The 7th UN Forum for the Alliance of Civilization, being held in the Azerbaijan capital Baku, represents an incredible opportunity to harness multiple perspectives of about 2,500 participating representatives of  heads of states, government officials, civil society, religious leaders and young people, and to determine innovative solutions to advance the international agenda, HE the UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilization Nassir bin Abdulaziz al-Nasser has said.
In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), al-Nasser said the three-day forum, themed “Living Together in Inclusive Societies: A Challenge and A Goal”, will explore the relevance of inclusive societies for preventing violent extremism, creating peace and enhancing sustainable development.
Al-Nasser added that the Forum will provide a platform to discuss the intersection between social inclusion and the prevention of violent extremism, echoing the respective Plan of Action that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released in January 2016, noting that the Forum chose to focus on Inclusive Societies as it reflects UN key priorities.
In two plenaries, 16 breakout sessions and seven networking sessions, the Forum will trigger discussions and exchanges on matters related to building inclusive societies, such as the role and significance of religious leaders, women, sports, youth and education. The Forum will also intensively discuss the role, responsibility and opportunity for media to enhance social inclusion by countering stereotyping and hate speech, he said.
A Youth Event, to be held on the sidelines of the Forum, will bring together 150 young leaders from all around the world to jointly define “The Narratives of Tomorrow” in reference to inclusive societies.
“We are faced with one of the starkest humanitarian crisis that the world has ever seen caused by wars, regional instabilities, and violent extremism,” al-Nasser said.
“As a world community we can no longer afford to disregard our joint responsibility to facilitate inclusive, peaceful, and just societies. The Forum will be the unique opportunity to find common ground in our humanity and to define practical and effective solutions and global partnerships,” he added.
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) was established in 2005, as the political initiative of Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General, who formed a high-level group of experts to explore the roots of polarization between societies and cultures today, and to recommend a practical programme of action to address this issue.