MELBOURNE TO HOST INAUGURAL GLOBAL DIALOGUE FORUM TO PROMOTE INTERCULTURAL EXCHANGE IN ASIA PACIFIC

By Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- Melbourne will host the inaugural Global
Dialogue Forum from Oct 10-12 aimed at promoting intercultural exchange in Asia
Pacific region.

Some 300 participants are expected to attend the forum, which is hosted by
the Global Dialogue Foundation under the auspices of the United Nations Alliance
of Civilisations (UNAOC).

The forum will bring together participants in the field of intercultural
relations from grassroots organisations, the academic community, the private
sector, government and international agencies under the theme "Unity in
Diversity-10.10.10; Bridging Cultures, Building Peace."

Global Dialogue Foundation chief executive officer Peter Pece Gorgievski, in
welcoming UNAOC's involvement said: "Our goal is to see a scaling-up of
grassroots initiatives that aim to develop understanding and cooperation among
people and cultures.

"We look forward to working with the UNAOC and partner organisations to
develop a similar model throughout the Asia Pacific region," he said in a
statement to Bernama.

The aim of the forum is to highlight and learn from the experience of
community leaders in uniting people from diverse cultural backgrounds for a
common purpose.

A key component of the three-day event will be 'the Marketplace of Ideas,'
which serves as an opportunity for established grassroots intercultural
initiatives to promote their programme to an audience which will include policy
makers and potential sponsors.

The most successful projects will be rewarded with support from the 'World
Intercultural Fund for Innovation' (WIFI) network, launched at the 2010 UNAOC
forum in Rio de Janeiro.

This is the first United Nations Alliance of Civilisations related event to
be organised in Australia.

President Jorge Sampaio, High Representative for the UNAOC, is expected to
deliver a video address at the forum's opening ceremony.

The event four focus areas are: integrating migrants; shaping perceptions,
challenging stereotypes - the role of the media today; education
for intercultural citizenship; the role of religious, faith and traditional
faith leaders in promoting peace and human development.

Pledges and recommendations from each workshop will be compiled into a final
conference document, which will comprise the 'Plan of Action', to be reviewed at
the 2011 forum.

Registration is still open to members of the public who wish to participate
in the forum workshops.

For more information visit the official website at http://bit.ly/GDF101010
Youth focus video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZkr0QJ36XU
-- BERNAMA


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