MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2021) UN High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos told Sputnik he was happy with the preparations for a global conference on intercultural dialogue, which is expected to take place in Russia in 2022.
"I'm very happy, very encouraged by what has already been done by the Federation Council, by speaker Valentina Matvienko and at the same time by the organizing committee. We have well defined main objectives of this conference," Moratinos said.
The International Conference of Heads of States on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue is being organized by the Russian authorities, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and the United Nations. The UN envoy met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday to discuss preparations for the conference.
"I think we have to congratulate the Russian Federation and IPU because they have been working already for several months and even years, because I have to say that it is a very good start that this conference has the backing of two general assembly's resolutions, 2018 and 2020," the UN envoy said.
It will be a "historical event," Moratinos believes.
"Because it will be the first time that religious leaders with political representatives, parliamentarians and civil society are going to gather together to exchange plenty of views and try to bring about the importance of the interreligious dialogue, intercultural dialogue," the envoy continued.
One of the key goals of the conference will be to have all of the nearly 160 parliaments, which are expected to participate, to commit to "internationalization, the principle of mutual respect, of fraternity, of fighting against discrimination, anti-semitism, islamophobia, how to educate the youth, how to protect religious sites," the UN envoy said.
Ideally, the parties should have a final document reflecting that commitment, Moratinos concluded.
