Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 March 2004
14 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if Ireland, as President of the EU, or in its own right, will be holding a regional conference on Islam and the western world as part of its preparation for the Dialogue Between Civilisations initiative of the United Nations. [9898/04]
View answerThere are no plans to organise such a conference. The Government favours continuing dialogue among cultures in order to improve mutual understanding. The United Nations General Assembly designated 2001 as the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilisations. Ireland played its part in this initiative when it hosted in Dublin on 30 and 31 May 2001 a meeting of the group of eminent persons who had been appointed by the United Nations Secretary General to report on the dialogue among civilisations process. Important progress was made by the group at its Dublin meeting in preparing the groundbreaking report that was submitted to the United Nations General Assembly. This report led to the General Assembly adopting a global agenda for dialogue among civilisations unanimously in November 2001. This agenda is intended to promote dialogue so as to reduce misunderstandings and mistrust and bring about the basis for non-violent resolution of disagreements and potential conflicts.
In November 2001, the group of eminent persons that Secretary General Annan had appointed to consider this matter issued a report, Crossing the Divide: Dialogue Among Civilisations. This was not a UN document per se and did not contain recommendations but rather observations about new trends which would assist the process of dialogue. The report contended that diversity was an aspect of humanity to be celebrated and urged that dialogue be seen as a soft tool of diplomacy. As noted by the Secretary General’s Personal Representative on the issue, Giandomenico Picco, dialogue was an opposing force to terrorism which equated diversity with enmity. Subsequently Secretary General Annan issued his own report to the General Assembly which inter alia restated the critical importance of dialogue among civilisations as a means of preventing conflict.
The General Assembly discussed the report on 8-9 November 2001 and on 9 December adopted Resolution 56/6 on the Global Agenda for Dialogue Among Civilisations which inter alia stated the valuable contribution that dialogue among civilisations could make to improved awareness and understanding of common values shared by all mankind and set out a general programme of action. Secretary General Annan is to report later this year on the implementation of this programme of action. The work begun by that initiative has since been carried through in other fora. The EU has played its part in furthering dialogue. One specific initiative being undertaken by the EU is the Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for a Dialogue of Cultures. One of the foundation’s guiding principles notes that “the values of dialogue, tolerance and respect for the other, which are common to all religions, constitute an important factor in bringing closer together cultures and civilisations.” Ireland announced at the sixth Euro-Mediterranean meeting of Foreign Ministers, held in Naples on 2 and 3 December, a financial contribution of €100,000 to the Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue of Cultures.
In addition, Ireland has carried forward the EU's proposed Strategy on the Mediterranean and Middle East. Last week in Brussels, the Presidency presented to the European Council an interim report on the policy. The principles outlined in this report will form the basis of consultations with the countries of the region in coming weeks, which have begun with the visit to the region by me this past Monday. We will continue to build on these contacts at opportunities such as the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Mid-Term Ministerial Meeting on 5 and 6 May and the EU ministerial meeting with the Gulf Co-operation Council, GCC, on 18 May.
Our relations with our partners in the region have been built on consultation. I believe that for this policy to succeed, it must be based on transparency, dialogue and consultation. The Union must work in full partnership with the countries of the region to help it meet the challenges facing it. Our goal should be to create a common zone of peace, prosperity and progress.
