New York, 18 September 2018 — The 8th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) will take place on November 19th and 20th at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. As we approach the dates of the Forum, UNAOC launched today the Forum’s website: 8thglobalforum.unaoc.org.
The overarching theme of the Forum is “Commit2Dialogue: Partnerships for Prevention and Sustaining Peace.” The theme is in line with one of the key priorities of Mr. António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, who will participate in the Forum during its two days.
Before and during the Forum, this dedicated website will give access to a wealth of practical resources, including but not limited to, the Forum’s programme, concept notes, logistics and speakers’ bios.
A mobile application for the Forum will be launched in due course for easy access to all information relevant to the 8th UNAOC Global Forum.
This year, UNAOC will bring together over 1,000 participants to the United Nations Headquarters in New York. UNAOC will invite participants to share knowledge and explore innovative ways of promoting inclusive approaches to conflict prevention as a pathway for sustaining peace. The Forum will also serve as a catalyst for building meaningful partnerships that will help achieve that goal. As such, the themes and sub-themes of the Forum intend to support the Secretary-General’s vision on prevention with its emphasis on the complementarity between sustaining peace and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including Goal 16 on the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies.
The Forum also provides an open space for dialogue among UNAOC Group of Friends, UN system entities, civil society including NGOs, faith-based organizations, media and private sector to share best practices on ways to promote dialogue and understanding with partnerships that work.
The Forum’s sessions will stimulate a conversation on how traditional and new media can play a positive role in shaping public perceptions of minorities including migrants and refugees. with a focus on countering online hate speech. Other sessions will explore how intercultural and interreligious dialogue can be strengthened as a tool for conflict prevention and post-conflict peacebuilding. The role of non-state actors such as the civil society, women, faith-based organizations and the private sector will be highlighted by panelists and speakers representing these sectors.
The Forum will also place special focus on youth, recognizing that the complex and evolving nature of conflict prevention and peacebuilding requires policy-makers to harness the potential and creativity of young people. The youth event and the Plural+ Awards Ceremony will shed light on UNAOC’s youth-supported projects.