Building on efforts in the UNESCO General Conference of October 2011, the United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the Decade 2013-2022 as the International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures, with UNESCO as the lead Agency.The Decade is part of a strong momentum created by the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010) which called for peace and non-violence at every level of society.The 2006 UNESCO General Conference in its resolution on Promotion of dialogue among peoples had called for “the development of a universal global consciousness” based on dialogue and cooperation in a climate of trust and mutual understanding and for a “new humanism for the twenty-first century”.The year 2010 had been designated as the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures “to promote universal respect for, and observation and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.” Cultures encompass not only the arts and humanities but also different ways of living together, value systems and traditions.It is true today that, to an unprecedented degree, people are meeting together in congresses, conferences and universities all over the globe. However, in themselves, such meetings are not dialogue and do not necessarily lead to rapprochement of cultures. There is a need to reach a deeper level. Reaching such deeper levels takes patience, tolerance, the ability to take a longer-range view, and creativity.For any UN-sponsored Year or Decade to have a real impact, there must be wide initiatives and actions by civil society: non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academic institutions and the media.As Citizens of the World have been in the lead in efforts to create a new humanism for the twenty-first century, they welcome this 2013-2022 Decade and will play their part to highlight the creative efforts of individuals who have helped to create bridges of understanding among cultures.
Arthur Waley: Ways of Thought in Ancient China
Arthur Waley (1889-1966) was an important cultural bridge-builder between China and the West. He was a translator of Chinese and Japanese poetry and philosophical texts, especially the Taoist classic Tao Te…
L’Abbe Pierre: Voice of the Voiceless
by Rene Wadlow. L’Abbe Pierre, champion of the homeless and world citizen; died 22 January 2007 in Paris at 94 years old. He was born in 1912 and named Henri…
Arnaud Desjardins: Cultural Bridge-builder and World Citizen
Arnaud Desjardins (1925-2011) was a leading figure in introducing the broader French public to the philosophies and religious practices of Asia. His films devoted to Tibetan Buddhist leaders, Indian religious…
Lord Boyd Orr: A World Citizen’s Focus on Food
There can be no peace in the world; so long as a large proportion of the population lack; the necessities of life and believe that a change of the politicl…
Langston Hughes (1 Feb 1902 – 22 May 1967) A People’s Poet
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” Langston Hughes Langston Hughes was an African-American poet; through Negro was the term at…
Lewis Mumford (1895-1990) Urbanization and an Organic View of the City
There is a sense of great opportunity and hope that a new world can be built in which social and economic progress; environmental protection and better standards of living can…
Dag Hammarskjold. Crisis Manager and Longer-Range World Community Builder .
Dag Hammarskjold (29 July 1905 -18 September 1961). You wake from dreams of doom and −for a moment− you know: beyond all the noise and the gestures, the only real…
Jan Christian Smuts: What Rises Converges
Jan Christian Smuts (1870 – 1950 ) It has been my lot to have passed many of the years of my life amid the conflicts of men; in their wars…
Thomas Berry: A World Citizen’s Ecological Vision
“ As we enter the 21st century, we observe a wide-spread awakening to the wonder of the Earth. This we can observe in the writing of naturalists and environmental organizations…
Pitirim Sorokin: The Renewal of Humanity
Pitirim Sorokin (1889-1968) was concerned; especially in the period after the Second World War; with the relation between the values and attitudes of the individual and their impact on the…