“No one is born a violent extremist. Violent extremists are made, they are fueled. Young people are learning to hate – we must teach them peace”, stated the Director-General in her opening address.

Echoing the Director-General’s words, Mr Alexander Kwasniewski, former President of Poland, emphasized the need to address root causes of violent extremism, including griefs, prejudice and hatred, by promoting reconciliation and social integration through education.

Governor Bill Richardson, former US Ambassador to the UN, further stressed the importance of equal educational opportunity for young women and men - in particular for those most marginalized in society, as critical to empowerment and resilience in the face of violent extremist ideology. “If you don’t stand up against violent extremists, you are complicit to their crimes”, he said.

“The fight against violent extremism resonates profoundly with UNESCO’s mandate”, stated Ms N’Diaye Ramatoulaye Diallo, Minister of Culture, Crafts and Tourism of Mali, highlighting the healing power of restoring and reviving her country’s cultural heritage deliberately attacked by violent extremist groups. “This is a joint success for Mali and UNESCO; and it is a critical first step towards reconciliation”, she said.  

Acknowledging the tremendous challenges in protecting cultural heritage against intentional destruction, looting and illicit trafficking perpetrated by violent extremists, participants also welcomed the mobilization of key actors steered by UNESCO.

“We are by no means helpless to protect cultural heritage during conflict”, stated Mr Markus Hilgert, Director of the Ancient Near East Museum, Berlin State Museums – Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, stressing the moral duty and social responsibility of academic institutions and cultural experts in stepping up efforts in support of affected countries’ ability to protect their cultural heritage.

“Globalization has created new challenges and we must stand united and be proactive in our response – in particular by preventing the further rise of violent extremism through education”, stated Ms Meglena Kuneva, Vice Prime Minister of Bulgaria for European Policies, Coordination and Institutional Affairs, in her closing remarks, echoing Director-General Irina Bokova’s call to “act, together, at every level, through education, through culture, through freedom of expression, through action on the basis of our conviction that humanity is a single community, sharing values, a past and a future.”