Brussels, 24/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - A conference on cultural and inter-faith dialogue was organised in Barcelona on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 July at the initiative of Spain's foreign affairs and cooperation minister, José Manuel Garcia-Margallo, and in partnership with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Inter-religious and Inter-cultural Dialogue (KAICIID), the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAoC), the Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF) and the EU.
The organisers highlight the idea that “intercultural and inter-faith dialogue can be a powerful tool for establishing stability and peace, for fighting against intolerance and extremism, and for defending the values of peaceful co-existence and mutual comprehension”.
Garcia-Margallo stated that “strengthening the role of intercultural and inter-faith dialogue as a tool for preventing and resolving conflicts, as well as mediation, will make a difference for institutional performance. It is imperative that we move further away from a culture of response in order to move towards a culture of prevention”.
According to a press release, at the end of their discussions the organisers “approved a conclusion document”. They “identified the need to record successful examples of intercultural and inter-faith dialogue”. “Actions and programmes were identified for implementation in three areas: education, the media, and youth.” The partners “committed to establishing a network of institutions and focal points, to strengthening the coordination of mechanisms for the institutions actively involved in intercultural dialogue, and [to strengthening] the implementation of a roadmap for future activities based on a common programme and timetable of initiatives for the future” (our translation throughout). (Fathi B'Chir)