From December 11-13, 2011, more than 2,500 attendees met in Doha, including Heads of State, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, NGOs, representatives of civil society, young leaders, foundations, media, academia and corporate sector for the 4th Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).

The Doha Forum revolved around three key themes:

• How does cultural diversity impact development? – the missing link
• Promoting trust and tolerance to advance development goals
• New strategies for intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation

This Forum, tackled the issue of the missing link between culture and development and the notion of cultural diversity with the necessary tools that must be established to make the cultural factor a key element in development policies.

The Closing session concluded these three days of meetings, exchanges and new ideas. In her final speech, H.H. Sheikha Moza renewed her message to the international community: “during this Forum, I have seen the involvement of the Youth and I was happy to hear their voice. In fact, despite what we think, their awareness is real and they have proven that we need their leadership and support to achieve the goals of UNAOC and MDGs”.

UNAOC High Representative President Sampaio stated: “this Forum is a big step forward in showing how the Alliance as a soft power tool can contribute to a global partnership for peace and development. These three days made it crystal clear that diverse societies do not have to be divided societies; cultural and religious differences do not produce exclusion unless they are hardened by discrimination. From this Forum emerged a positive narrative about diversity.”

Among the many highlights of the last three days, were also key moments such as:

Youth Event, where diverse group of 400 young leaders met to debate key aspects of cross-cultural and interreligious understanding
BMW Awards, a new kind of partnership between the private sector and the UN system that aims to select highly innovative projects that promote exchange and cross-culture understanding, and make a vital contribution to safety and peace in societies around the world

The Doha Forum confirmed the global scope of the Alliance of Civilizations and provided new and existing partners a platform to collaborate with each other on substantive projects in the field of intercultural relations.

The Alliance of Civilizations has been created at the initiative of former United Nations’ Secretary General, Kofi Annan. Its objective is to promote the understanding and collaboration between countries and peoples across cultural and religious borders. The UNAOC was brought to life as an initiative of government of Spain and Turkey in 2005. The organization is under the patronage of the United Nations and is led by the former Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio, the High Representative.

http://www.qatar4unaoc.org/

Interactive Session of the 4th Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations "Long-Term Strategy for Global Sustainable Development Based on Dialogue and Partnership of Civilizations: Scientific Bases, Programs, Projects"

Doha, Qatar, 11 December 2011

The organizers of the interactive session - Pitirim Sorokin - Nikolai Kondratieff International Institute, International Strategic Innovation and Technology Alliance, and Lebanese-Russian House.

Powered by the Russian Federation Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government of the Yamalo-Nenetsk Autonomous District of the RF.

Moderator: Professor Alexander Ageev

Scientific Bases for a Ling-Term Strategy for Global Sustainable Development Based on Partnership of Civilizations

Messages:

• Yuri Yakovets, President of the Pitirim Sorokin - Nikolai Kondratieff International Institute
• Suheil Farah, President of the Lebanese-Russian House (Lebanon);
• Uliyana Vinokurova, Prorector of the Arctic State Institute of Arts and Culture (Yakutia)

Presentation of Programs and Projects of the Partnership of Civilizations

• International Energy-Ecological Program "Arctic Energy" and International Exhibition EXPO Arctic 2015. Vladimir Remyga, General Director for the International Strategic Innovation and Technology Alliance
• Open Internet-University of Dialogue among Cultures and Civilizations. Yakovets Yu.V., Kuzyk B.N., Farah. Dialogue and Partnership of Civilizations. Textbook. Suheil Farah, President of the Lebanese-Russian House (Lebanon)
• International scientific-public journal "Partnership of Civilizations" Alexander Ageev, Journal Editor-in-Chief
• Russian-Arabian Internet portal "Revelation" Sidorov Ye.A., Editor-in-Chief

Discussion of the draft recommendations of the Interactive session

PARTNERSHIP OF CIVILIZATIONS WILL SAVE THE WORLD: RESPONSE OF SCIENTISTS TO THE CHALLENGES OF THE 21-ST CENTURY

It comes all of a sudden the awareness that humanity is sliding toward the edge of the abyss. From the beginning of the 21st century a wave after wave of global crises — energy-ecological and demographic, food and economic, geopolitical and socio-cultural — is rolling. Hundreds of millions of people suffer from hunger and unemployment, become concerned for their fate, the fate of future generations.States and international organizations, politicians and TNC are indulged in the fight for their private interests, have no a scientifically validated long-term strategy for an adequate response to the challenges of the new century.In these circumstances, the international team of scientists that brings together over 70 researchers from 12 countries takes the responsibility to study the alarming trends of the new century and to justify the contours of the long-term strategy to overcome the crisis and entering the trajectory of global sustainable development. The Future of Civilizations Global Forecast for 2050 developed by scientists was reported at the Roundtable meeting as part of the 64th UN General Assembly session or. 27.10.2009 and at the Civilization Forum within Expo-2010 in Shanghai, 12-14.10.2010.Based on the forecast it was prepared the report «Foundations of a Long-Term Strategy for Global Sustainable Development Based on Partnership of Civilizations», which presented at the roundtable within the 65th UN General Assembly session 28.06.2011.What is the essence of the response of scientists to the challenges of the new century?

First, they assess the current cluster of global crises as the beginning of the regular change of historical epochs, the outcome of which will be the replacement of the industrial world civilization outlived its period with the integral civilization adequate to conditions of the 21 st century, the establishment of the fifth generation of local civilizations. A cluster of crises will be overcome by means of epochal and basic innovations of the second quarter-century, the outcome of which will be transition to a new model of global sustainable development.

Second, there are identified the nodal areas of the global transformation of the global civilization in the transitional epoch:

• formation of the noospheric energy-ecological mode of production and consumption;
• transition to a differentiated model of demographic development and optimization of migration flows;
• development and dissemination of basic innovations of the sixth technological order;
• change all the more parasitic late industrial economic system and neoliberal model of globalization in the interests of TNCs with the integral economic system — socially, noospherically and innovation-oriented, humanistic-noospheric model of globalization;
• formation of a multi-polar world on the principles of dialogue and partnership between governments and civilizations under the UN's leading role;
• establishment of an integral socio-cultural system, rise of science, enhance the creativity of education, revival of high culture and humanistic-noospheric morality.

These processes of transformation are already going in the vanguard countries, and they will spread to the entire planet over time.

Third, the growing gap between the speed and depth of transformation and a belated reaction of states, civilizations, the ruling classes to them can be overcome through the formation of scientifically-based long-term global strategy only focused on an innovation breakthrough and based on the principle of partnership of civilizations and nations, social classes and generations. Before a global mortal threat to the interests private interests recede into the background. Only together we can save our civilization. On the banner of the 21st century one word must be inscribed: «Partnership!». Together we are responsible for the fate of future generations.

Fourth, the researchers have not limited to proclamation of the need for a long-term global strategy and definition of its outlines.They have suggested specific institutions and mechanisms for the development and implementation. Moreover, it is proposed a package of long-term global programs, which allow implementing the main directions of this strategy. Among them it may be mentioned the programs "Arctic Energy" (turning the Arctic into a space of partnership of nations and civilizations), synthesis of the three revolutions — scientific, educational and information, food security, building an intercontinental Eurasia-America transport link via the Bering Strait. The ways are marked out to improve the coordinative role of the UN and its organizations in the development and implementation of global programs and projects are marked out.

Thus, the scientists have done their duty: they offer their vision of the deepest transformations occurring in the world and the basis of the global strategy for overcoming crises and entering the trajectory of global sustainable development.They understand well that these ideas will not be immediately perceived. It would take decades, change of generations of the ruling and business elite, before the proposed ideas will find their way in life. But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The first step is needed, and it is important that this step will be in the right direction.