Baku hosts official opening ceremony of the 4th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue.

According to Report, the opening ceremony will be attended by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

The 4th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue will be held in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan, from 5 to 6 May 2017, on the theme “Advancing Intercultural Dialogue – New avenues for human security, peace and sustainable development”. It aims at further promoting and sustaining understanding and dialogue within and between cultures.

The Forum is organized under the patronage of H.E. Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in cooperation with UNESCO, the UN Alliance of Civilizations, the UN World Tourism Organization (WTO), the Council of Europe, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the North-South Center of the Council of Europe.

The agenda will include topics such as the role of faith, religions, migration, human security, sport, education, art, sustainable development, preventing violent extremism, business in building trust and cooperation among cultures and civilizations.

The Forum will bring together heads of governments, ministers, heads of various international organizations, senior policy makers, cultural professionals, goodwill ambassadors, experts, journalists, practitioners, prominent intellectuals and activists.

In this context, it aims to be an international platform to enable and encourage people, countries and organizations around the globe to take concrete actions to support diversity, dialogue and mutual understanding among nations by raising awareness on the importance of intercultural dialogue worldwide.

“The World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Baku was transformed into a global international event for discussing important issues of the world agenda” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at the opening ceremony.

“Six years ago we launched an initiative to establish a forum, since that time the forum has been transformed into a global international event, an important platform for discussing important issues of the world program, international dialogue” the president said, noting the importance of the discussions that will be held in these two days.

“Azerbaijan has for centuries been a place where civilizations and cultures met” Ilham Aliyev said, noting that the geography, the history of the country, and the development of Azerbaijan contributed to this.

“Azerbaijan is a multi-ethnic, multi-confessional state, representatives of different religions live here in peace and harmony” the president said.