Tehran, Jan 1, IRNA , The Alliance of Civilizations Forum, hosted by the government of Spain, will convene political leaders, media heads, grassroots and civil society leaders, corporate and film industry executives, and religious figures in Madrid on January 15-16.
Author Paulo Coelho, Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, Queen Noor of Jordan, Al Jazeera anchor Riz Khan, Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa, and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson are among the public figures coming to Madrid to find new ways to bridge the growing divide between nations and cultures worldwide, and to establish new partnerships to promote global understanding, a press release issued by the UN Information Center (UNIC) here on Tuesday.
The Forum will be opened by the President of Spain, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey, UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and President Jorge Sampaio, High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations.
The forum will feature announcements of high profile initiatives, including major projects aimed at promoting understanding among cultures in the areas of media and youth. Other commitments and partnerships involving governments and multilateral organizations will be announced at the Forum.
Two key alliance projects being announced at the forum are:
– The AoC Rapid Response Media Mechanism, an online directory of experts on intercultural issues whom the media can turn to in times of international crises, and
– The Alliance of Civilizations Clearinghouse, an online educational tool on multiple issues aimed at improving cross cultural understanding; the first clearinghouse, on media literacy education, will be launched at the Forum.