Global Agenda for Dialogue Among Civilizations

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 25 United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations, published in 2001.

What other versions does this mandate have?

2 versions · 2001–2005

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/60/4

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2005	A/RES/60/4	Global agenda for dialogue among civilizations	771	21%Compare
2001	A/RES/56/6	Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilizations	1,903	–

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

2 reports · 2005–2010

Year	Symbol	Title		Mandate resolution
2010	A/65/269	Intercultural, interreligious and intercivilizational dialogue report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/60/4
2005	A/60/259	Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilizations report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/56/6

What subjects does this mandate have?

12 subjects

Civil Society Civilization Conferences Cultural Exchanges Human Rights Information Dissemination Information Exchange Intercultural Communication Non-Governmental Organizations Olympic Games Programmes of Action Trust Funds

What’s in this document?

7 operative paragraphs

Proclaims the Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilizations:

A.Objectives, principles and participants

Article 1

Dialogue among civilizations is a process between and within civilizations, founded on inclusion, and a collective desire to learn, uncover and examine assumptions, unfold shared meaning and core values and integrate multiple perspectives through dialogue.

Article 2

Dialogue among civilizations constitutes a process to attain, inter alia, the following objectives:

• Promotion of inclusion, equity, equality, justice and tolerance in human interactions;

• Enhancement of mutual understanding and respect through interaction among civilizations;

• Mutual enrichment and advancement of knowledge and appreciation of the richness and wisdom found in all civilizations;

• Identification and promotion of common ground among civilizations in order to address common challenges threatening shared values, universal human rights and achievements of human society in various fields;

• Promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and enrichment of common understanding of human rights;

• Development of a better understanding of common ethical standards and universal human values;

• Enhancement of respect for cultural diversity and cultural heritage.

Article 3

Pursuit of the above-mentioned objectives will be enhanced by collective commitment to the following principles:

• Faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small;

• Fulfilment in good faith of the obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;1

• Respect for fundamental principles of justice and international law;

• Recognition of diversified sources of knowledge and cultural diversity as fundamental features of human society and as indispensable and cherished assets for the advancement and material and spiritual welfare of humanity at large;

• Recognition of the right of members of all civilizations to preserve and develop their cultural heritage within their own societies;

• Commitment to inclusion, cooperation and the search for understanding as the mechanisms for the promotion of common values;

• Enhancement of participation by all individuals, peoples and nations in local, national and international decision-making processes.

Article 4

Dialogue among civilizations provides important contributions to progress in the following areas:

• Promotion of confidence-building at local, national, regional and international levels;

• Enhancing mutual understanding and knowledge among different social groups, cultures and civilizations in various areas, including culture, religion, education, information, science and technology;

• Addressing threats to peace and security;

• Promotion and protection of human rights;

• Elaboration of common ethical standards.

Article 5

Participation in dialogue among civilizations shall be global in scope and shall be open to all, including:

• People from all civilizations;

• Scholars, thinkers, intellectuals, writers, scientists, people of arts, culture and media and the youth, who play an instrumental role in initiation and sustainment of dialogue among civilizations;

• Individuals from civil society and representatives of non-governmental organizations, as instrumental partners in promoting dialogue among civilizations.

Article 6

Governments shall promote, encourage and facilitate dialogue among civilizations.

Article 7

Regional and international organizations should take appropriate steps and initiatives to promote, facilitate and sustain dialogue among civilizations.

Article 8

The media has an indispensable and instrumental role in the promotion of dialogue among civilizations and in the fostering of greater understanding among various civilizations and cultures.

Article 9

The United Nations should continue to promote and strengthen the culture of dialogue among civilizations.

B.Programme of Action

States, the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations and civil society, including non-governmental organizations, are invited to consider the following as a means of promoting dialogue among civilizations in all domains, within existing resources and also drawing upon voluntary contributions:

• Facilitating and encouraging interaction and exchange among all individuals, inter alia, intellectuals, thinkers and artists of various societies and civilizations;

• Promoting of mutual visits and meetings of experts in various fields from different civilizations, cultures and backgrounds, which provide an opportunity for discovering commonalities among various civilizations and cultures;

• Exchange of visits among representatives of the arts and culture and the organization of cultural festivals through which people will have a chance of getting acquainted with other cultures;

• Sponsorship of conferences, symposiums and workshops to enhance mutual understanding, tolerance and dialogue among civilizations;

• Planning sports competitions, Olympiads and scientific competitions, with a view to encouraging positive interaction among youth from different backgrounds and cultures;

• Reinvigorating and encouraging translation and dissemination of basic manuscripts and books and studies representing different cultures and civilizations;

• Promotion of historical and cultural tourism;

• Incorporation of programmes to study various cultures and civilizations in educational curriculums, including the teaching of languages, history and socio-political thoughts of various civilizations, as well as the exchange of knowledge, information and scholarship among academia;

• Advancement of research and scholarship to achieve an objective understanding of the characteristics of each civilization and the differences, as well as ways and means to enhance constructive interaction and understanding among them;

• Utilization of communication technologies, including audio, video, printed press, multimedia and the Internet, to disseminate the message of dialogue and understanding throughout the globe and depict and publicize historical instances of constructive interaction among different civilizations;

• Provision of equitable opportunities for participation in the dissemination of information, with a view to achieving an objective understanding of all civilizations and enhancing constructive interaction and cooperative engagement among civilizations;

• Implementation of programmes to enhance the spirit of dialogue, understanding and rejection of intolerance, violence and racism among people, particularly the youth;

• Utilizing the existence of migrants in various societies in bridging the gap of understanding between cultures;

• Consultation to articulate effective mechanisms to protect the rights of all people to maintain their cultural identity, while facilitating their integration into their social environment.

States should encourage and support initiatives taken by civil society and non-governmental organizations for the promotion of dialogue among civilizations.

States, international and regional organizations and civil society, including non-governmental organizations, are invited to develop appropriate ways and means at the local, national, regional and international levels to further promote dialogue and mutual understanding among civilizations, and to report their activities to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Governments, funding institutions, civil society organizations and the private sector are invited to mobilize the necessary resources to promote dialogue among civilizations, including by contributing to the Trust Fund established by the Secretary-General in 1999 for that purpose.

The United Nations system, including, in particular, the Personal Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, are invited to continue to encourage and facilitate dialogue among civilizations and formulate ways and means to promote dialogue among civilizations in the activities of the United Nations in various fields.

The Secretary-General is requested to report to the General Assembly at its sixtieth session on the implementation of this Global Agenda and Programme of Action.