News
Director-General at the UN in New York to participate in a high-level debate on “Dialogue in the Face of Violent Extremism”
On 26 January, UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, is traveling to New York to take part in a high-level panel discussion on “Staying Together – Dialogue in the Face of Violent Extremism”, organized by the Permanent Missions of Sweden and Indonesia to the United Nations.
The discussion will be opened by HE Ms Margot Wallström, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, and will bring together:
Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; H.R.H. Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; H.E. Iyad Amin Madani, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, UN High Representative of the Alliance of Civilizations; and H.E. Mr. Desra Percaya, Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the United Nations, as well as high level officials and representatives of the civil society.
This event will explore needs and ways to cooperate in order to counter violent extremism in our increasingly diverse and fragmented societies.
It aims at giving new impetus to the promotion of a culture of peace, dignity and respect for human rights, drawing on existing initiatives of the United Nations, and namely the “International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures 2013-2022,” initiated by Kazakhstan and the UN General Assembly and led forward by UNESCO.
While in New York, the Director-General will also hold a bilateral meeting with Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström, to discuss the strengthening of cooperation between UNESCO and Sweden in the areas of freedom of expression, the safety of journalists, and building intercultural dialogue. Irina Bokova will also hold a bilateral meeting with Ms Kerry Kennedy, President of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights and Mr. Frank LaRue, Director of European Operations at the Centre and former UN Special Rapporteur for the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, in order to explore cooperation on the challenges of freedom of expression in the context of intercultural and interreligious dialogue.
