Ohrid, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
28 - 31 August 2003

Background Papers:

The Potential for Dialogue in South-East Europe,
by UNESCO's Bureau of Strategic Planning

Concept and Implications of Dialogue among Civilizations from Macedonian Aspect, 
by Ferid MUHIC

People, Ethics and Civilisation: Ethics and dialogue as means for better understanding among people and for solving problems of humanity, 
by Kiril TEMKOV

On 4 November 1998, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 53/22, proclaiming the year 2001 the United Nations Year for Dialogue among Civilizations, and called upon Governments and the United Nations system, including UNESCO to plan and implement appropriate cultural, educational, and social programmes to promote the concept of dialogue among civilizations, including through organizing conferences and seminars and disseminating information and scholarly material on the subject.

On 5 September, 2000, on the eve of the United Nations Millennium Summit in New York, UNESCO, in cooperation with the United Nations, and with the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran, organized a Presidential Round Table at UN Headquarters to launch the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations. Ten Heads of State, two Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the UN Secretary-General participated in that event, which was complemented by a panel discussion with personalities drawn from literature, the media, academia, diplomacy and international organizations.

From 23 to 26 April 2001, an International Conference on Dialogue among Civilizations was held in Vilnius, Lithuania, in collaboration with UNESCO, as a major event in the celebration of the International Year. At the conclusion of the Conference, the Vilnius Declaration was adopted. Other major conferences were organized during the United Nations Year and their proceedings distributed: the UNESCO-UNU Conference on the Dialogue of Civilizations (Tokyo-Kyoto July 2001) and the Conference on “Civilizations in the Eye of the Other” (UNESCO, Paris, December 2001). Numerous regional and national meetings, encounters and symposia were organized by the United Nations system organizations, international, regional and sub-regional organizations as well as by academic, research and civil society organizations in various countries in the world (for details please consult UNESCO’s website

http://www.unesco.org/dialogue2001/en/natcom.htm ).

On 9 November 2001, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 56/6 putting forth a Global Agenda for the Dialogue among Civilizations and a Programme of Action for its implementation. The resolution outlines a number of measures and approaches to promote dialogue among civilizations, and invites a wide range of international and national actors, including UNESCO, to continue to encourage and facilitate dialogue among civilizations and to formulate ways and means to promote dialogue among civilizations in the activities of the United Nations in various fields. 

During the same session of the UN General Assembly, the initiative of President Trajkovski to organize a Regional Forum on "Dialogue among Civilizations" in Ohrid was presented and accepted as a concrete step to implement the Global Agenda for the Dialogue among Civilizations and its Programme of Action. 

From 4 to 5 April 2002, a High-Level UNESCO Conference on Strengthening Cooperation in South-East Europe was held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The Conference received a proposal for, and supported the convening of, a Regional Forum on “Dialogue among Civilizations”, to be held in Ohrid under the sponsorship of the President of the Republic of Macedonia, H.E. Mr Boris Trajkovski, and the Director-General of UNESCO, H.E. Mr Koïchiro Matsuura. This proposal was included in the conclusions by the Chairperson of the Conference.

From 18 to 20 October 2002, the 9th Summit of the Francophonie was held in Beirut, Lebanon and was devoted to the theme of “Dialogue of Cultures”. The final Declaration of the Summit – « Déclaration de Beyrouth » - emphasized, among other things, that: “Nous voulons donner un nouvel élan à l’intensification du dialogue des cultures et des civilisations, ainsi qu’au rapprochement des peuples par leur connaissance mutuelle, que nous avons inscrits dans la Charte au rang d’objectifs prioritaires de la Francophonie”.