At its meeting in Vienna on 6 September 2013, the members of the International Coordination Committee of the World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations" adopted the following declaration on the conflict in Syria. As a constituent member of the Committee, the International Progress Organization endorsed the appeal.

We  are deeply concerned about the recent developments in the Syrian crisis. We condemn very firmly the use of chemical weapons by any party involved in this conflict. Their use is prohibited under international law and international conventions following the horrors of the First World War. At the same time we oppose equally firmly any unilateral military intervention in Syria in violation of international law and the UN Charter.

The first and most noble task of the international community is to help end the suffering of the Syrian population through diplomatic efforts and political dialogue. To this end, we propose an international peace conference on Syria to be convened at the earliest possible time. Such a conference must involve all regional states and actors as well as members of the UN Security Council. To avoid any further deterioration and to mitigate human suffering, a total arms embargo should be imposed immediately on all sides in the Syrian conflict.

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• Statement by the President of the I.P.O. on the Syrian crisis (23 August 2012)

• International conference on crisis in the Middle East: Istanbul Appeal for Peace (15 December 2012)

• Syria: civil strife must not become a religious conflict - Appeal for the release of Syrian bishops (3 May 2013)

  World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations"