DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNOG PARTICIPATES IN PAN-EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON INTERCULTURAL AND INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, today took part in St. Petersburg in a pan-European conference on "Intercultural and Inter-religious Dialogue", organized jointly by the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

In his opening remarks, the Director-General highlighted that at a time of an increasing sense of alienation between cultures, concrete measures were called for to support a dialogue.
Mr. Ordzhonikidze stressed that the world stood united in its resolve to put an end to preconceived ideas, prejudice and polarization, and in its rejection of extremism. He underlined that the religious dimension was critical to cultural dialogue, and emphasized that religious leaders could help avoid religion becoming a vehicle for extremism or a pretext for violence. The Director-General also welcomed the valuable role of parliaments and parliamentarians, as a model of an inclusive political dialogue. "As representatives of their people, they have a responsibility to show leadership in the debate, to condemn intolerance, and to ensure that laws are enforced to protect the vulnerable", he said.

Prior to the meeting on 1 June, the Director-General participated in a ceremony to mark the 15th anniversary of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS. Congratulating the Assembly,
Mr. Ordzhonikidze underscored that parliaments and parliamentarians were valuable partners for the United Nations. "Parliamentarians can help hold Governments accountable for commitments made at the global level. Through their legislative role, parliamentarians can facilitate implementation of the commitments by translating international agreements into national laws", he noted. The Director-General observed that the United Nations worked closely with regional and sub-regional organizations, and concluded that the collaboration with regional parliamentary assemblies in this context could be further developed.



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