(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) MADRID, Nov 25 (KUNA) -- The 10th United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Global Forum kicked off Monday in Cascais, Portugal under the slogan "United in Peace: Restoring Trust, Reshaping the Future" to reflect on two decades of dialogue for humanity, with Kuwaiti participation.
The Forum will last for three days with the participation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UNAOC High Representative Miguel Angel Moratinos, Spanish King Felipe VI, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and Portuguese State Minister and Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel.
Representing and delivering a speech at the conference on behalf of Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya will be Kuwaiti ambassador to Portugal, Hamad Ali Al-Hazeem, where he will call for fighting Islamophobia and restoring security and stability to the Middle East.
Also participating in the forum to discuss issues of peace, security and to promote dialogue between cultures and religions, are representatives of UNAOC's Group of Friends, international officials, religious scholars and academics from around the world.
The forum will discuss the main achievements of UNAOC, its vision for the next stage, and the solid steps the international community must take to confront the challenges that threaten international security and social peace, including racism, discrimination, xenophobia and Islamophobia.
A conference on the protection of religious sites will be organized during the forum, in accordance to the UN General Assembly resolution passed in 2021, titled "promoting a culture of peace and tolerance to safeguard religious sites".
Co-chaired by Spain and Turkey since 2005, UNAOC was established under the auspices of the UN to be a soft power tool to prevent conflict by promoting dialogue and building bridges of understanding between different cultures and religions, as well as preventing extremists from exploiting fear, and mutual polarization between Islamic countries and Western societies.
UNAOC's headquarters are in New York, USA, and the forum meets every two years in a member state of the Group of Friends. (end)
hnd

MENAFN25112024000071011013ID1108921946