NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS PANEL ON DIALOGUE AMONG CIVILIZATIONS TO BE HELD

Press Release

NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS PANEL ON DIALOGUE AMONG CIVILIZATIONS TO BE HELD

AT HEADQUARTERS, 22 NOVEMBER

A panel discussion on ways to enhance international understanding through constructive dialogue among peoples of all cultures and civilizations will take place at Headquarters on 22 November from 3 to 6 p.m. in Conference Room 4.

Focusing on the theme, a “call for common grounds’, this is the second panel discussion sponsored by the Government of Iran in preparation for the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations (2001) as proclaimed by the General Assembly in resolution 53/22 (1998). In that resolution, the Assembly affirmed the importance of tolerance and respect for diversity, and called on the international community to enhance global understanding by encouraging dialogue among civilizations.

The Moderator of the discussion will be Giandomenico Picco, the Secretary-General’s Personal Representative for the Year of Dialogue among Civilizations. The panel will consist of the following: Professor Richard Falk, Princeton University; Mohammad Faridzadeh, President of the International Center for Dialogue among Civilizations; Kishore Mahbubani (Singapore); and Ismail Serageldin, Vice President of the World Bank.

The first panel discussion, held at Headquarters in May 1999, was co-sponsored by the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and had the theme, “Dialogue Among Civilizations: a new paradigm”. It looked at the role of religions in fostering inter- civilizational dialogue, and also emphasized the role of the United Nations in that regard.

For further information, contact the Permanent Mission of Iran at (212) 687-2020.

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