In the Opening Session of the Dialogue among People and Cultures in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf Areas Conference, Mrs. Mubarak Calls for Confronting the Challenges to Promote Dialogue Among Cultures
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Alexandria—HE Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, President and Founder of the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement, inaugurated on Saturday, 19 January 2008, the Third Conference on the Dialogue among People and Cultures in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf Areas, organized by the Institute for Peace Studies (IPS) at the BA, 19–21 January 2008.
HE Mrs. Mubarak said in her opening speech “We meet today to discuss an important issue and a noble mission, in a new chapter of cultural work on dialogue among peoples and cultures, which I sincerely hope to advance the cause. We have planted the seeds in Paris 2006, nurtured its growth in Seville last year, and we hope to reap the fruits of our labors now in Alexandria… We meet today to review what we have accomplished and exchange views, expertise, and lessons. We put together the features of our future plan to promote dialogue in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf areas, emphasizing historical and neighborhood bonds, cultural interaction, and common interests and challenges”.
On the efforts exerted and the initiatives launched by the UN and other organizations on the dialogue among cultures and civilizations, Mrs. Mubarak emphasized that accomplishments of these initiatives do not meet the expectations, and that there is still more to be achieved and there are many challenges to be conquered in order to materialize this dialogue and reinforce it.
On the universal level, Mrs. Mubarak said “dialogue between the Arab world and Europe is an important part of the dialogue among peoples and cultures generally. In spite of aspirations to friendly, cooperative and neighborhood relations, and to a partnership based on interdependence and common interests, the furthering of dialogue on both sides of the Mediterranean still faces many challenges. Most prominent of which is the relation between Islam and the West, prejudiced impressions, and sweeping generalizations made by both sides. In addition, the delay in reaching fair compromises for Middle East issues”.
Mrs. Mubarak stressed that the dialogue that people aspire for is not one that starts and ends with closed conferences and meetings. By contrast, it is essentially lasting and non-stop and aims at spreading awareness of its own importance. She called for reaching out beyond the closed conference halls to the new generations; and handing down to them this message and this culture of peace in hope that it becomes a fundamental part of their knowledge build-up, and consequently, their way of life.
Mrs. Mubarak called for a Euro-Mediterranean open university in line with the Erasmus Mundus program in Europe and the Tempus program of the framework of the Barcelona process to strengthen the scientific, educational, and cultural cooperation between the Arab and the European universities, and programs of exchange of scholarships and training courses for youth future leaders. She also called for a translation program for the literary and intellectual works that support the culture of peace on both sides of the Mediterranean to be accessed through a Euro-Mediterranean digital library on the World Wide Web that, in turn, could be hosted by the BA, as it has great capabilities in the field of Information Technology.
On his address, HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal, Moderator of the World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP) and Chairman of the Arab Thought Forum, stated that there is a need to go beyond the oversimplifications of cultural determinism, and that culture should not be overlooked. He stressed that political and social factors must be understood within their historical contexts and that the assumed faultiness between Europe and its neighbors have been subject of much debate and that faultiness within neighborhood itself need to be addressed and better understood. He maintained that dialogue needs to be extended if we are to realize the Barcelona Declaration objectives to establish a common era of peace and stability, to create an area of shared prosperity and to develop a partnership in social, cultural and human affairs within the broader area extending to the Gulf.
Referring to the 9th Euro-Mediterranean Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Lisbon in November 2007 and the EU initiative to declare 2008 as the “Year of Cultural Dialogue”, HRH Prince Talal stressed that consultations are needed regarding all new initiatives with the aim of enhancing cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean region such as the Mediterranean Union. Prince Talal added that a regional conference was held in Amman on 8 and 9 January 2008 to discuss the idea of a regional Citizens’ Social Charter. He concluded that developing a Citizens’ Charter is one important aspect of a broader goal of promoting regional cooperation for social and economic development in the West Asia North Africa (WANA) region.
Within the same context, Mr. Federico Mayor, President of the Foundation for a Culture of Peace, Spain, said that “the participation of women is crucial in supporting the culture of peace and dialogue among cultures, as people question how would we move from a culture of conflict to common understanding in a world, in which only 5 % of its decision makers are women. He added that the main commitment is towards the coming generation which will shoulder the responsibility. Speaking of dialogue, he said we need to learn to listen to others in an atmosphere of mutual respect among all. Mayor criticized addressing the issue of human rights at a time when millions suffer from hunger and ailment, and fortunes amounting to 3 billion dollars are spent daily on armament. He maintained that countries occupying another countries’ territories, irrespective of the UN Charters, should not talk about these ethics.
Mayor referred to the first paragraph of the UN Charter stipulating that the problems of peoples should be solved by those people rather than governments or systems; people should be involved in the process of change. He concluded that cultural and human diversity is the aim of all and that a sound dialogue among cultures will be established only within an environment of mutual respect.
At the end of the opening session, Mr. Lucio Guerrato, Director of the Anna-Lindh Foundation, Sweden, spoke precisely on means to enhance dialogue among peoples and cultures in the Mediterranean and Gulf areas.
Click here to view the complete text of the speech of HRH Prince Hassan Bin Talal.
Click here to view the complete text of the speech of HE Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak.