Declaration of the 11th Rhodes Forum

The contemporary world is dominated by various forces that threaten humanist principles and a plurality of ways of life. A pervasive hegemony is imposing unilateral standards masquerading as global values irrespective of cultural diversity. Persistent injustice exacerbates both poverty and inequality within and between peoples and nations. Mankind faces the spectre of regional escalation that could lead to global confrontation. The continual domination of financial capital poses a growing menace to democratic life. Populists and extremists are on the rise. An impoverished materialism is undermining cultures, societies and spiritual traditions around the globe. All these threats derive from a lack of genuine dialogue that prevents all the civilizations of the world from contributing to the common good.

The World Public Forum - Dialogue of Civilizations reaffirms its fundamental commitment to the concept of “Dialogue of Civilizations” for solving today’s pressing problems and for developing sustainable strategies towards a more humane world. 450 participants from 60 countries gathered for the 11th time in Rhodes (October, 2-6, 2013) to debate fresh ideas to fix the world.

We are committed to a peaceful resolution of conflict and critical engagement on the contentious issues of our time.

We support international efforts to uphold and extend the conventions on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

We condemn any attempt to instrumentalise religious division for violent, geopolitical ends and we call in particular for constructive Sunni-Shia dialogue.

We call for urgent action to end the persecution of minorities across the world, including Christians in the wider Middle East.

We emphasize the role of ethical principles in organizing both businesses and the global economy.

We affirm the importance of the voice of civil society in domestic and international affairs.

We propose the adoption of the platform of ‘Trans-Eurasian belt Razvitie’, an open partnership involving different stakeholders with the aim of generating an infrastructure revolution for social development.

We promote the contribution of marriage and the family to society and the economy, including family businesses and small- and medium-size enterprise.

We encourage inter-generational dialogue and the participation of young people in public life.

We strive for a more environmentally stable future that preserves biodiversity for the sake of future generations.

We believe in the enduring importance of education and lifelong training, notably vocational skills.

The World Public Forum as a public movement calls on movements of good will to join the WPF “Dialogue of Civilizations” in the pursuit of these goals.

Rhodes, Greece, October 5, 2013
http://wpfdc.org http://rhodesforum.org

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