General Assembly Session 62 meeting 19

The Acting President

Before giving the floor to the first speaker, I would like to remind members that there are still 34 speakers remaining on the list. In order for us to exhaust the list by this afternoon I strongly appeal to speakers to make their statements as concise as possible.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, chairman of the delegation of the State of Qatar.

Mr. Al-Nasser (Qatar)

At the outset, I would like to congratulate the President on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-second session and to wish him success in his mission. I also wish to welcome the convening of this important dialogue as it represents a reactivation of the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The dialogue is also a response to the appeals launched by the heads of State and Government at the conclusion of the 2005 World Summit that stressed the importance of respect for and understanding of religious and cultural diversity and the value of dialogue on interreligious cooperation.

I also wish to take the opportunity to express my deep appreciation to the principal sponsors of resolution 61/221, namely, Pakistan and the Philippines, and to the other sponsors, for their tireless efforts. Thanks to those efforts the idea of convening this important dialogue during the current session of the Assembly took shape in order to promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among people of different religions, cultures and languages.

While all religions and cultures share a common set of human values, manifestations of fanaticism and religious and ethnic conflicts are on the rise and increasingly constitute a threat to sound relations between States. The State of Qatar was among the first countries to note in many regional and international forums the importance of drawing attention at all levels to the need to strengthen relations among peoples of different religious and ethnic backgrounds. In fact, the State of Qatar submitted to the international community proposals on how to address religious and cultural clashes among nations.

In that regard, I wish to recall one of the important proposals made by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar, during the round table organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at the margins of the Millennium Summit in September 2000. Those proposals addressed ways to achieve the goal of strengthening relations among human groups at three levels. The first level consists of a purely scientific mechanism that includes experts in history, politics and sociology and aims to expose the root causes of the conflict between peoples and cultures. The second level targets opinion leaders in various fields of the media with a view to discovering the best ways to shed light on the impact of misconceptions and bad images that might be conveyed by media outlets about different cultural groups. The third level includes political leaders and government leaders who belong to different cultural groups, as they would be the most capable of uprooting tensions and reducing chances of clash.

In the context of promoting dialogue among Islam, Christianity and Judaism, the State of Qatar has not confined its role to launching initiatives; it has also begun transforming its initiatives and appeals on promoting interreligious dialogue and mutual understanding into action. The State of Qatar firmly believes in the significance of giving the utmost importance to the principle of interreligious dialogue among the three divine religions in an effort to find solid ground to build a world of peace and understanding.

That deep belief has been the driving force that pushed the wise leadership of the State of Qatar, in the person of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, to host in the city of Doha a series of international interreligious conferences in what has become an annual event and which we expect will strengthen dialogue and communication. That series began with the first Conference on Interreligious Dialogue, which was held in Doha in April 2003; the latest is the fifth Conference, which was held in May 2007. This series of meetings has resulted in an important initiative that established the Doha International Centre for Interreligious Dialogue, which, in turn, set up an international advisory board to guide the work of the Centre in order to bring the three divine religions closer together.

The State of Qatar believes that interreligious dialogue will have a positive impact on the dialogue among peoples and civilizations. That is the reason why our country has responded positively to the initiative of the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, to establish the Alliance of Civilizations. The State of Qatar contributed to the work of the High-level Group on the Alliance, set up by Mr. Annan in 2005, through the important participation of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned, the wife of our Emir. The Group included a host of eminent leaders from the five regional groups and was tasked with developing a set of initiatives in the areas of education, youth and media in order to achieve the lofty goal of the Alliance: to bring peoples and cultures closer together to build peace and stability in a world weary of the scourge of war and religious and ideological conflict.

The State of Qatar will continue its support for national, regional and international efforts to promote dialogue and understanding among religions, cultures and peoples.

I wish to conclude my statement by recalling the words spoken by His Highness the Emir of the State of Qatar at the opening session of the third Conference on Interreligious Dialogue, held in 2005, where His Highness stressed that

"pursuing dialogue [would] win new adherents who believe that dialogue is more effective than bickering, and that communicating is more useful than keeping one's distance. Dialogue has become an urgent need to get rid of the burdens of yesterday and recognize the mistakes of today".

The Acting President

I now give the floor to Her Excellency Mrs. Mona Juul, chairperson of the delegation of Norway.

Mrs. Juul (Norway)

Today, the issue of religious and cultural identity is receiving more attention and is more central to global relations than ever before. Religion and culture define man and woman, and influence how we interact and relate to one another. Our right to freely choose our religion or belief is clearly stated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Still, the coexistence of diverse religions and cultures at times represents a challenge for societies and nations worldwide.

Religious and cultural identity has always been used to define the different sides in conflict situations. In recent years we have seen how religion has been used to promote and deepen several conflicts, both violent and non-violent. In most cases, the conflicts are really power struggles over political issues rather than clashes based on religious differences.

However, religion and culture can play quite a different role. Religious and cultural leaders have stood up against wars and the use of violence. Religious and cultural leaders as well as non-governmental organizations can play important roles in enhancing tolerance and promoting respect for religious and cultural diversity. They can make valuable contributions to peace and justice. In more secular societies there is often a tendency to underestimate that potential. It is therefore encouraging that national Governments and the United Nations, through high-level meetings such as this one, seek to involve those communities in order to better understand and deal with the role of religion and culture in national and international politics. We need international arenas such as this forum, where religious, cultural and political leaders can meet and exchange views.

Norway believes in the potential of interreligious and intercultural dialogue. Through dialogue we can enhance mutual understanding and respect for freedom of religion and belief and for cultural diversity. Dialogue can have a considerable impact. It represents a possibility to seize the middle ground, and to challenge the dominance of the extremes.

When receiving the Path to Peace Foundation award, Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa said,

"Promoting a true dialogue among civilizations and religions is perhaps the most important political instrument that we can use to reach out across borders and build bridges of peace and hope."

For the same reason, Norway is initiating, supporting and encouraging dialogue projects in several countries. Through those projects, we work closely with religious leaders in Norway and internationally.

Moreover, we have established a forum in our Ministry of Foreign Affairs where religious leaders, academics and diplomats meet to discuss important issues related to religion and foreign policy. It is a very valuable arena for the Ministry, the religious communities, the non-governmental organizations and the research institutes alike.

Although dialogue is the most important path to greater tolerance, respect for diversity and common understanding, dialogue is rarely without obstacles. Dialogue may also challenge decision-makers and religious leaders. Respect, acceptance and appreciation of cultures, traditions and religions must be mutual in order for dialogue to take place. Without fundamental respect for differences and recognition of the human dignity of the other, there can be no true dialogue. Basically, this means that we must be willing to both talk and listen. We must acknowledge that our dialogue partner has insights, convictions, values and abilities that could potentially make us reconsider our positions.

Fundamental respect for diversity is indeed a prerequisite for dialogue. And of course, increased respect for differences may also be a result of dialogue. It is important to underline that respect for cultural and religious diversity should not be misconstrued as uncritical acceptance of all facets of religion and culture. Both religious and cultural values can be used and misused; they can serve both good and bad purposes. There is often a need to identify elements in a dialogue process that could obstruct the promotion of tolerance, understanding and universal respect. It is necessary to balance respect for each other's viewpoints with an open and sometimes critical approach to issues relating to culture and religion. This is often challenging, and striking the right balance will continue to be essential in efforts for dialogue.

Many speak as if there is an ongoing conflict between the so-called Muslim and Western worlds. We do not think that there is such a conflict; nor do we think that those are the right names for them. The discourse has been polarized and is too often dominated by extreme elements. This approach, however, prevents us from engaging in fruitful discussions, making it more difficult to find middle ground. Constructive dialogues must necessarily involve people and communities from different segments of society.

It is also important to keep in mind that dialogue takes time. It takes time to build the necessary knowledge, trust and confidence to change our own perceptions and those of the other party. The time perspective is not always compatible with national and international political demands for quick and durable results. Thus, patience and commitment to dialogue are necessary.

Although dialogue as a political response to threats to democracy, peace and stability creates dilemmas and challenges for decision-makers, there is a definite need for interreligious and intercultural dialogue and cooperation among the world's communities if we are to transform conflict, build peace and ensure respect for basic human rights. It is important that the United Nations, as the representative of the international community, continue to promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue as an important political mechanism for enhancing mutual understanding and respect for freedom of religion or belief and cultural diversity.

The Acting President

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