The message, from second graders and octogenarians to imams, rabbis, young changemakers and the King of Spain, was clear: "we need peace and mutual understanding now more than ever before," according to more than 1,800 participants at the UN Alliance of Civilizations 10th Global Forum, which concluded on Wednesday.
"There was a strong call for peace, putting an end to violence and conflict and calls for diversity and fighting against discrimination," said the UN Alliance's High Representative Miguel Ángel Moratinos at the closing session.
The three-day forum drew participants from more than 150 countries, Mr. Moratinos said, also announcing that the 11th Global Forum will be held in Saudi Arabia.
Reflecting on some outcomes, he pointed to the global gathering of young people at its Youth Forum and the adoption of the Cascais Declaration to chart a path forward towards peace while tackling such myriad 21st century challenges as artificial intelligence (AI) and chronic spirals of conflict.
"The Cascais Declaration is not just a document. It is the commitment of all of us," the High Representative said.
Read our explainer on the Alliance of Civilizations and its Global Forum here.
What will the Cascais Declaration deliver?
The Cascais Declaration, adopted unanimously on Tuesday, puts forward a set of innovative pledges to forge peace amid current turbulent times.
The 25-paragraph declaration noted, among other things, the potential use of AI as a tool to advance intercultural and inter-religious dialogue and stressed the importance of combatting disinformation, misinformation and hate speech while strengthening information integrity.
It also underscored the importance of intergenerational dialogue for peace, sustainable development and human rights.
Learn more about the Cascais Declaration here.
'Everybody listens to each other'
"Here, everybody listens to each other," Mr. Moratinos told journalists at a press conference after the Global Forum concluded, commending the wide variety of panels, discussions and events that unfolded with a common spirit of mutual respect.
For many participants, it was a chance to see that up close. Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia, 85, co-chair of the Peace Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation, based in Birmingham, United Kingdom, said it was the first time he ever attended the Global Forum. The UN Alliance of Civilizations was founded to create peace, which is "what we need", he stated.
"Only yesterday, I heard the news about a ceasefire [in Israel and Lebanon]," he told UN News. "When you're talking about peace, vibrations can move out to other places. I was happy. There's a ceasefire. These killings have to stop."
More broadly, he wondered what development can occur in places like Gaza without peace, asking "who does not want peace?"
"We live in the same world, we have the same aspirations, we have the same challenges wherever we go," he said, "and we have to collaborate to have an impact."
From Cascais to the world
Many participants said they are taking common messages and positive energy shared throughout the forum to their communities across the planet.
Suri Jera, 15, from the Guarani Indigenous Peoples of Piaçagüera in Brazil, was in Cascais to receive recognition for appearing in the documentary tackling xenophobia Mundos Cruzados (Crossing Worlds) at the forum's PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival.
Indeed, racism, discrimination and what she described as an invisibility are daily experiences for her community, she told UN News.
"The United Nations has a voice for people like us who are suffering," she said. "They put together forums like this one, which are essential to build partnerships."
'First ray of hope for peace', UN chief says
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who opened the 10th Global Forum, held a media stakeout on Wednesday afternoon with Portugal's Prime Minister in Lisbon, the capital, explaining that "yesterday, I had an auspicious sign."
"It was the first ray of hope for peace that I received in the midst of the darkness of recent months, and I received it in Portugal: the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon," he said.
What does an ideal world look like?
UN News asked that question, and the answers resonated the challenges facing communities around the world. Here's what they told us:
"I dream of a better world where there is no prejudice and there is unity among all peoples to live in a world without genocide or killing. I want to live in a world where there's peace." - Suri Jera, 15, from the Guarani Indigenous Peoples of Piaçagüera in Brazil
"An ideal world for me is to be included everywhere because we're all the same, so anywhere you go on Earth, you can be welcomed as a person." - New Yorker Roy Ahn, 18, a filmmaker who was at the PLURAL+ festival to receive a recognition for his animated film Just Talk, which tackles the rise in hate speech
"You can always create a better space for everyone. When we are able to change mindsets of people, we are able to create a community that is inclusive." - Dativa Mahanyu, 24, a filmmaker from Tanzania who directed Fidi, about addressing discrimination against autistic people
"An ideal world is where kids can hang out in cities in safe spaces, we can swim in our oceans that are blue and clean and industries are not preventing us from having access to nature that we are blessed with and not worrying about if we will have food on the table or if a typhoon will destroy our homes, that the community is there to help us navigate climate change and that we can be resilient." - Chaela Tordillo, 25, from the Philippines, who directed Old Times, a film about the real-life impact of climate change
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"An ideal world would be one where all of us can feel safe and comfortable about who we are, in public, in private. We speak of moving progressively from tolerance to respect to real appreciation for difference and diversity. That's what I hope we will one day come to." - Rabbi Andrew Baker, 75, the personal representative of the chair-in-office on combating antisemitism with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), director of international Jewish affairs for the American Jewish Committee and a panelist in the Global Forum's session Upending hate: Turning the tide against the global surge in all forms of religious intolerance, including antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred and anti-Christian bigotry
"A peaceful world, one where diversity is celebrated, where everybody's happy and we are able to share with each other. We may not have all the ideal things, but we should strive for it." - Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia, 85, co-chair of the Peace Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation, based in Birmingham, United Kingdom
