Our world has been, and is everyday, shaken and unstable. Uncertainty has become the last universal principle in our modern societies; the year 2011 has demonstrated it well, said Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah, Qatar Minister of State for International Cooperation, and a board member and executive committee member of Silatech, ahead of the upcoming 4th Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC). Despite this context, the 2000 Millennium Declaration and its objectives of peace and development have to be pursued until the 2015 deadline, he noted. The 4th Forum of the UNAOC will be organized for the first time in an Arab country - in Qatar - on Dec.11-13. The forum will provide tools to complete the ambitious goals, he added. More precisely, the Doha Forum will reintroduce cultural matters at the core of the decisional process by tackling - among other topics - education, gender and sustainability issues. Our common past has demonstrated that political, economic and religious fields could not serve as common factor. The Qatar Committee is convinced that dialogue should be founded on cultural elements. Only culture and more precisely values can build bridges between nations, societies and peoples. Agreeing on peace, tolerance and collaboration is the first step of a constructive cultural dialogue; necessary element for reaching and pursuing sustainable development. The recent years have demonstrated that there will be no clash of civilizations and no unique model to be followed. Indeed, history has not come to an end but it is more than ever in progress as the Arab Spring demonstrated. Our modernity is full of diversity which has to be seen as a precious asset of humanity for its innovative and creative aspects. At a time of constant questioning, the global discussion should find a starting point, a place where humanity can meet and build together this multicultural and diverse modernity. This is UNAOC's mission: to contribute to promote human dignity equity and equality at a global level. With 130 countries and an impressive diversity of contributors (Youth, NGO, business leaders, foundations, academics, etc) it indicates the path to be followed, from 2005 and this year in Doha. Because no unique model is driving the world, our collective mission is to reinforce and ameliorate the quality of the dialogue between cultures. The Alliance of Civilizations will stand in Doha as a platform for the common values expressed during the so called “Arab Spring”: Human Dignity, Democracy, Justice, Fairness and Rights. Moreover, these popular revolutions also changed the way we must think the development. It appeared clearly that the Youth, the civil society and the media must play a greater role to foster the dialogue. The Forum will offer the opportunity to discuss the emerging role of this - for so long unassuming - majority. I, as the President of the Qatar Committee, confirm this commitment. For many years, Qatar has succeeded in including dialogue and exchange in its DNA for diplomacy and development policies. Few weeks before the opening of this meeting we are convinced of the potential of this 4th Annual Forum especially because it will be result-driven. It is now time to build our common future and to take constructive initiatives. The beginning of this new century demands dialogue to build a common future for humanity. The Doha forum of the UNAOC will offer the opportunity to do so.
