High level officials called on nations across the world to respect media freedom in order to boost harmony between civilizations, as they opened the 4th United Nations of Civilizations in Doha on December 11.
During the opening session, several of the seven speakers said press freedom was a necessity in building relationships between different cultures, especially with regards to Islamic countries and the rest of the world.
In his keynote speech, Germany's President Christian Wulff said: “New means of telecommunications and the internet can also foment prejudice and fears of anxiety with regards to Islam. It's so important to have an independent media to give fair reporting on these issues.”
For his part, the Austrian President Heinz Fischer said: “Current events are a reminder of people's aspirations for freedom...In the year of new media and expanding democracy, civil society has definitely grown in importance and dialogue is an important tool.”
Qatar's deputy prime minister Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah also pointed to recent events and noted education and openness were key for conflict resolution.
“It goes without saying that the world is now going through some significant conflicts and contradictions that will clash," he said. "The alliance of civilizations in this context means we have a certain interest to education to our development system, in addition to openness.”
Ban-Ki Moon, the UN general secretary, said women and youth empowerment, conflict resolution and helping transitions in the Middle East are important to help the cohesion of civilizations. Most importantly, he added: “there can be no sustainable development without human rights.”
By far the most popular speech, judging by the audience reaction, was a video message by the Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Cheers were heard across the theatre at the Qatar National Convention Centre as he alluded to recent brutality in Middle East nations, saying: “As long as innocent people are victimised, we cannot find peace in the Middle East.”
Applause and cheers of support also followed his comments which supported Palestine's recent membership to Unesco and condemned America's reaction.
Over 2,000 people have flocked to Doha for the forum, including several heads of state, human rights organisations and journalists.
The three-day event includes dozens of sessions, seminars and discussions among opinion leaders, government officials and think tanks.
The Doha Centre for Media Freedom is a partner, along with several other non-profit organisations in Qatar.
