This is an executive summary of the publication of the Group of Eminent Persons appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General on the occasion of the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations.

Unity and diversity

Our unity is inscribed in our genes, and our diversity is an inevitability of nature. Undeniably, humans share a universal bond through a remote yet common ancestry. Curiously, scientists have also recently found that the number of human genes is strikingly small. Thus, as external appearances speak of our differences, the degrees of separation between humans are few indeed

The context of the dialogue:
why dialogue and why now?

This may well be the time of globalization, but it is also the time of the rediscovery of individual identity. As the discovery of individuality brings the appreciation of uniqueness, globalization also broadens our awareness of dissimilarities. Consequently, the two opposing trends, globalization and diversity, are two faces of our current reality.

In the past, the perception of diversity as a threat was, and in some cases still is, at the very core of war. Ethnic cleansing, armed conflict or so-called religious clashes were all based on the perception that diversity is a threat. Recalling the atrocities of the previous decade, the answer to the question "Why do we need a dialogue?" seems simple and even obvious. The ancillary question then is: "Why now?".

A process of globalization without dialogue may increase the probability of hegemony. Diversity without dialogue may engender more exclusiveness. Therefore, a dialogue between those who perceive diversity as a threat and those who see it as a tool of betterment and growth is intrinsically necessary.

The goal of dialogue as a tool to manage diversity:
towards a new paradigm of global relations

Can we move from a paradigm of exclusion, one based on the perception of diversity as a threat, to one of inclusion, based on the perception of diversity as an element of betterment and growth?.

Some of the seeds of the new paradigm may already be detectable in our world today. They can be listed as follows:

1. Equal footing (fuller participation in decision-making);
2. Reassessment of the concept of enemy (beyond governance through exclusion);
3. Dispersion of power (no longer a monopoly of power);
4. Individual responsibility in international relations;
5. Stakeholding (in the future of the planet);
6. Issue-driven alignments.

Dialogue appears to be necessary to foster these six elements and therefore to engender the new paradigm of global relations.

A different way of looking at the United Nations

Dialogue may offer a way to look at the United Nations from a different angle: its universality and its inclusiveness of all diversities may be the fertile forum where a global social contract is successfully consummated. Such a contract would emerge between those who seek "participation" in the decision-making process and those who need "legitimacy" for their actions. Eventually, "participation" and "legitimacy" appear to be the two core elements of that social contract.

Finally, for a successful dialogue we may perhaps need a new "global ethics".

"A dialogue between those who perceive diversity as a threat and those who see it as a tool of betterment and growth is intrinsically necessary."