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The Copenhagen Conference: “Education for Intercultural Understanding and Dialogue” took place in Copenhagen, Denmark 21-22 October 2008.
Organized in follow-up to the 2005 Rabat Conference on “Fostering Dialogue among Cultures and Civilizations through Concrete and Sustained Initiatives”, the Copenhagen Conference brought together some 150 experts to take stock of developments in the implementation of the Rabat Commitment and its Action Plan, and chart new avenues and initiatives in support of the Rabat and the Copenhagen Conference objectives.
The conference brought together UNESCO, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ISESCO, OIC, ALECSO, the Council of Europe, the Alliance of Civilizations, the Danish Center for Culture and Development and Anna Lindh Foundation as co-sponsoring organizations. The high-level inaugural segment of the Copenhagen Conference was co-chaired Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO and by Mr Per Stig Møller, Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs. Present at this opening session were dignitaries from the different partner orgazisations and institutions. At the conclusion of the high-level ceremony the Director-General of UNESCO presented, on behalf of the co-chairs, a ten point summary of the salient points made during this segment of the meeting.
These points together with other important documents, minutes and reports from the Copenhagen Conference will soon be available at this website. Keynote speeches, photos and some documents are already present at this page.
The Copenhagen Conference
“Education for Intercultural Understanding and Dialogue”
21-22 October 2008
Denmark is proud to host The Copenhagen Conference: “Education for Intercultural Understanding and Dialogue” in Copenhagen 21-22 October 2008. The Copenhagen Conference is a follow-up to the ‘Conference on Fostering Dialogue among Cultures and Civilizations through Concrete and Sustained Action’ in Rabat 14-16 June 2005.
The general focus of the conference will be on education as an essential condition for promoting intercultural understanding and dialogue.
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pleased to convene the conference in partnership with UNESCO, ISESCO, OIC, ALECSO, the Council of Europe and the Alliance of Civilizations and Anna Lindh Foundation as co-sponsoring organizations. The aim of the conference is to further and sustain the dialogue process and initiatives set in motion in Rabat in 2005 through a specific focus on education. In the spirit of the Rabat Commitment, experts and practitioners in the field of intercultural dialogue will share their knowledge and experiences in the three working groups of the conference.
The conference opens with contributions from the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Director-General of UNESCO and high level representatives of the sponsoring organizations in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Arab League and other dignitaries. See the preliminary programme. The workshops will offer an opportunity to exchange views and experiences on the following topics: Curriculum and Educational Material Development, Collaboration between Institutions of Higher Education and Student Exchange Programmes as well as on the topic of Religion and Cultural Diversity. The sessions in the workshops will focus on lessons learned and recommendable practices.
The Government of Denmark is looking forward to an active and inspiring participation at the conference. Benefiting form the expertise and knowledge of the participants present – it is the aim to produce key recommendations which will constitute the Copenhagen Agenda to be presented during a plenary presentation on 22 October.
The Copenhagen Conference is organized in partnership with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the Council of Europe, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures, the UN Alliance of Civilisations and the Danish Center for Culture and Development (DCCD).
This site will be continuously updated.
We hope to take another step to make dialogue among cultures and civilizations a reality of our every day lives.
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