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Round Table: Dialogue among Civilizations United Nations, New York, 5 September 2000 Provisional verbatim transcription

Address by Joachim Alberto Chissano (Mozambique)

President Chissano: I should like to join those who have preceded me in congratulating President Khatami of the Islamic Republic of Iran on his initiative to originate the debate on this topic and to suggest the holding of this round table. I should also like to express my appreciation to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for their endeavours and active involvement in promoting the dialogue among civilizations, including the holding of the present round table.

The discussion of the present topic could not be more appropriate today on the eve of the Millennium Assembly dedicated to debate the role of the United Nations in the twenty-first century in a world characterized by an increasing interaction among nations, with the consequent reduced importance of geographically demarcated physical spaces.

The twenty-first century, with daunting challenges posed by globalization, brings not only economic, financial and technological interaction, but also a more comprehensive level of interaction among peoples, cultures and national identities. It is thus imperative to seek common ground for a continuous and open dialogue among us, the peoples of the world, with a view to allowing the harmonious existence of humanity by accepting our cultural diversity and the right to be different, thus strengthening our commitment to peace and the development of our peoples. This meeting is certainly a step towards that goal by means of reviving the lofty ideals of peace, prosperity, human dignity and social progress based on dialogue, tolerance and the mutual respect and understanding of the peoples of the world.

There was a time when some of us believed in the dichotomy of "us" versus "them", the civilized versus the uncivilized. There was a time when some of us, the so-called civilized, undertook a mission to spread civilization around the world. But history has taught us that those dichotomies were false. They were no more than a well-elaborated discourse to hide greedy political and economic agendas. We came to understand that humanity is by itself a civilization and therefore all of us are in one way or another part of that civilization. We came to understand that what we called different civilizations were in fact integral parts of that great civilization called humanity.

Nature is diverse and that diversity is reflected in our cultures, religions, languages, customs and races. Yet we are united by a single human dignity. Our diversity is a precious cultural asset of human civilization and therefore it is in our interest as human beings not only to value it but also to use it to face the challenges we have today. One of the major challenges today is the need to disseminate and transform the ideas of peace and non-violence into an intrinsic part of the collective conscience of people as we strive to meet the challenge of bringing people together in a more just world free from conflict, poverty and hunger.

The proclamation by the General Assembly of the International Year for the Culture of Peace in the year 2000 and of the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations in 2001 constitutes vivid invitations to revive the debate on interaction among the peoples of the world. In this regard we understand the concept of the culture of peace as being a set of values, attitudes and behaviour, ways of living and acting based on respect for life, the dignity and rights of the human person, rejection of violence, including all forms of terrorism, and commitment to the principles of freedom, justice, solidarity, tolerance and understanding among all peoples, all groups in society and among individuals.

The culture of peace means above all the spirit of non-violence and the conviction that retaliation can never restore what was destroyed. This spirit and conviction can help us to develop a sense of the value of life above and beyond the circles of the past, to revive the memory of what was lost, to work hard with dignity and solidarity, to restore broken spirits and a country's economic, social and cultural fabric. Thanks to this spirit and approach, in Mozambique we have made it possible for our people, regardless of race, colour, ethnicity, culture, political or religious belief, to work together for the construction and economic development of the country. This is the spirit of unity in diversity that underlies the recent economic and social progress the country has been experiencing.

Success in making and strengthening peace in Mozambique has put us in a position of actively contributing to the solution of existing and potential conflicts. It is in keeping with this principle that Mozambique has actively participated in several international initiatives organized by, inter alia, the United Nations, UNESCO, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and other regional organizations and individual States. Our presence here is in the context of that spirit.

We all agree that globalization presents us with great challenges. We had hoped that the globalization process would result in increasing economic opportunities for all, especially the developing nations. Evidence shows that there is an increasing marginalization of some parts of the world. Perhaps this dialogue is the right moment for us to understand our past, to interrogate the present globalization process and together, by bringing our diversity to the dialogue, imagine and shape the future of human civilization. In Mozambique, experience taught us that through dialogue we could build peace and development, which are two faces of the same coin. There can be no peace without development and there can be no development without peace.

We should avoid the risk of the line dividing the poor and rich being mistakenly taken as the line allegedly dividing races or cultures. We commit ourselves to make our modest contribution to this dialogue among civilizations in recognition that tolerance and respect for diversity must prevail as envisaged by the United Nations founding fathers. Only then shall we have a sound foundation for the full participation of the whole of civil society in the management of public life in a constant search for consensus, and the values of unity, social harmony and peace.

Mr. Matsuura: As I said at the outset, I should now like to invite two Ministers for Foreign Affairs who will represent their Heads of State. First I give the floor to His Excellency, Mr. Roberto Rojas Lopez, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Culture of Costa Rica.

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