FIRST ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS FORUM
15-16 January 2008
Madrid, Palacio Municipal de Congresos

The First Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations has contributed to promoting the Alliance of Civilizations as the reference point for intercultural dialogue within the framework of the United Nations.

330 participants, 89 official delegations and 577 guests convened in Madrid for the Forum, representing the worlds of politics, business, international and regional organizations, as well as civil society and foundations.

The work of the First Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations was organized around 3 plenary sessions and 8 working sessions throughout two days. The participants, from 78 countries, had the opportunity to discuss issues as diverse as the role of the media in intercultural dialogue, the challenges and demands facing religious leaders as an instrument for peace or the opportunities that multiculturality can provide to the business world.

The plenary sessions addressed some of the major challenges of intercultural dialogue facing today’s globalized international society, working on the invaluable basis of the plurality of the participants, of outstanding prominence and with highly diverse profiles (political leaders – including Heads and former Heads of State, of Government and of International Organizations –, writers, opinion makers, mayors, international analysts, etc.).

The First Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations, with an essentially practical approach, met its goal of offering a space for convergence among governmental agencies, international organizations and representatives of civil society in seeking results and concrete initiatives in the sphere of intercultural and interreligious dialogue and, especially, in each of the sectors identified as priorities (education, youth, migration and the media).

In the framework of the Forum, a High Level Political Dialogue meeting of the Group of Friends of the Alliance of Civilizations was also held. It was attended by nearly all of the 70 countries and 13 international organizations that are members of the Group of Friends (46 of which were represented at Ministerial level or equivalent). This high level of participation highlighted the political support enjoyed by the Alliance and the various contributions were proof of the determination of the members of the Group of Friends to turn the principles and values advocated by the Alliance of Civilizations into concrete initiatives.