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Rabat – Morocco’s historic city of Fez is set to host the ninth Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations on November 22-23 under the theme “Towards an Alliance of Peace: Living Together as One Humanity.”
Organized in a global context characterized by the renewed rise of the far-right in Europe and the surge in violent extremism, xenophobia, hate crimes, and all forms of discrimination, the forum seeks to find ways to promote peace, solidarity, and compassion to address global challenges.
The event would have a “special focus on Africa, a continent that has not yet gained its rightful place when it comes to collective action and global mobilization,” Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said during the official announcement of the conference in October.
The forum would additionally provide a platform for world leaders to discuss the vital role of multilateralism, sports, education, and religion as means to promote peace and forge new social contracts. These new social contracts would aim to combat discrimination and intolerance based on religion and belief, as well as foster peace, inclusiveness, and intergenerational dialogue.
The growing international need for cooperation and dialogue has recently been in the spotlight at the recently-concluded UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
For the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos human coexistence is vital in today’s world. “The need to save the planet is often mentioned, but we are also required to learn to live together, to respect each other, and to understand the existence of different religions, cultures, and civilizations, and Morocco embodies this,” he stated.
In this context, “the city of Fez was chosen in view of its ancestral character and its spiritual symbolism,” Moratinos explained.
In 1981, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) marked the old medina of Fez as a world heritage site, thanks to its numerous historic monuments that include the world’s oldest continuously operating university, Al Qarawiyyin University, and Bab Boujloud, one of the city’s oldest gates that dates back to the 12th century.
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