Education, religion and cultural diversity are on the agenda for a Danish conference aimed at promoting dialogue between civilizations on October 21 and 22.

The conference, Education for Intercultural Understanding and Dialogue, takes place in Copenhagen and present at the opening will be the Director-General of UNESCO Mr Koichiro Matsuura, the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Per Stig Moller and the Secretary-General of the Arab League Mr Amr Moussa.  

The focus of the conference is the role of education as a tool to promote intercultural understanding and dialogue. It will follow-up the dialogue and initiatives set in motion at the Conference on Fostering Dialogue among Cultures and Civilizations through Concrete and Sustained Action held in Rabat in 2005.

Experts and practitioners in the field of intercultural dialogue will share their knowledge and experiences in the three working groups of the conference. The programme includes workshops on religion and cultural diversity, the development of curricula and educational material, collaboration between institutions of higher education and student exchange programmes.

Also present will be the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the Arab League Educational Cultural and Scientific (ALECSO), the Council of Europe and the Alliance of Civilization , and the Anna Lindh Foundation as co-sponsoring organizations.