Mr. Chaib chairs the Algerian delegation participating in the 11th International Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
The Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in charge of the National Community Abroad, Mr.Sofiane Chaïb, leads the Algerian delegation participating in the 11th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) held in Riyadh (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) on December 14 and 15.
This year's Global Forum, themed Two Decades of Dialogue for Humanity - Advancing a New Era of Mutual Respect and Understanding in a Multipolar World, was attended by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, and the Special Envoy for the Fight against Islamophobia, Angel Moratinos, as well as government representatives, influential international figures, young leaders, and women committed to promoting peace and strengthening understanding between cultures and religions.
This session of the Forum coincides with the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the creation of the UNAOC, which is a platform for cultural dialogue, cooperation, and understanding, aimed at helping to reduce divisions, combat fanaticism, extremism, and exclusion, banishing all forms of violence and confronting Islamophobic, hateful, and exclusionary rhetoric.
In a speech delivered at the high-level meeting of the Group of Friends of the UNAOC, the Secretary of State called, on behalf of Algeria, for a comprehensive approach based primarily on cooperation and the strengthening of cultural, religious, and scientific ties between peoples and nations, emphasizing the need to strengthen the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations initiative and equip it with mechanisms capable of implementing the principles and objectives of the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and various related international instruments.
Mr.Chaïb also reviewed Algeria's efforts at the international level to promote the values of peaceful coexistence, in particular through sharing its experience in the peaceful settlement of conflicts, the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, inspired by the values embodied by Emir Abdelkader, founder of the modern Algerian state, symbol of dialogue between civilizations in the world and one of the precursors who laid the foundations of international humanitarian law.
He also highlighted the various mechanisms adopted by Algeria at the national level to reject all forms of violence and hatred and promote the values of tolerance, solidarity, peace, dialogue, dignity, and justice, which have resulted in the adoption of a law on combating hate speech and the creation of a National Observatory responsible for monitoring and addressing these practices.