Professor Fethi Mansouri spoke at the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, in Baku, Azerbaijan from 1-3 May 2024.
This year, the theme of the Forum was “Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interconnectivity.”
Professor Mansouri spoke as part of a plenary discussion. The topic was the Role of Education and Youth Engagement in Combating Xenophobia and Discrimination. He was joined by a panel of experts:
- Dr Fanta Aw
- Mr Joaquim Llimona Balcells
- Professor Feng Peng
- Dr. Fariz Ismayilzada, and
- H.E Mr. Hamed Al Hamami.
Additionally, the plenary was moderated by Professor Alpaslan Özerdem. The conversation was rich and brought many diverse perspectives from around the world.
Professor Mansouri spoke about the findings of the Doing Diversity Research project. Significantly, it showed that intercultural dialogue education in schools made a positive impact on attitudinal change in combatting xenophobia and discrimination.
Importantly, he also emphasised the need to challenge structural and systemic racism. Meaningful change requires us to disrupt the structures of power that promote and support xenophobia.
Watch the panel on the United Nations web channel
As part of his trip to the Forum, Professor Mansouri also met with Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO, to discuss emerging research priorities.
About the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue
The Forum brings a wide range of stakeholders together to advance intercultural dialogue and deliberate upon pressing global challenges. This year, it specifically aimed to promote dialogue for peace, enhance global security and foster cooperation.
