By Marc Abizeid, "Dialogue seen as 'crucial' to Lebanon's future" - The Daily Star - Beirut, LebanonMonday, May 11, 2009
Beirut: The University of Saint-Joseph (USJ) became host to a series of lectures, discussions and debates among over a dozen professors and organization leaders during a three-day seminar last week to mark the entry of Lebanon into the United Nations' Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) initiative.
The seminar, titled "Alliance of Civilizations: Lebanese Visions," examined the issues of conflict resolution, globalization, identity and democracy as they pertained to Lebanon. Over 20 speakers participated in the seminar, which opened on Tuesday and concluded Thursday.
"A participatory and inclusive dialogue is crucial for the democratic future of Lebanon," UNDP resident representative Marta Ruedas said during the seminar's opening session.
Participants hoped that Lebanon's inclusion into the initiative would help nurture peace and stability in a country rocked by regional and internal wars and conflicts.
"Cultural and confessional divisions between the different communities are still deep in Lebanon and could in time be harming the democratic institutions ... if efforts to improve understanding and a culture of dialogue are not strengthened and prioritized," Ruedas added.
AOC was launched by the United Nations secretary general in 2005 and co-sponsored by the Spanish and Turkish governments as an initiative to bond nations, cultures and religions. The alliance is today made up of 84 countries and 17 international organizations.
The events were sponsored by United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Spanish embassy, USJ, Lebanese University and Casa çrabe.
"The [AoC] aims to bridge the gap between the Islamic World and the West because the founding principles of the alliance stipulate that if the gap between these two regions widens, international peace and stability may be threatened," said Maximo Cajal, special representative of the Spanish president in charge of AoC.
Cajal offered remarks Wednesday during a roundtable discussion focusing on intercultural cooperation and conflict resolution. The discussion was the first of four over the last two days of the seminar, each focusing on a different theme.
Information Minister Tarek Mitri, representing Lebanese President Michel Sleiman, also gave an address during the seminar in which he repeated the need for dialogue and cooperation - themes which were echoed throughout the seminar.
"Dialogue between civilizations is a great responsibility in order to avoid a clash of civilizations," he said. "Instant dialogue will not contribute to avoiding conflicts and tensions but a buildup will fortify the [AoC]."
Speaking on the last day of the seminar during a discussion on democracy, Nawaf al- Moussawi, researcher of philosophy, Sufism and political thought, called for Lebanon to adopt a system of proportional representation as a means to establish consensual democracy.
He also called on "the friends of Lebanon" to end meddling with internal affairs, saying interference was one of the factors preventing the country from establish consensual democracy, and criticized Western descriptions of Israel as a model of democracy for the Middle East. "The racist Israeli model is not very reassuring to us," he said.
[Picture: Beirut, USJ Exhibition ("Exposition des travaux des auditeurs des ateliers d'art de l'UPT (dessin, mosaïque, peinture"). Visit the USJ Campus online http://www.usj.edu.lb/en/files/ad_fee.html]
Beirut: The University of Saint-Joseph (USJ) became host to a series of lectures, discussions and debates among over a dozen professors and organization leaders during a three-day seminar last week to mark the entry of Lebanon into the United Nations' Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) initiative.
The seminar, titled "Alliance of Civilizations: Lebanese Visions," examined the issues of conflict resolution, globalization, identity and democracy as they pertained to Lebanon. Over 20 speakers participated in the seminar, which opened on Tuesday and concluded Thursday.
"A participatory and inclusive dialogue is crucial for the democratic future of Lebanon," UNDP resident representative Marta Ruedas said during the seminar's opening session.
Participants hoped that Lebanon's inclusion into the initiative would help nurture peace and stability in a country rocked by regional and internal wars and conflicts.
"Cultural and confessional divisions between the different communities are still deep in Lebanon and could in time be harming the democratic institutions ... if efforts to improve understanding and a culture of dialogue are not strengthened and prioritized," Ruedas added.
AOC was launched by the United Nations secretary general in 2005 and co-sponsored by the Spanish and Turkish governments as an initiative to bond nations, cultures and religions. The alliance is today made up of 84 countries and 17 international organizations.
The events were sponsored by United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Spanish embassy, USJ, Lebanese University and Casa çrabe.
"The [AoC] aims to bridge the gap between the Islamic World and the West because the founding principles of the alliance stipulate that if the gap between these two regions widens, international peace and stability may be threatened," said Maximo Cajal, special representative of the Spanish president in charge of AoC.
Cajal offered remarks Wednesday during a roundtable discussion focusing on intercultural cooperation and conflict resolution. The discussion was the first of four over the last two days of the seminar, each focusing on a different theme.
Information Minister Tarek Mitri, representing Lebanese President Michel Sleiman, also gave an address during the seminar in which he repeated the need for dialogue and cooperation - themes which were echoed throughout the seminar.
"Dialogue between civilizations is a great responsibility in order to avoid a clash of civilizations," he said. "Instant dialogue will not contribute to avoiding conflicts and tensions but a buildup will fortify the [AoC]."
Speaking on the last day of the seminar during a discussion on democracy, Nawaf al- Moussawi, researcher of philosophy, Sufism and political thought, called for Lebanon to adopt a system of proportional representation as a means to establish consensual democracy.
He also called on "the friends of Lebanon" to end meddling with internal affairs, saying interference was one of the factors preventing the country from establish consensual democracy, and criticized Western descriptions of Israel as a model of democracy for the Middle East. "The racist Israeli model is not very reassuring to us," he said.
[Picture: Beirut, USJ Exhibition ("Exposition des travaux des auditeurs des ateliers d'art de l'UPT (dessin, mosaïque, peinture"). Visit the USJ Campus online http://www.usj.edu.lb/en/files/ad_fee.html]
[Visit the Alliance of Civilizations website http://www.unaoc.org/]
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