OP-ED: Do One Thing for Diversity and Inclusion

• by Irina Bokova and Jorge Sampaio* (united nations)
• Friday, May 20, 2011
• Inter Press Service

This is the vision underpinning the United Nations' action which is firmly reiterated in the Millennium Declaration adopted by all States worldwide.

But indeed we all know that living at ease with the landscape of diversities poses some challenges because communicating across differences is not always simple and the greater the cultural distance, the more difficult it often gets.

This is true on the borders between countries. This is obvious in the tough neighbourhoods of our cities. And it is exactly to promote mutual understanding and cultural cooperation UNESCO was created 65 years ago.

This is also why five years ago a new initiative - the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations — was launched to respond to the ever greater need to build bridges between societies, to promote dialogue and understanding and to forge the collective political will to address the world's imbalances.

To achieve these goals, renewed commitment and intensified collective action by countries and other relevant stakeholders are needed. But first and foremost, only the involvement of individuals and communities at the grassroots level will make a difference in building a culture of peace and dialogue in our age of diversity.

This is why this year UNESCO and the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations decided to launch a joint campaign on May 21 to celebrate together the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

Proclaimed by the U.N. General Assembly in 2002 to welcome the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity adopted the year before, almost 10 years on, May 21, 2011 is to be a landmark in public activism to turn cultural diversity into an advantage for peace, security and development for all.

Globalisation has deepened the links and contacts between cultures. Migration has increased, with humanity on the move more than ever before. New technologies have revolutionised information and communication, opening fabulous opportunities for exchange and cooperation, especially for young people.

However, every day, it is becoming clearer that we are not yet fully equipped to tackle such dynamic processes. Rigid stereotypes are back. As the world becomes more connected and societies more diverse, humanity still lacks the basic tools it needs to handle its own cultural diversity.

All of this makes the protection of cultural diversity and its democratic governance more urgent than ever. In fact, we believe our work must be sharper at three levels.

First, it is vital that we understand better the distinction between embracing cultural diversity — the vision of a pluralistic world where diverse peoples and communities with several affiliations and identities can cooperate in productive harmony — and focusing on cultural differences, the fact that these multiple adherences are becoming juxtaposed in new and sometimes dramatic ways.

We must identify the moment when diversity turns into difference and difference into violence. These are the moments that we must work on.

Second, it is clear that we need to develop 'cultural literacy' to make the most of our diversity. The fact is we remain largely 'illiterate' in our ability to understand diversity, to speak about it and to support and appreciate it. Every day the world cries out for new skills and new tools — for language learning, for cultural exchanges, for education in the humanities and the arts, for planning and running cities.

This starts with young people. The Arab Spring has made clear what we have always known: young people are not waiting for change, they are making it. This is a fabulous energy for innovation and creativity. Young people are not beneficiaries; they are drivers of change who must be given a higher stake in all decisions — in cities, countries and global communities.

Learning to manage diversity is a necessity, not a choice. This matters for individuals who feel they have a stake, it matters for societies to be healthy and it matters for states that are strong without being repressive.

Lastly, the link between the local and the global must be strengthened. The involvement of individuals at grassroots level is absolutely indispensable to reach a turning point.

To kick start this movement, and to mark this year's World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, the Alliance of Civilizations and UNESCO are launching a joint global campaign Do One Thing for Diversity and Inclusion.

The campaign has won the support and participation of several major corporations from Silicon Valley, including Yahoo, Cisco, Intuit, True Blue Inclusion, McAfee and Yahoo, among others. From diversity councils and employee resource groups to cross-cultural training, these companies will mobilize their employees to build a worldwide movement which celebrate diversity every year.

This initiative seeks to provide a framework for everyone to get involved in making the most of our diversity — through simple, every day actions. Learn a few words of a foreign language, check out world events through another country's news channel, visit an exhibition, help a social entrepreneur start a new project addressing the issue of diversity… you can share what you are doing with others on the campaign's Facebook site.

From the working environment to leisure grounds, the diversity challenge is one we all face. Join in!

*Jorge Sampaio is High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and Irina Bokova is Director General of UNESCO.

© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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