Azerbaijan, Baku, April 7 / Trend V. Zhavornokova /
The Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Baku will help assess intercultural dialogue worldwide, the head of the Council of Europe's Directorate for Culture and Natural Heritage Robert Palmer said.
"Intercultural dialogue is a long process," he told Trend in Baku. "I am glad that the Azerbaijani government wants to take an active part in these processes through such meetings."
"The forum is global," he said. "This is the first time we tried to gather many partners in the face of various government and ministry representatives, experts, cultural figures and young people. This forum will help us to assess intercultural dialogue and to share experiences."
Azerbaijan strives to play a major role not only in the region, but also in Europe and the world.
The International Intercultural Dialogue Forum has been opened in Baku. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attends the forum.
The forum is opened by the "Towards the world without borders" session.
The forum is dedicated to the intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity to achieve peace and development. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and adviser to the UN Alliance of Civilizations Jean-Christophe Bas will head the session.
The next session of the forum will focus on "More meaningful dialogue: Culture, Arts and Heritage".
Azerbaijani Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfaz Garayev and the head of the CE Directorate for culture and nature heritage Robert Palmer will head the session.
The role of women in the intercultural dialogue will be discussed during the third session of the forum. Azerbaijan's First Lady, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO and ISESCO Mehriban Aliyeva and Director of UNESCO's division of cultural policies and intercultural dialogue Katerina Stenou will head the session.
Azerbaijan has put forward the initiative to hold the World Intercultural Dialogue Forum in Baku on April 7-9 under the auspices of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
The decision was made basing on the Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilizations by the General Assembly of the United Nations (November 2001), the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, UNESCO (2005), Declaration on Cultural Diversity ISESCO (2004), Declaration and Plan of Action of the Third Summit of Heads of State and Governments of the Council of Europe, the CE White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue (May 2008), the Baku Declaration for the Promotion of Intercultural Dialogue, the Global Agenda for Intercultural Dialogue.
Azerbaijani President announced about holding the forum in Baku at the 65th UN session of General Assembly (September 23, 2010, New York).
The forum is supported by UNESCO, the UN Alliance of Civilizations, the Council of Europe, the CE North - South center, ISESCO and Euronews.