Celebration of World Day of Cultural Diversity (21 May)

Paris, 19 May

Two famous calligraphers* from different traditions will intertwine their writing to celebrate World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (21 May) at UNESCO. Among many other examples, Master Fan Zeng (China) and Hassan Makaremi (Iran) provide a poetic illustration of learning how to “better know each other and live together”.

The celebration of this day is an opportunity to “reaffirm UNESCO’s constitutional mandate to preserve the ‘independence, integrity and fruitful diversity of the cultures to its Member States’ and to promote the ‘democratic principles of dignity, equality and mutual respect’ through education, the sciences, culture and communication,” declared Koïchiro Matsuura, the Director-General of UNESCO, in his message for World Day.

One of the main challenges of the 21st century is to build diversity from differences while cultivating the complexity, and above all the uniqueness, of humankind. World Day makes it possible to deepen our thinking on the values of cultural diversity, “common heritage of humanity” and “source of exchange, innovation and creativity”. It should be “recognized and affirmed for the benefit of present and future generations”, as proclaimed in Article 1 of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, adopted unanimously on 2 November 2001.

To celebrate World Day, all are invited to participate in the International Festival of Cultural Diversity (11 to 22 May), organized by UNESCO in Paris and all around the world.

• Author(s):UNESCOPRESS
• Source:Media Advisory No. 2009 –31
• 19-05-2009