Contents

Address of

Ms Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni

Representative of the Council of Europe,

Director of Education, Culture, Heritage and Sports,

Coordinator of Dialogue among Civilization

at the Council of Europe

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear friends,

It is my pleasure to convey to you the best greetings of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and to thank you for your invitation to attend this important symposium.

The essence of the theme, “Human Civilizations and Cultures: from Dialogue to Alliance”, corresponds perfectly to the political agenda of the Council of Europe. The recent Third Summit of European Heads of State and government reiterated the commitment of all major political forces on our continent, to systematically encourage intercultural and inter-faith dialogue, based on universal human rights, as a means of promoting awareness, understanding, reconciliation and tolerance, as well as preventing conflicts and ensuring integration and the cohesion of society. Europe wants to engage in constructive and open dialogue with its neighbouring regions, based on respect and mutual understanding, but clearly rooted in a set of basic universal values.

How do we approach this dialogue? In October 2005 our organisation has given itself a strategy, the “Faro Strategy”, which we will apply over the coming years. It is based on four pillars :

1. The conviction that intercultural dialogue is an essential component of the mission to promote human rights, democracy, the rule of law, and social cohesion.

2. The principle to approach intercultural dialogue as a transversal task, using all means that our Organisation has at its disposal: the legal and political standards; the accumulated expertise; the programmes and initiatives; and the institutional arrangements. In other words, we will “mainstream” intercultural dialogue.

3. The belief that intercultural dialogue is only possible if we have both - the dialogue within European societies on the one hand, and between Europe and the neighbouring regions on the other. Only if we recognize the historical reality that there has always been continuous interaction between cultures, and that our own identity reflects also the culture and the experience of many others, over history and at present - only then are we credible partners in intercultural dialogue.

4. The openness to engage with ouside and new partners, be they governmental (intergovernmental) organisations, parliamentary bodies, local and regional authorities or - particularly important: -civil society organisations. Only when dialogue at the political level is associated with action at the grassroots, with the real lives of people, men and women, can its results be real and lasting; otherwise “culture” and “dialogue” remain sterile concepts.

Based on these four principles, we have developed partnerships and agreed coordinated action programmes.

One particularly important step will be the creation of the “Faro Open Platform” for the promotion of intercultural dialogue, which we will set up with UNESCO and gradually expand to include other partners as well. For this purpose, the Council of Europe and UNESCO signed an important Declaration of Intent in Faro. Other agreements are already in place with the “Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures” and ALECSO.

I take this opportunity to underline our willingness to cooperate with all partners who share the same universal values, with all those, who see cultural diversity as a mobilising force in the positive sense, as a chance for human and material growth, and who want to contribute to a larger freedom in the world.

Allow me for a second to turn to the co-organisers of this symposium, ISESCO, Mr. Director General, the Council of Europe is happy to develop the working contacts that have evolved between our two organisations over recent months. One particularly good example is the field of education, where one can mention the themes of intercultural dialogue and culture of peace, history teaching and the “Image of the Other” project, and language policy, in this specific case the linguistic integration of migrants.

We are both convinced that more can be done, and more will be done, in forthcoming months and years. We are about to exchange our ideas and views, and I can tell you that the Secretary General of the Council of Europe is confident that we will make important steps in the near future.

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear friends

I am aware that until now I have referred to “cultures” instead of civilizations”, and to “dialogue” instead of “alliance”. I know that these terms do have different meanings and cannot be used interchangeably. I do not think, however, that this difference in terminology really expresses a deep difference of policy.

However, I must also express a word of caution. The title of this symposium, “from dialogue to alliance”, seems to indicate a certain progress. Please let us use this valuabe opportunity here in Tunis to reflect about the substance of our endeavour. As recent events have shown once again, intercultural and interregional dialogue is still a fragile concept and needs the constant attention, self-discipline and care of all sides invloved.

We wholeheartedly support the “Alliance of Civilizations” initiative of the United Nations. It aims at fostering the commmitted effort by the international community to bridge divisions and overcome the prejudice, misconceptions, misperceptions and polarization that potentially threaten world peace. It rejects the notion of a “clash of civilizations”. That is the programme of the Council of Europe, too. The UN Secretary General recently described the “Alliance of Civilization” initiative as the appropritae response to “the increased and multifaceted interdependence of peoples and countries, and also to the “asymmetry” of a globalised world”. The European continent faces exactly the same challenge, as well. And we are convinced (like Kofi Annan), that intercultural and inter-civilizational dialogue can contribute towards a more just, more open and more humane world.

It seems to me that this symposium, and our frank discussions of the five “axes”, will be a very good opportunity to advance our common cause.

Thank you for your attention.

Publications of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

-ISESCO- 1428H/2007 A.D