Promoting intercultural dialogue – NATO HQ (press release)

NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Tacan Ildem attended the Fourth World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the government of Azerbaijan in Baku from 4 to 6 May 2017. The event aims to promote intercultural dialogue as a tool to improve human security, the conditions for peace, and sustainable development.

Ambassador Ildem spoke at the plenary session on Promoting Dialogue and Building Bridges as a Tool to Preventing Violent Extremism on 5 May. He stressed that the challenges all international organisations face today are not exclusively political or military, so addressing them requires a comprehensive approach.

Radicalisation is the biggest challenge that the rules-based international system that organisations like the United Nations, the European Union and NATO help to govern, is facing today. It is a threat to open societies, to democracy, to the culture of tolerance and respect of the other that are the conditions sine qua non to preserve peace across the globe.

NATO participates and supports the fight against ISIL by providing AWACS surveillance planes. But this is not a battle to be won by military means only. Allies are cooperating closely with partner countries in the MENA region to project stability, to help building sustainable institutions and state structures that can enhance the countries own capacities to protect their populations.

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Promoting intercultural dialogue - NATO HQ (press release)