Azerbaijan Culture Minister addresses UNAOC Group of Friends High-level Meeting

By Laman Ismayilova

The 10th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is being held in the Portuguese city of Cascais under the theme "United in Peace: Restoring Trust, Reshaping the Future".

Themed "United in Peace: Restoring Trust, Reshaping the Future", this year's forum marks 20th anniversary of the Alliance of Civilizations.

High-Level Meeting of the UNAOC Ministerial Group of Friends has been organized within the forum.

Azerbaijan Culture Minister Adil Karimli addressed the event themed "20 Years of Dialogue for the Sake of Humanity: Reflecting on the Lessons Learned and Paving the Way Forward".

In his speech, Adil Karimli pointed out that Azerbaijan, a multinational and multi-confessional country, makes great contributions to intercultural dialogue.

Since 2011, the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue has been held in our country six times in partnership with the Alliance of Civilizations within the framework of the "Baku Process" initiated by President Ilham Aliyev in 2008.

The 10th UNAOC Global Forum in Cascais, Portugal has gathered members of the UNAOC Group of Friends, political leaders, representatives of international and regional organizations, religious leaders and faith actors, the private sector, civil society, academia, youth, arts and media, as well as donor agencies and foundations, who address the global issues pertinent to peace and security and call for restoring trust and for uniting in peace.

In Cascais, participants have an opportunity to reflect on the twenty years of the Alliance of Civilizations' initiative, announced by Spain at the 59th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2004, and how UNAOC grew into a vibrant and well-established United Nations entity.