6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue: Day 2

The 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan from 1 - 3 May 2024, at the Baku Convention Centre, with 700 delegates from 100 countries worldwide.

Early Morning Panel Sessions

On Thursday 2 May, the day started with four Panel Sessions held in parallel:

Panel Session 5 on "Social Media: building bridges or walls between people and cultures?" with Keynote speaker Ahmad Ismayilov (Chief Executive Officer at Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan) and moderator Shafag Mehraliyeva (Communication and Media specialist at ADA University) with panellists: Dr Lhoucine Rhazoui (Director of Cultural Affairs, Department of Organization of Islamic Cooperation); Fernando Lottenberg, Organization of American States' Commissioner to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism); Amb. Sohail Mahmood, Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI)); Bryan J. Mayer (Advisor to the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Argentina); Alexandru Giboi (Secretary General of the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA) and lecturer on International Strategic Management & Crisis Management at the Università della Svizzera Italiana); and Orkhan Amashov (Caliber Analytical News Outlet, Chief Political Analyst).

Panel Session 6 on "Opening eyes and building contact: Tourism connecting people and its role in building intercultural dialogue" with Keynote speaker Fuad Naghiyev (Chairman of the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan) and moderator Dr Jafar Jafari (Founding Editor, Annals of Tourism Research) with panellists: Jasmin Ademović (Chairman of the
Sarajevo City Council); Rosette Chantal Rugamba (Founder and Managing Director, Songa Africa, Rwanda); Miguel Carvajal (Co-founder and General Director, Get up and Go Colombia);  Lucy Garner (Senior Expert on Youth and Talent Development, UN Tourism); Daniela Otero (Interim Chair, World Committee on Tourism Ethics); with the Closing remarks by Zoritsa Urosevic (Executive Director, UN Tourism).

Panel Session 7 on "The importance of cultural and creative industries in ensuring modern development trends and economic diversification" with Keynote speaker Miles Hansen (President and board director for The Stirling Foundation) with Moderator Ornela Ramasauskaite (Founder and CEO "artXchange Global", Lithuania) with panellists: Khondker Mohammad Talha (Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Bangladesh to UNESCO); Nargiz Hajiyeva (British Council country director); Lala Rustamova (Head Producer at "Bazelevs" film production company); Martina Nadal, COO, Partner and Head of Social Impact Division of Domestic Data Streamers); Oktai Lusibov (Co-founder of Alove Animation Studio (Azerbaijan) and co-founder and the head of production at Plastilin-media, Finland); Nina Laricheva (Senior Advisor in Digital Media) and Sertach Eray Ersayin, President, Association of Creative Industries Council in Turkey, WDO (World Design Organization) Regional Advisor - Europe).

Panel Session 8 on "Bridging Horizons: Silk Road's modern dynamics and global impact" with Keynote speaker Farid Jafarov (Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan) and moderator Dr Nazim Samadov (Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Morocco, Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to ICESCO) and panellists: Manisha Gunasekera (Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Sri Lanka to UNESCO); Prof. Shahin Mustafayev (President of the International Turkic Academy); Prof. Bulent Aksoy Faculty of Education, Department of Social Studies Education, Gazi University); and Mehrdad Shahabang (UNESCO Silk Road).

In parallel, scheduled for the entire morning, an Inter-parliamentary Conference took place in the auditorium on the topic of "The role and best practices of the legislature in the protection of cultural heritage", chaired by Sahiba Gafarova (Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan).

Chronicle.lu attended Panel Session 7 on "The importance of cultural and creative industries in ensuring modern development trends and economic diversification". Moderator Ornela Ramasauskaite introduced the topic by stating that the world cultural economy is worth 3.3% of global GDP and contributes to global economic stability. Keynote speaker Miles Hansen told of his experience as a diplomat and sees "darkening clouds on the horizon" in what he described as challenging times, with the rise of both nationalism and tribalism, the latter he described as even more dangerous. He cited the example of the US at the present where national policy is difficult to set within countries when people internally fight and tear themselves apart. He stated that, as peacemakers, it is our job to find the centrifugal forces out there to bring things together and reverse global trends. This is where culture and creative industries can play an important part as they create empathy and understanding; he admitted that they can also result in the opposite, but should be encouraged to unite rather than to divide.

Khondker Mohammad Talha emphasised his background as a diplomat rather than a creator and highlighted fragmentation of society which he reminded was the foundation for creating UNESCO which he later said has seven focus areas. He said that there are now around 350 Creative Cities around the globe. What is still missing is a legal basis, a regulatory framework for the creative industries. He also referenced AI in respect of creative industries and confirmed that UNESCO has a role to play, including the protection of artists. Nargiz Hajiyeva talked about the British Council's work in Azerbaijan, achieving cultural engagement with creative industries, and addressing cultural heritage within the creative economy. She referenced COP29 being held in Azerbaijan later this year which will hopefully leverage new partnership opportunities. Lala Rustamova recalled launching three educational programmes in Russia, Turkey and Uzbekistan, using animation, working with technological software for interactive storytelling. Martina Nadal explained that her company creates cultural solution where audiences understand topics using information in an interactive way. Her Synthetic Memories project uses AI in a way that makes sense, in reconstructing memories in parts of society where such memories are being lost, for example in Alzheimer's patients, using interviews and co-creation processes. She is now studying how this can be used for Reminiscience Therapy. Oktai Lusibov talked about cultural heritage and criticized the United States as their dominant position in creative industries prevents other countries from achieving success on the global scale. Nina Laricheva described Hollywood as a "soft power" of the US economy and stressed the power of content in everyday life. She said that she lives in the UK which is "flooded" by US content; she revealed, however, that the Top 10 shows in 2023 were all from the UK, demonstrating that local content is still popular. Sertach Eray Ersayin spoke from the perspective of creative industries and called for more holistic data. He also explained that many people do not understand "creative industries" as it does not cover tangible assets unlike, for example, the automotive industry. He advocated using creative solutions in all domains and industries.

Late Morning Panel Sessions

After a mid-morning break, the forum continued with another round of (parallel) Panel Sessions:

Panel Session 9 on "Ensuring lasting peace for the revival and preservation of culture in the post-conflict periods", moderated by Amb. Elman Abdullayev (Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Azerbaijan to UNESCO) with panellists: Aktoty Raimkulova (President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation); Prof. Dr Aygün Attar (Head of Turkey-Azerbaijan Friendship, Cooperation and Solidarity Fund and Member of Security and Foreign Policy Council under the President of Turkey); Dr Webber Ndoro (Director of Heritage Center in the Islamic World of ICESCO); Prof. Dr Ocal Oguz (President of the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO) and Reza Degati (Peace correspondent).

Panel Session 10 on "Peace4Culture Global Call: Launch of the UNAOC Young Peacebuilders Programme in Central Asia and the Caucasus", moderated by Dana Podmolikova (UNAOC) with panellists: Dania Abraham (UNAOC Young Peacebuilder); Anand Junior Bharratt (UNAOC Young Peacebuilder); Hazhir Ibrahim Azeez Aljaf (UNAOC Young Peacebuilder), Sarra Messaoudi (UNAOC Young Peacebuilder); and Denis Adesina Daniel (UNAOC Young Peacebuilder, Ivory Coast).

Panel Session 11 on "Preserving Diversity: Addressing Challenges and Fostering Global Collaboration in a Multicultural World" with Keynote speaker Dr Ravan Hasanov (Executive Director of Baku International Multiculturalism Centre) and moderated by Elizabeth A. Clark (Associate director, International Center for Law and Religious Studies) with panellists: Prof. Kamal Abdulla (Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Baku International Multiculturalism Centre, Rector of Azerbaijan University of Languages); Ismat Jahan (former Ambassador of Bangladesh and former Permanent Observer of the OIC to the EU); Ramin Mammadov (Chairman of the State Committee on Work with Religious Institutions of the Republic of Azerbaijan); Asim Iftikhar Ahmad (Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Pakistan to UNESCO); Jack Noel Gerard (President of Central Europe and Eurasia, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints); Karim Ifrak (Director of the Arab World Institute in Paris); Prof. Kamal AbuShamsieh (Director of Interreligious Chaplaincy Program; Assistant Professor of Practical Theology), Alexander Nesterov (Head of Department of Foreign Regional Studies, Director of Center of EU Studies (EU-i), Director of Center of Azerbaijan Studies, Head of Baku International Multiculturalism Center Yekaterinburg Branch Ural Federal University) and Muhammad Abdur Rabbani (Managing Director of CAGE International).

Chronicle.lu attended Panel Session 9 on "Ensuring lasting peace for the revival and preservation of culture in the post-conflict periods". Moderator Elman Abdullayev stated that culture has a responsibility to shape our society and it has a role to play in reviving cultures on the path to peace and stability. Aktoty Raimkulova said that culture plays an important role in peace and reconstruction, protecting cultural identities by fostering dialogue between previously warring factions. She raised the issue of cultural uniqueness in Asia and raised the issue of work on a legal framework for cultural heritage, including creating digital platforms and an action plan for the coming years. In this context, she referenced the Karabakh region and what she termed "liberated territories" and restoration of Islamic heritage there. She concluded by stating "culture is an essential element for the protection of peace" and added that many people lose historical and cultural links when conflict results in artefacts being destroyed.

Dr Webber Ndoro stated that there are no templates than can be taken from one country and applied to another; he stressed that "culture is people" and added that while restoring buildings and monuments is "easy", culture is current and not (just) in the past. In this context, he argued that people decide what culture is to be handed down (through generations). Prof. Dr Aygün Attar talked about transferring culture to different generations with the help of a law to protect cultural heritage, giving the example of houses being destroyed and asked for such perpetrators / vandals to be brought to justice so that they do not commit such acts again. She said that cultural heritage is being destroyed in various parts of the world, including in Azerbaijan which has suffered at different times in its history. She also touched on the "Ukraine-Russia conflict" where different generations had to flee their homeland. She asked if perpetrators (in terms of destroying cultural heritage) will be brought to justice, and called for a more objective approach, citing the example of the perpetrators of destroying buildings and monuments being brought to justice. Elman Abdullayev raised the issue of double standards and added that the issue of politicisation does not help in this regard; we have to overcome these challenges with the help of dialogue and the help of UNESCO. Prof. Dr Ocal Oguz was asked about education and awareness-raising initiatives regarding stewardship of cultural heritage. He referred to UNESCO being established in 1945 to help bring peace to the world after WWII. Many countries tried to restore sustainable peace across the world; from a humanity perspective, we have not been successful; however, this does not mean that the task is hopeless. He referenced the UNESCO heritage list where he argued for the focus on education to eliminate "bad ideas". He would aim for economic equality to avoid conflicts of interest to be able to achieve sustainable peace.

Afternoon Sessions

After lunch, the 12th and last Panel Session was held in parallel with the 4th Plenary Session, prior to the Closing Ceremony.

The 12th Panel Session was a consultation meeting of cultural leaders on "Cultural Diplomacy in Practice: Advancing Intercultural Understanding", moderated by Jahangir Salimkhanov (Advisor to Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan) with panellists: Mutang Tagal (President of Malaysian parliament); Nazli Ahmadova (Expert, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan); Mikhail Bryzgalov (Director General of the Russian National Museum of Music); Vadzim Hihin (Director General of National Library of Belarus); Yemisi Sloane Laura (Assistant Professor of University of Westminster); Vadim Duda (Russian State Library Director General); Elina Bardach-Yalov (Researcher at Hadassah Academic College); Zaslavskiy Grigory Anatolyevich (rector of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS)); Sergeyev Dmitry Leonidovich (director of the Grabar Art Conservation Center); Akkan Suver (General Director, Marmara Group Foundation); and Saleem Gregory Zoughbi (Senior associate expert at the United Nations University - Operating Unit on Policy-driven Electronic Governance).

The 4th Plenary Session on "Safeguarding our past and future: Cultural heritage in the face of Climate change" with Keynote speaker Saadat Yusifova (Deputy Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan) and moderated by James Bridge (Chief Executive and Secretary-General of UK's National Commission for UNESCO) with panellists: Dr Jinfeng Zhou (Secretary-General of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF)); Nupur Tron (Founder and Director General of Foundation Frison Horta); Dr Hesham El Askary, PhD (Advisor to ICESCO Director-General); Dr Paul Michael Taylor (Director of the Smithsonian's Asian Cultural History Program, Curator for Asia, Europe and the Middle East in the Smithsonian's Anthropology Department, USA); Dr Albino Jopela (Executive director of the African World Heritage Fund); Sabina Hajiyeva (Head of the State Service for Protection, Development, and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, Azerbaijan) and Adam Al Mulla (Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of the State of Kuwait to UNESCO).

Closing Ceremony

The Closing Ceremony was moderated by Prof. Mike Hardy (Founding Director of the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University, UK) with speakers: Minister Adil Karimli (Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan); Dr Salim M. AlMalik (Director General of ICESCO); Zoritsa Urosevic (Executive Director of UN Tourism) and Nihal Saad (UNAOC Director).

Prof. Mike Hardy addressed the forum by saying that this was closing one chapter and starting another, and thanked those organisers for their efforts in this turbulent age in which we live. Minister Adil Karimli paid thanks to all those involved in the organisation and participation of the forum. He referred to youth engagement and the use of tourism in intercultural dialogue, stressing that culture has a massive role to play in climate change, referring to the COP29 event taking place in Baku later in the year.

Dr Salim M. AlMalik acknowledged an end to a special two days involving the global community, referencing long-lasting peace and global security. We all feel a commitment to act, and he hoped that all global stakeholders will respond to the challenges with initiatives and policies. He referenced the diverse cultures represented which are crucial in fostering harmonisation. International organisations can plan an important role, with ISESCO standing as a beacon. He also called upon young peace ambassadors to play their role and stressed that "we need to work hard together" to build peace, solidarity and harmony.

Zoritsa Urosevic said that the forum has grown to be the leading platform in its domain and has given participants the opportunity to forge connections and mentioned a number of important topics discussed, including artificial intelligence, climate change, interfaith dialogue and others. She said "we have the opportunity to drive the change"; with 1.3 billion people crossing borders internationally, this shows how important role that tourism can plan in intercultural dialogue.

Nihal Saad stated that she hoped to be able to continue the dialogue in future fora and reflected that all the panel sessions and parallel sessions being full was a very good indicator of the topics being interesting and relevant. She stressed that intercultural dialogue is a continuing process, a way of life, and hoped that it will be built upon to create a better future for all of us. She also highlighted the role of young people in the process and advocated for them having a louder voice at the next forum in two years' time.  

Prof. Mike Hardy concluded by saying that where we fail with intercultural dialogue, we leave behind people affected by conflict, etc. However, we need to know what our challenges are, not what we think they are. A new challenge is AI; we also have to invest in knowing what is possible, not what is desirable. We also need to know who to bring with us; we need more activist women and young people; maybe we need other partners too in our extended network. We also need to know our competence, what forces we can activate. He also praised the leadership of the President of Azerbaijan and said that we all need to be accountable; in that context, he read out a declaration, a statement of intent formulated as a result of the dialogue throughout the forum.

The curtain came down on the formal part of the forum, with the event closing with a Gala Concert at the Heydar Aliyev Palace, and a dinner for all those attending.

The last day, Friday 3 May, involves a Special Conference taking place in Aghdam on "Impact of landmines, improvised explosive devices and unexploded ordinances on cultural property" with Keynote speaker Emin Huseynov (Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Ağdam, Füzuli and Khojavand) and moderated by Amb. Elman Abdullayev (Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Azerbaijan to UNESCO) with speakers: Farid Jafarov (Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan); Dr Webber Ndoro (Director of the Islamic World Heritage Center); Dr Raymond Bondin (Chairman of the Maltese National Commission for UNESCO, cultural heritage expert); Gaya Mammadov (Head of Department of MFA); Qadeem Tariq (UNDP Programme Specialist); Krista Pikkat (Director, Culture and Emergencies, Culture Sector, UNESCO (Resolution)); and Ramil Azizov (Head of International and Public Relations Department of the Azerbaijan's Mine Action Agency (ANAMA)).

Upon returning to Baku, the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre will then host a concert of "Homage to Giacomo Puccini" on the centenary of the death.