On the occasion of the celebration marking the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the League of Arab States—coinciding with two decades since the emergence of the contemporary concept of the Dialogue among Civilidations—and in line with the General Secretariat's commitment to strengthening the bonds of dialogue among civilisations, which constitutes one of the fundamental pillars for promoting mutual understanding among peoples and building societies based on mutual respect and peaceful coexistence, as well as an urgent necessity for addressing shared challenges such as stereotypes, discrimination, racism, and hate speech, the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States organised the Cultural Salon of the League of Arab States (December Session) under the theme:
"Dialogue among Civilisations after Two Decades: The Future of Civilisational and Cultural Dialogue for Peaceful Coexistence."
The event was held on 21 December at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States. It aimed to shed light on the evolution of the concept of dialogue among civilisations over the past 20 years, the achievements attained and the challenges encountered amid political, economic, and technological transformations, the role played by United Nations and regional organisations in promoting dialogue among peoples and cultures, and ways to develop new mechanisms to enhance intercultural dialogue and shape a renewed future for dialogue among civilisations in line with contemporary developments. The proceedings of the Salon were opened by Counsellor Youssef Badr Mashari, Director of the Department of Culture and Dialogue among Civilisations.
The main themes were presented by His Excellency Mr Amr Moussa, former Secretary-General of the League of Arab States. The Salon was attended by His Excellency Dr Essam Sharaf, former Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and His Excellency Mr Mohamed El Orabi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, in addition to a number of Permanent Representatives of Arab States to the League of Arab States, several Arab ambassadors accredited to the host country, representatives of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and the Egyptian churches, representatives of the diplomatic missions of the Arab member states, as well as academics and experts in the field.
