The Radical Middle: Building Bridges Between the Muslim and Western Worlds
By Ali Gomaa01.10.2012
The long list of incidents that have revealed the intensifying tension between the Muslim and Western worlds over the past few years is countless. The terrorist attacks of 9/11, the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan, and the interminable conflict between Israelis and Palestinians are merely the highest profile examples of a global state of affairs whose ramifications extend to even the very local and regional levels.
Unity in Diversity: The Integrative Approach to Intercultural Relations
By Hans Köchler 01.10.2012
Situations of conflict often arise in a complex setting of historical, social, cultural and political interaction between communities; accordingly, they must be dealt with in a multifaceted and integrative manner. In order to “practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours”, as the peoples of the United Nations proclaim in the Preamble to the Charter, we first have to understand each other, or appreciate each other’s way of life and socio-cultural identity.
Dialogue Among Civilizations: Contexts and Perspectives
By Seyed Mohammad Khatami01.10.2012
When the existing paradigm is one of war, domination and violence, the world needs to hear the voice of peace, dialogue and compromise. The widespread acceptance of the proposal to designate 2001 as the Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations by the United Nations General Assembly was of high importance.
Human Rights as a Way of Life
By Shulamith Koenig 01.10.2012
The awareness that all human rights concerns and the effective move towards the realization of human rights—be it political, civil, economic, social or cultural—are indivisible, interconnected and interrelated, with a gender perspective, endows communities with a holistic insight of how we are all different from one another yet yearn to belong in community in dignity with others.
Reconciling Diverse Cultures: The Gender Factor
By Ingrid Moses 01.10.2012
Women in higher education who believe in cultural dialogue and cross-cultural respect, understanding and collaboration are contributing as authentic persons and as women of authority and influence to slowly change perception, practices and policies by valuing people.
Reggae, A Force for Dialogue
By Linda Aïnouche 01.10.2012
Reggae music blew up with a bang to the resistance movement against imperialism in the 1960s. It started in Kingston, Jamaica, and has conquered the world and acquired an emblematic Rastafarian character, but an understanding of its fundamental nature is still lacking.
A Dialogue Through Service: Making a Difference while Making Friends
By Chuck Root01.10.2012
If we are to solve the world’s major problems such as ending war and making sure everyone has enough to eat, millions of people from all over the world will need to be involved. They will need to understand the interconnectivity of all people, care about others, and maintain the highest ethical standards while they focus on solutions. In other words, we need world citizens to communicate with one another. But how are we to find and cultivate these people?
Open Access and Closed Minds: Balancing Intellectual Property and Public Interest in the Digital Age
By Nalaka Gunawardene01.10.2012
Communicating for social change is an incremental process. Despite television being the world’s most pervasive medium, broadcasts alone cannot accomplish this. Our experience in developing Asia shows that narrowcast outreach in classrooms and other small groups is often more effective. However, clearing non-broadcast rights is a major struggle.
Bringing Human Passion into Sustainability Education and Bridging Cultures
By June Gorman 01.10.2012
In reality, the creative and destructive sides of human passion are deeply integral to what it means to be human, but as an educator I increasingly wonder how can we differentiate between the two sides?
How ASPIRE Can Promote Dialogue among Civilizations
By Kyle Jeremiah 01.10.2012
Three billion young people stood on a single stage at the opening plenary session of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20 Summit) in Rio de Janeiro this past June. They demanded change and called on world leaders to take action to ensure that a sustainable future for our children and our grandchildren was secured.
What the UN Can Do to Promote Dialogue among Civilizations
By Hans d’Orville01.10.2012
Since “conflict begins where dialogue ceases”, it is essential to search for ways past political fragmentation and strive to find common ground for debate. Thus, the ideal of authentic dialogue among people belonging to different cultures and civilizations has never lost momentum or its driving force. It must just be adapted to an evolving political landscape in the current era of globalization.
About this Issue
In his remarks at the School of International Relations in Tehran, Iran, on 30 August 2012, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “At the entrance of the United Nations there is a magnificent carpet—I think the largest carpet that the United Nations has—that adorns the wall of the United Nations, a gift from the people of Iran. Alongside it are the wonderful words of that great Persian poet, Sa’adi. I quote:
All human beings are members of one frame,
Since all, at first, from the same essence came,
When time afflicts a limb with pain
The other limbs at rest cannot remain.
If thou feel not for other’s misery
A human being is no name for thee.
This wise counsel is as relevant today as when it was written nearly 800 years ago.” The Secretary-General added that: “Our collective responsibility is to build bridges of mutual understanding. This is the very heart of the Alliance of Civilizations, which is an initiative by the United Nations, an initiative inspired by Iran itself through dialogue among civilizations. This is what your country has proposed. All nations should be true to that higher calling.”
The 2001 United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations was established to redefine diversity and to improve dialogue between civilizations and cultures. Dialogue among civilizations laid the foundations for what, in 2005, became the Alliance of Civilizations. As the Secretary-General said in a 2007 speech, “the Alliance of Civilizations [is] the successor to our earlier Dialogue among Civilization process.” The UN Chronicle takes a closer look at that process and at the progress made and lessons learned during the past ten years in achieving dialogue among civilizations, for that goal remains as valid and as necessary today as it was back in 2001.