Hans Köchler raises issues of religious discrimination and cultural identity; meets with Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey

In his capacity as member of the International Coordinating Committee of the World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations," Professor Hans Köchler, President of the International Progress Organization, earlier this week participated in the debates of the 5th Global Forum of the United Nations' Alliance of Civilizations  in Vienna, Austria (26-28 February 2013). The meeting was held under the motto "Responsible Leadership in Diversity and Dialogue."

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, one of the architects of the UN Alliance of Civilizations; His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar; the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Vuk Jeremic; the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon; the High Representative of the Alliance, former Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio; the incoming High Representative of the Alliance, Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser; the Foreign Minister of Spain, José Manuel García-Margallo y Marfil; and the President of Austria, Heinz Fischer, were among the keynote speakers at the opening session.

In a special session devoted to rising restrictions on religion and the importance of legal protections, Prof. Köchler, referring to cases in European as well as Arab countries, explained that international legal instruments for the protection of religious rights have to be applied consistently and that the law must not be used to restrict the free exercise of religion or to discriminate against particular religious communities. Demonstrating the difficulties under the ever more complex conditions due to migration (in Europe) or processes of social transformation (in the Arab world), he referred to recent controversies on the exercise of the religious rights of Muslims and Jews in Europe, and to the destruction, resulting from intra-religious disputes, of Sufi places of worship in Africa. He also called for a better international monitoring of violations of the guarantees of religious rights under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and (where applicable) of the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The session was attended, among others, by Mustapha Ben Jaafar, President of the National Constituent Assembly of Tunisia; Rabbi Arthur Schneier, Founder and President, Appeal of Conscience Foundation (USA); and Father Nabil Haddad, Executive Director, Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center.

In the session on "Diversity, Multiple Identities and Social Inclusion: Best Practices in Integration," Prof. Köchler called for conceptual clarification of the terms "nation" and "state" and suggested to more clearly distinguish between cultural (including religious) identity and citizenship. This will be indispensable for societal and religious peace under the conditions of modern multicultural societies, he said. Alluding to the motto of the 5th Global Forum ("Responsible Leadership"), he called upon the delegates of the Forum to challenge political leaders in their respective countries, and to urge them to demonstrate courage and moral leadership in the face of increasing xenophobic tendencies and their opportunistic exploitation in the game of party politics. Among the speakers of the session were Ms. Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, journalist, The Independent newspaper (UK) (moderator); Howard Duncan, Executive Head, Metropolis Project (Canada); and Loren B. Landau, Director, Forced Migration Studies, University of Witwatersrand (South Africa).

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Vienna Declaration on the Alliance of Civilizations

• Doha Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (2011)

• World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations"

• Hans Köchler on the dialogue of civilizations

• Article by Hans Köchler on "Unity in Diversity: The Integrative Approach to Intercultural Relations" (UN Chronicle 3/2012)