President Aliyev, First Lady attending 4th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue [UPDATE]

By Azernews

The 4th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue has kicked off in Baku on May 5.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva are attending the opening of the Forum on the theme "Advancing Intercultural Dialogue: New Avenues for Human Security, Peace and Sustainable Development" at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

The forum is organized in cooperation with UNESCO, the UN Alliance of Civilizations, the UN World Tourism Organization (WTO), the Council of Europe, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the North-South Center of the Council of Europe.

Prior to the opening ceremony participants posed together for photos.

The head of state is making a speech at the opening ceremony.

The forum brings together more than 800 foreign delegations, including high-ranking state and government officials, heads of international organizations, parliamentary leaders, renowned scholars, ambassadors and public figures.

This is for the first time that heads of more than 25 international organizations participate in the forum, which has become a platform for global cultural dialogue. The forum will feature a joint high-level meeting of the heads of international organizations for the first time this year, in addition to nearly 40 sessions and events.

The agenda includes topics such as the role of faith, religions, migration, human security, sport, education, art, sustainable development, preventing violent extremism, business in building trust and cooperation among cultures and civilizations.