Madrid, Jan 15, IRNA ,The First International Conference on Alliance of Civilizations opened in Madrid on Tuesday.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the prime ministers of Turkey and Spain attended a forum of some 80 nations seeking to develop understanding between the West and Muslim countries.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said the UN-sponsored initiative aimed to prevent a “clash of civilizations by promoting security, understanding, tolerance and mutual respect in a globalized world.”
“It aspires to build bridges that can help us patch up the differences existing in the world, particularly those linked to religious or cultural issues,” Zapatero added.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that in the Alliance of Civilizations process “we have to achieve success. I am convinced that if we achieve success, we’ll find an antidote against terrorism.”
Zapatero presented the initiative to the UN General Assembly in September 2004 as a way to overcome misunderstandings between the West and the Arab and Muslim world and thus combat terrorism.
Turkey later became a co-sponsor of the project, which was adopted by the United Nations and now has the backing of more than 80 nations.
The two-day meeting will include workshops on issues ranging from building cross-cultural understanding of conflict prevention, religion and politics at the community level.
Organizers said they planned to announce details of a media fund aimed at supporting major film productions that promote cross-cultural understanding and combat stereotypes.
They said Sheikha Mozah, chairwoman of the Qatar Foundation, was also expected to announce a major financial commitment toward the establishment of a global youth employment initiative involving corporations, major multilateral organizations and governments.