Adoption of "Kairouan Declaration "

The International Conference on "Dialogue of Civilisations and Cultural Diversity" ended works, on Thursday, by adopting the "Kairouan Declaration on Fostering Dialogue among Civilisations and Respect of Cultural Diversity."

KAIROUAN – The International Conference on "Dialogue of Civilisations and Cultural Diversity" ended works, on Thursday, by adopting the "Kairouan Declaration on Fostering Dialogue among Civilisations and Respect of Cultural Diversity."

The Declaration emphasises on contents of the President of the Republic's opening speech which was adopted as a reference document, in light of its in-depth analysis of the international situation and the issues it raises, with a view to orienting efforts exerted for an international partnership based on dialogue, co-operation, peace and development.

The document lauds President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali's initiative to proclaim 2010 a World Youth Year, and supports the Head of State's initiative to hold a world youth conference in the same year, under the United Nations auspices and in co-operation with specialised international organisations.

In this regard, the final document points out that the choice of Kairouan to host this Conference, as part of celebration of this city as Capital of Islamic Culture for 2009, is a recognition for its pioneering role in establishing bridges of rapprochement, dialogue, tolerance and peace between the East and West and a tribute to Tunisia which had hosted several symposia and conferences on the dialogue of civilisations, cultures and religions, in co- operation with specialised regional and international organisations. The Kairouan Declaration welcomes Tunisia's choice as Islamic Capital of Dialogue of Civilisations by the 36th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

Besides, the Declaration insists on the importance of complying with the principles of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions adopted by UNESCO member states in October 2005, in Paris, and the Islamic Declaration on Cultural Diversity, adopted by the 4th Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers in December 2004, in Algiers.

The document commends the fruitful co-operation between Tunisia, ISESCO and OIF in holding a set of international conferences and symposia aimed to contribute to the promotion of universal values and lay the foundations of a genuine dialogue among civilisations and cultures, on the basis of a balanced partnership favouring mutual respect and cultural diversity.

It states that cultures and religions are more than ever required to sustain dialogue and enhance co-existence in such a way as to benefit one another, while casting away the causes of contention and disdain, and that the dialogue of civilisations should build on the points of convergence not divergence within the framework of fair judgement and respect for the Other, without any distortion of the image of others, or disrespect for their religions, beliefs and religious symbols and transgression on their cultural specificities. In another connection, the Kairouan Declaration specifies that the dialogue of civilisations should rest on universal human values, the rule of law, justice, human rights, tolerance, citizenship and democracy and encourage understanding between peoples and communities, favouring a climate propitious to comprehensive and sustained development in developing countries.

Kairouan Declaration recommends notably:

- To create a think-tank tasked with reviewing the intellectual and political conception of international co- operation.

- To implement bilateral and multilateral agreements, as well as available educational materials and university chairs, to encourage the enactment of national legislation and institution of international standards and mechanisms in order to put an end to the negative portrayal of the Other in the media, particularly in educational programmes and school curricula, to establish observatories to monitor stereotypical images and misconceptions about the various cultures, civilisations and religions.

- To co-ordinate efforts between the governments and international, regional and non-governmental organisations, particularly of ISESCO, UNESCO, the OIF, ALECSO and the Council of Europe, in order to consolidate the mechanisms of communication, inter-action and alliance of civilisations and disseminate the culture of amity, peace, dialogue and tolerance, since dialogue is the only alternative to the culture of confrontation.

- To incorporate the concept of cultural diversity in the key documents of cultural regional and international organisations, as a "main groundwork and fundamental principle of international policy, and an effective means for enduring world peace and security," as put by the Islamic Declaration on Cultural Diversity.

- To give greater importance to culture within the framework of bilateral and multilateral co-operation, with a particular emphasis on reinforcing developing countries' capacities in terms of heritage preservation.

- To strengthen civil society's role, including associations dedicated to the issues of minorities and migrants, to ensure complementarity between the approach to common cultures and cultural diversity management and integration policy and ensure that the evaluation of cultural diversity be based on a sound understanding of religions and beliefs and their role in society.

- To incite the world's youths to work together for common objectives, notably through setting up youth groups by the International Organisation of the Francophonie (IOF), ISESCO, the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth, the Organisation of Ibero-American States, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with the support of the United Nations and UNESCO, to be entrusted with the task of contributing to the advancement of such vital issues as education, peace culture, mutual understanding and environment protection. The objective is to transform such groups into a global network devoted to fostering dialogue among civilisations and cultural diversity.

- To implement the provisions of the UNESCO Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and the Islamic Declaration on Cultural Diversity, these two documents are likely to help preserve cultural heritage and provide a platform for countering the cultural uniformisation that globalisation tends to impose.

In his address at the end of works, Culture and Heritage Preservation Minister Abderraouf El Basti expressed Tunisia's pride at hosting this conference in Kairouan, the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2009.

He also expressed Tunisia's consideration for participants for having adopted President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali's speech as a reference document, laying emphasis, in this regard, on the need to endeavour move upwards to a new stage of international co-operation, in light of the urgent need to establish an international partnership based on mutual respect.

After reviewing the suggestions and proposals submitted by the participants, the minister specified that social justice is one of the main conditions for dialogue, as well as the improvement of women's conditions and the dissemination of the culture of dialogue, tolerance and human rights in the educational curricula and their introduction in the activities of associations, civil society, media and new communication means.

The minister called to identify new means and mechanisms that would consolidate the international organisations' efforts and energise their role, in order to help them implement as is right and proper the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and the Islamic Declaration on Cultural Diversity.

In their addresses, ISESCO Director-General, Dr. Abdelaziz Othman Altwaijri, International Organisation of the Francophonie (IOF) Administrator Clément Duhaime and ISESCO's ambassador for the Dialogue of Cultures and Civilisations Jean Paul Carteron expressed consideration to Tunisia, under the impulse of its President, to have hosted this vanguard conference which is likely to contribute to give a new boost to the dialogue on civilisations and cultural diversity.

TAP

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