United Nations General Assembly 61st session
President

Third Informal Thematic Debate
Civilizations and the Challenge for Peace: Obstacles and Opportunities

10 and 11 May 2007
Trusteeship Council Chamber, United Nations

Programme

A printable PDF version of the Programme is available here.

Thursday 10 May

Panel 1 - Respect for Cultural Diversity is a prerequisite for Dialogue
10 AM - 1 PM

• Dr. Ghassan Salame
  Professor of International Relations at Sciences Po University, Former Minister of Culture of Lebanon
  Introductory Remarks by Dr. Ghassan Salame [PDF]
  
  
• Rev. Canon Dr. Trond Bakkevig
  Pastor of the Lutheran Church of Norway
  Introductory Remarks by Rev. Canon Dr. Trond Bakkevig
  
  
• Ms. Fatemeh Keshavarz-Karamustafa
  Professor of Persian and Comparative Literature Chair, Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages & Literatures University of Washington
  
  
• Ms. Regine Boucard - Moderator
  West African Museum Program, former President of the World Bank Art Society
  Introductory Remarks by Ms. Regine Boucard
  
  

Panel 2 - Religion in Contemporary Society
3 PM - 6 PM

• Mr. Mohamed Arkoun
  Emeritus Professor of the History of Islamic Thought at the Sorbonne
  Introductory Remarks by Mr. Mohamed Arkoun
  
  
• Mr. Manish Kasliwal
  National Chairman, Young Jains of India
  Religion in Contemporary Society - slides
  Religion in Contemporary Society - Notes to accompany slides
  
  
• Ms. Mary Ann Glendon
  Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard Law School and President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
  Introductory Remarks by Ms. Mary Ann Glendon
  
  
• Dr. Hune Margulies
  Director, The Martin Buber Institute for Dialogical Ecology
  Introductory Remarks by Dr. Hune Margulies
  
  
• Mr. Robert Thurman – Moderator
  Chair, Department of Religious Studies, Columbia University
  
  

Friday 11 May

Panel 3 - The Responsibility of the Media
10 AM - 1 PM

• Ms. Robin Mansell
  Professor of new Media, Head of the Department of New Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science
  Introductory Remarks by Ms. Robin Mansell
  
  
• Dr. Mohamed Al Rumaihi
  Professor of Political Sociology , Kuwait University
  Introductory Remarks by Dr. Mohamed Al Rumaihi
  
  
• Ms. Mona Siddiqui
  Professor of Islamic Studies and Public Understanding, University of Glasgow
  Introductory Remarks by Ms. Mona Siddiqui
  
  
• Mr. Warren Hoge - Moderator
  New York Times, United Nations Bureau Chief
  
  

Panel 4 - Civilizations and the Challenge for Global Peace and Security
3 PM - 6 PM

• Mr. Souleymane Bachir Diagne
  Northwestern University
  Introductory Remarks by Mr. Souleymane Bachir Diagne
  
  
• Mr. Amre Moussa
  Secretary-General, League of Arab States
  Introductory Remarks by Mr. Amre Moussa
  
  
• Ms. Karen Armstrong
  Author on religion, television broadcaster
  Introductory Remarks by Karen Armstrong
  
  
• Mr. Shashi Tharoor - Moderator
  Author and Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information
  Introductory Remarks by Mr. Shashi Tharoor
  
  

SIDE EVENT

Roundtable Discussion on the Arts - How can the UN better use the arts in further developing strategies to bridge the gaps between cultures?

Date: Friday 11 May 2007
Time: 1.15 pm - 3.00 pm
Venue: Conference Room 6

• Mr. Richard Gluckman
  Gluckman Mayner Architects
  
  
• Mrs. Karen Brooks Hopkins
  President, Brooklyn Academy of Music
  
  
• Dr. Lisa Koenigsberg
  Founder and President, Initiatives in Arts and Culture
  
  
• Dr. Paul LeClerc
  President and Chief Executive Officer, New York Public Library
  
  
• Mrs. Gail Dexter Lord
  President, Lord Cultural Resources
  
  
• Mr. Michael Kimmelman - Moderator
  Chief Art Critic, The New York Times