(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) Berlin, July 26 (QNA) - HE Dr. Hamad bin Abdul Aziz Al Kuwari, Advisor at the Emiri Diwan and Qatar's Candidate to the Post of the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said there are big gap between the countries of the world in terms of providing access to education and culture, calling for healing this rift and taking clear measures for the provision of culture, education for all through cultural diplomacy.
This came in Dr. Al Kuwari's speech before the opening session of the 'Seminar of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy' in Berlin today.
HE Dr. Al Kuwari explained that schools, libraries and books are plentiful in some regions of the world, yet there is still an inability to provide the minimum basic education requirements for millions of children in other regions. UNESCO reports indicate the scope of the problem at hand, with 58 million children out of school, primarily due to economic reasons, he added.
One of the most important tasks of cultural diplomacy lies in rectifying and providing education for all and above all. Therefore, I am pleased and grateful with Qatar's initiatives in the field of education, such as the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), "Education Above All," and "Educate a Child" initiatives that will allow by the end of the current year for providing education to more than ten million boys and girls in the world's most marginalized regions.One of the most important tasks of cultural diplomacy lies in rectifying and providing education for all and above all. Therefore, I am pleased and grateful with Qatar's initiatives in the field of education, such as the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), "Education Above All," and "Educate a Child" initiatives that will allow by the end of the current year for providing education to more than ten million boys and girls in the world's most marginalized regions.
"Cultural diplomacy allows for the development of terms and patterns of dialogue to be shared with the other party, thus creating a bridge of respect for our inherent differences and unique cultural attributes; the cultural products become the main currency for this kind of trading between communities, including helping to create respect for the arts and literature that transcend geographic boundaries.
"These products may be formed in various cultural edifices that aim to introduce unique societies to the cultures of different people, and I recall in this regard, the esteemed Arab World Institute in Paris, in which I contributed to its inception when I was an ambassador for my country in Paris. This culturally fascinating institute played a prominent role in introducing French and Europeans to Arabic Culture and aided in the establishment of an open exchange of dialogue between East and West," HE Dr. Al Kuwari said.
He went on saying: "We have at the Western cultural institutes such as the German Goethe Institute, the Spanish Cervantes Institute, the French Institute for Cooperation and the British Council, great examples of the extent of faith and its profound impact on cultural diplomacy and the ability to bring people together and establish resounding peace in the world through the dissemination of universal values and the sharing of ideas. Cultural diplomacy has no real meaning without our belief in these core common values." "As much as cultural diplomacy leads to the achievement of greater prosperity and understanding between nations, adversely, indifference towards it leads to the decline of global peace and security. Understanding such matters, a few months ago during my participation in the Avignon Forum in French Bordeaux, I called for establishing an international day of culture against terrorism and reiterated the message I put forth in South Africa, Tunisia and the European Union Parliament because there is no permanent way to fight terrorism at its grass roots level, except through cultural education and understanding," He said.
Today, more than ever, we need cultural diplomacy in our fight for the protection of human heritage which is currently exposed to vandalism, destruction and looting. Intolerant groups bent on "holy ignorance" have launched their war against the cultural and symbolic wealth of humanity in Mosul, Timbuktu – 'the pearls of the desert' -, Libya and Palmyra, trying to spread fear in the minds of the people who want peaceful coexistence and an end to these shameful and horrific acts, HE Dr. Al Kuwari said.
Hence, one of the tasks of cultural diplomacy is to protect the ancient heritage of humanity. The German city of Bonn witnessed the launch of UNESCO's program for the protection of cultural heritage with the creation of the "Unite4Heritage" campaign, disseminating the belief through the international community that heritage is not just the remains of archaeological monuments from our ancestors or mental imagery circulated amongst the people themselves, but is instead, a symbolic component that allows dialogue between diverse cultures, thus, it preserves convergence among societies and enhancing the chances of world peace, he added.
As a representative of the proud citizenry of Qatar, I am proud to state that we have been fully engaged in this campaign for the leadership of UNESCO and we resolutely believe that heritage protection is a global issue that must be addressed for all of humanity, and I personally consider heritage protection as an issue close to my heart due to my experience in many of these currently affected conflict zones. A few months ago, I had the privilege of being named the "Man of Arab Heritage 2016", which has further emboldened me to double my efforts on enhancing the protection of human heritage.
Cultural diplomacy is not simply a contemporary affair. It is rooted deeply in many cultural events throughout history that fortified the links between countries and people who sought, and achieved, the noble principle of mutual respect. The gift of cultural exchange is among these events where the will of communication between people was embodied centuries ago until it became the symbol of rapprochement that has become universal throughout the world.
The gifts between Charlemagne and Harun al-Rashid are a good example of the degree of cultural interaction that expresses appreciation between cultures and mutual respect for cultural knowledge that has formed the so-called "culture of common things". The "gift of economic interaction" has truly enhanced the convergence of East and West and spread tolerance among people of different beliefs and cultures.