w    w    w    .    t    u    r    k    i    s    h    w    e    e    k    l    y    .    n    e    t

31 May 2012

Partners Forum for UN Alliance of Civilizations Begins

The Partners Forum for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations has started at Conrad Hotel in Istanbul on Thursday.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon have arrived in the hall where the forum takes place.
The forum, which will be held on May 31 and June 1, brings together governments, intergovernmental organizations as well as business foundations and individuals who have shown a strong commitment in realizing the vision of a world free from intercultural conflicts.
Forum opening will be made by Prime Minister Erdogan.
65 world leaders are attending the forum. Partners will be able to discuss the result achieved by the Alliance and will address a number of issues including the long-term resource needs, the immediate requirements for 2012 and 2013, and the current UNAOC priorities for action, including the new projects related to the outcomes of the previous global forums.
The Alliance of Civilizations is an initiative proposed by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero at the 59th General Assembly of the United Nations in 2005. It was co-sponsored by Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. The initiative seeks to galvanize international action against extremism through the forging of international, intercultural and interreligious dialogue and cooperation. The Alliance places a particular emphasis on defusing tensions between the Western and Islamic worlds.