Institutions
What do big institutions do in order to promote dialogue among civilizations? Conferences, symposia, and workshops organized every year by Unesco, the UN agency. The projects of the Arab League and of the European Union, that in the constitutional Treaty states its willingness to contribute to “peace, security, sustainable development of the earth, solidarity and mutual respect among the peoples.”
Unesco
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded on 16 November 1945. For this specialized United Nations agency, it is not enough to build classrooms in devastated countries or to publish scientific breakthroughs. For 60 years, the Organization has been fulfilling an ambitious goal: to build peace in the minds of men. Among Unesco’s chief missions is to ensure space for and freedom of expression to all the world’s cultures. While each culture draws from its own roots, it must not fail to blossom when crossing other cultures. Here you can find the area relating to the intercultural dialogue, with five different sections: Roads of Dialogue, Histories, Post-conflict, Interreligious, Cultural Pluralism.
The European Union
The European Union has been promoting intercultural dialogue for many years, both within the EU and beyond, i.e. with countries which are not members of the Union. It has developed a number of complementary instruments, and 2008 will be the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. Preservation and promotion of cultural diversity are among the founding principles of the European Union. They are enshrined in the Treaty, in Article 151; in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, under Article 22, and will figure prominently in the future Constitution. Here you can find the European Culture Portal, with sections on Intercultural Dialogue and Cultural Diversity.
The Arab League
The Arab League or League of Arab States is an organization of predominately Arab states and is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt. The Charter of the Arab League forbids member states from resorting to force against each other. Seven states formed the Arab League on March 22, 1945, defining its main goals as to: serve the common good of all Arab countries, ensure better conditions for all Arab countries, guarantee the future of all Arab countries and fulfil the hopes and expectations of all Arab countries. In 2002 Secretary general of the Arab league, Amr Moussa, appointed the Egyptian intellectual Ahmad Kamal Abu Al Majd commissioner in charge of inter-civilization dialogue.
