Cultural dialogue integral to peace and development

CAIRO – 6 November 2017: The World Youth Forum (WYF) held in Egypt from November 4 to 10 organized the first session on its second day under the theme “The Differences Among Cultures and Civilizations: Conflict or Integration?”

The WYF is taking place at a very challenging time as many issues across the globe are testing people’s ability and will to live in harmony together, including violence, terrorism, the rise of nationalism, the threat of fundamental values, social inequality and the increasing number of refugees. Therefore, the forum creates a platform for young people, encouraging them to become thinkers and actors of development as well as contributing to changing deeply-rooted social stereotypes and misconceptions through dialogue.

The fact that the world is more interconnected today does not mean that people are living in harmony, as revealed by the exclusions suffered by millions of poor women, youth, migrants and minorities. Despite the availability of information and technology, conflicts and poverty still exist.

These global challenges push us to re-examine our identity and the need for intercultural dialogue to overcome differences and bring the world together around the concept of a global human module, where all people are considered “citizens of humanity.” Dialogue is important to give the world an agenda for action developed based on tolerance, mutual respect and fairness. These actions can only succeed if people are clear about the foundation of cultures and civilizations, which can only be reached through dialogue.

This was the basic commitment made by all member states joining the Universal Declaration of Human Rights when it was first laid down as a symbol of the world’s diversity mosaic and collective solidarity. A commitment to a future free of fear ensued, built on peaceful progress for the good of the human race and defending human values against violence, hatred and discrimination through combating poverty of injustice.

Bridging the gap between cultures is urgent and necessary for peace, stability and development as three-quarters of the world’s major conflicts carry a cultural or ethnic dimension, according to the United Nations. To bridge this gap, we need intercultural dialogue to appreciate the value of cultural diversity as strength and opportunity for humanity to develop.

Intercultural dialogue requires a collective effort to establish shared knowledge and values with an eye on mutual respect and understanding. Efforts that can make people look at the issues that divide them in a new light. These efforts include creating platforms for partnership, promoting education, innovative use of media and communication technologies and integration of young people from both genders. It also requires a recognition of equality between cultures, and that every individual has equal access to fundamental rights and to practice these rights.

The European Union (EU) illustrates a good example of reconciliation through dialogue, after World War II, a dialogue built on respect for each member-state’s national identity and its people’s need for democracy.

The United Nations also paid attention to the need for intercultural dialogue; therefore, the global organization decided to make 2001 the “Year for Dialogue among Civilizations”; the year when the UNESCO announced its Universal Declaration for Dialogue and Development. In 2002, the UN also dedicated May 21 of each year to be the “World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.” Later in 2005, UNESCO adopted the convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, which had the integration of culture in sustainable development frameworks as one of its goals.

Young people can act as a bridge between cultures and serve as key agents in promoting peace and intercultural understanding as they have the creative energy and leadership, in addition to comprising about 18 percent of the world’s population. They are the future leaders and the current change agents. They are not just beneficiaries, but rather essential actors in creating solutions to issues faced by people in the world today.

Engaging youth in promoting intercultural dialogue leads to better informed and equitable cultural policies as well as strengthening transparency, accountability and ownership. Therefore, countries should commit to creating an enabling environment to encourage youth to take action and to invest in young women and men through a set of coherent youth policies and actions.

These actions include capacity building programs to enable young women and men to disseminate their own narratives of inclusion and shared heritage. Additionally, holding programs to teach them about peace and ensure that they are empowered with knowledge and values of respect for others.

Moreover, there is a need to offer youth the opportunities to meet with each other, to travel, exchange ideas, discover other cultures and volunteer to enrich themselves from the differences and to contribute to holistic peace. There is also a need for tailored capacity building programs targeting young women and men.

A special attention to media is also important as it plays a vital role in disseminating messages of tolerance, diversity and peace, especially the internet. At the same time, it is important to counter negative narratives through spreading positive discourse.