Coming events
Watch
Annual events
The UNESCO Oration
Founded in 2013, the UNESCO Chair Oration is an annual lecture delivered by a preeminent thinker in social justice, cultural diversity and human rights. Read more about previous UNESCO Orations.
The Deakin Iftar Dinner
Since 2009, the annual Deakin Iftar Dinner has been a symbol of interfaith and intercultural dialogue and friendship. The Chair proudly cohosts this event with Deakin and the Australian Intercultural Society.
The UNESCO Chair for Cultural Diversity and Social Justice aims to act as a bridge between researchers, policy makers, industry and community leaders and civil society.
We host and contribute to many events across each calendar year. If you’d like to join our mailing list, to stay up to date with events email unesco-cdsj@deakin.edu.au
Past events
- UNESCO Chair Oration 2025: Daniela Gavshon
Join us for the 2025 UNESCO Chair Oration, with Daniela Gavshon, the Australia director at Human Rights Watch - 14 August 2025: Riaz Hassan Memorial WebinarJoin us on 14 August 2025, for a special webinar to mark the birthday of that late Professor Riaz Hassan AM
- ‘Multicultural Matters’ Online Federal Election Forum 2025Professor Fethi Mansouri spoke at the Multicultural Matters online election forum about migration.
- 15th Deakin Iftar Dinner 2025
The Chair was delighted to host the 15th Deakin Iftar Dinner, with a timely keynote speech by the Hon. Peter Khalil MP. - Panel discussion on interculturalism in South AfricaProfessor Mansouri participated in a panel discussion at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.
- 2024 UNESCO Chair Oration: Mr Giridharan SivaramanThe 2024 UNESCO Chair Oration was delivered by Mr Giridharan Sivaraman, Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner, on ‘The Racism of Benign Assimilation’.
- Panel at the 6th World Forum on Intercultural DialogueProfessor Fethi Mansouri spoke as a panellist at the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Baku, Azerbaijan.
- Interdisciplinary Research Symposium on Religion and Migration in Australia and the Pacific
Professor Fethi Mansouri and Dr Enqi Weng will both be speaking at the upcoming Interdisciplinary Research Symposium on Religion and Migration in Australia and the Pacific on 7 March 2024. - Public Lecture: ‘Disrupting Racism in Contemporary Australia’Professor Fethi Mansouri delivered a public lecture called ‘Disrupting Racism in Contemporary Australia’ for International Human Rights Day.
- Migrant Youth Symposium Panel 2019
Professor Mansouri participated in an international panel discussion for the Migrant Youth Symposium Panel 2019. - 2019 UNESCO Chair Oration: Professor Marcia Langton AMProfessor Marcia Langton AM delivered the 2019 UNESCO Chair Oration on ‘Empowering Indigenous Australians’.
- Professor Fethi Mansouri and Professor Ricard Zapata Barrero in conversation
Professor Fethi Mansouri and Professor Ricard Zapata Barrero spoke together at Intercultural Cities in Melbourne. - UNESCO’s Third Academic Forum on Intercultural Dialogue
Professor Fethi Mansouri, UNESCO Chair Cultural Diversity and Social Justice, UNITWIN Network Convenor and Director of the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, co-chaired UNESCO’S Third Academic Forum of the UNITWIN Network on Inter-Religious Dialogue for Intercultural Understanding (IDIU), which took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 1st May 2019. The Academic Forum’s focus was on ‘Inter-religious dialogue and the governance of religious diversity’. Professor Mansouri presented… Read more: UNESCO’s Third Academic Forum on Intercultural Dialogue - BAKU 2019: World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue
The 5th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, May 2-3, 2019. The 2019 WFID Forum theme was ‘Building dialogue into action against discrimination, inequality and violent conflict’. The Forum examined the critical role of Intercultural Dialogue as an actionable strategy for building human solidarity and helping localities counter the violence and discrimination in diverse communities. The Forum… Read more: BAKU 2019: World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue - UNESCO/UNODC Panel Session: Global Citizenship Education for Peaceful and Inclusive Societies
What are the factors fuelling the decline of public trust in institutions? How can the education sector contribute to changing this situation, in particular by fostering students’ engagement as responsible citizens that support peace, justice and human rights? These are some of the questions Professor Fethi Mansouri addressed during the UNESCO/UNODC panel session on “Global… Read more: UNESCO/UNODC Panel Session: Global Citizenship Education for Peaceful and Inclusive Societies - Expert Meeting on Intercultural Dialogue, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris
As the UNESCO led International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2013 – 2022) reaches its halfway point, UNESCO is reflecting on how its work on intercultural dialogue can be rendered more evidence-driven and responsive to the needs of Member States. Professor Fethi Mansouri, UNESCO Chair for Comparative Research in Cultural Diversity and Social Justice… Read more: Expert Meeting on Intercultural Dialogue, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris - 2018 UNESCO Chair Oration: Professor Raimond Gaita
Professor Raimond Gaita was the 2018 UNESCO Chair Orator who spoke to his topic on ‘Different Ways of Saying ‘We” at Deakin University’s Deakin Downtown on 28 November 2018. He was welcomed by the UNESCO Chair of Comparative Research in Cultural Diversity and Social Justice, Professor Fethi Mansouri and Deakin University’s Vice-Chancellor Jan den Hollander… Read more: 2018 UNESCO Chair Oration: Professor Raimond Gaita - Participation at the Baku International Humanitarian Forum 2018
Professor Fethi Mansouri, UNESCO Chair for Comparative Research in Cultural Diversity and Social Justice, will be speaking at the Baku International Humanitarian Forum on 26 October 2018. He will speak on the topic of ‘Baku Process – Advancing Intercultural Dialogue for Human Security, Peace and Sustainable Development: 10 Years Lessons and Perspectives’ along with other… Read more: Participation at the Baku International Humanitarian Forum 2018
