I welcome the Group of Friends of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations to this annual high-level meeting, which also marks the Alliance’s 15th anniversary.
 
It is heartening to see how an ambitious initiative launched in 2005 by the late Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has grown to become an important tool for conflict prevention through its work promoting inter-religious and intercultural dialogue.
 
This progress would not have been possible without the substantive support of Spain and Turkey, the co-sponsors of the Alliance, and the community of the Group of Friends.
 
You gather remotely today as a new and unusual session of the United Nations General Assembly is under way.
 
These are testing times for us all.
 
The international community is facing a crisis unequalled since the United Nations was founded 75 years ago.
 
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed fragilities and inequalities that have been growing for years, threatening progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
 
At the same time, we continue to witness intolerance towards some religious groups, vitriol against migrants and minorities, and widespread hatred manifested in anti-Semitism, white supremacy, neo-Nazism, Islamophobia and attacks on Christians.
 
Religious sites have been attacked by radical ideologues and terrorists trying to enforce their toxic messages of hate and racism.
 
In this context, the role of the Alliance of Civilizations has never been more relevant to our 2030 Agenda objective of building more peaceful, just and resilient societies based on human rights and dignity of all.
 
We need to promote the conditions where people of different identities, faiths and cultures can live in harmony, enjoying their fundamental freedoms.  
 
And we need to stand up against all forms of discrimination.
 
The Alliance promotes resilient and cohesive societies through its cross-cutting pillars of Youth, Education, Media and Migration, and the most recent area of work on women as peacemakers.
 
I commend the Alliance’s partnership with and support for youth-led grassroots civil society organizations and the private sector with projects that promote cultural diversity and peace-building.
 
And I welcome the Alliance’s close collaboration with the Office of Counter-Terrorism, complementing their work on preventing violent extremism conducive to terrorism.
 
I particularly encourage the Alliance’s engagement with religious leaders and faith-based organizations.
 
Interfaith dialogue can provide paths for understanding and for people to celebrate their diversity based on common values.
 
I have made this a priority through initiatives such as the Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites.
 
Together with the other United Nations frameworks, such as the Call to Action for Human Rights and the Strategy on Hate Speech, these initiatives can contribute to building a more inclusive, equal and sustainable world.
 
I count on this Group of Friends to continue supporting the Alliance to enable it to fulfil its mission.
 
Hopefully, we can all meet in person next year in Fez at the 9th Global Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations.
 
Thank you.