events on the Forum agenda, launched for the first time in the previous Forum in Rio de Janeiro in order to involve young people in supporting the alliance initiative and find out their views about cultures and live in peace despite the differences between peoples. Meanwhile, the Doh art Intercultural Festival represents a unique opportunity to raise awareness on one of the civilizations, cultures and heritage. The four-day festival, to be held in Katara, hosts a wide range of world-renowned artists from different cultures, and includes exhibitions, concerts and cultural events. The 4th UNAOC Forum in Doha will be officially opened at the Qatar National Convention Center through an opening session followed by a high level debate on "How does Cultural Diversity Matter to Development ? The missing link", then an awards ceremony for intercultural innovation. The Forum program in the first day includes a series of breakout and network sessions that discuss several key topics such as 'The Role of Education in Sustainable Development , Tourism Industry and Travel Celebrating Diversity, Linking Cultures and promoting Dialogue between Civilizations , 'The Role of Creative Industries to Boost Development , The Impact of Migration in Development , Sports Role in Promoting Intercultural Dialogue and Understanding , 'Enlarging the Network of Creative Cities , Boosting MYC4 to Support Creative Industries and Empower Women in Africa , Youth for Development: Partners and Agents of Change , The Role of Women in Contributing to Sustainable Development , 'Religious Minorities and MDGs , Media Development at time of transitions and others. A Special session on "UNAOC : a new paradigm to manage intercultural relations" will also be held in the first day, followed by a welcoming reception at Katara Cultural Village. On the second day of the Forum, a plenary session entitled Trust and Tolerance to Advance Development Goals will be held in addition to other sessions that discuss a host of topics including 'Muslim-Western Relations', The future of Digital Freedom and public diplomacy , 'The Arab Spring: Youth and Nation-Building , 'Addressing Rising Restrictions on Religion and others. On the third and last day, the participants will a plenary session on New Strategies for Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding and Cooperation . They will also discuss 'A New Agenda for Living Together Changing the Narrative on Dealing with Differences , 'New Tools for Building Consensus and Making Cultural Diversity an Asset , 'promoting intercultural dialogue, inclusion and diversity : Towards a new deal that Engages all Actors , 'Intercultural competences and skills', 'New ICT Strategies for Intercultural Dialogue and Citizenship Education and others. The Alliance of Civilizations aims to improve understanding and cooperative relations among nations and peoples across cultures and religions. It also helps to counter the forces that fuel polarization and extremism. The United Nations Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC) was established in 2005, at the initiative of the Governments of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the United Nations. A High-level Group of experts was formed by former Secretary-General Kofi Annan to explore the roots of polarization between societies and cultures today, and to recommend a practical program of action to address this issue. On 26 April 2007, former President of Portugal, Jorge Sampaio, was appointed as the High Representative for the UNAOC by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to lead the implementation phase of the Alliance. The UNAOC Secretariat, which is based in New York, works with a global network of partners with States, international and regional organizations, civil society groups, foundations, and the private sector to improve cross-cultural relations between diverse nations and communities. It also works at the grassroots level, promoting innovative projects in media, education, migration and youth sectors that build trust, reconciliation and mutual respect. The Annual Forum is the highest-profile event of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, bringing together prominent personalities, current and potential partners, and others from different sectors. Forums in the past have been held in Madrid, Spain (2008), Istanbul, Turkey (2009) and Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (2010). This year, world leaders and Civil Society organizations will join their efforts in Doha to make United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) 4th international forum a turning point, taking into account the past and current achievements in Madrid, Istanbul and Rio De Janeiro. A turning point because of its particular format, as for the very first time in UNAOC s existence, the Civil Society will actively contribute to the forum s debates and outcomes (Doha Pre-Forum for Civil Society organized in May 2011 brought together 190 participants from 80 countries). A turning point also because at Doha, the UNAOC will anchor itself as the source of strong convictions and impactful actions that promote peace and development of societies through intercultural dialogue, evidenced by the Doha Forum s baseline "Intercultural Dialogue to boost Development". (QNA)