Dialogue is defined as consultation and exchange of thoughts and ideas between states, peoples, or individuals to reach a common understanding on a specific controversial issue. It has different forms, including dialogue among civilisations, intercultural dialogue, and interfaith dialogue.
We need dialogue today more than ever as the world witnesses various turmoil and changes, extremism, hate speech, and populism. With dialogue, we can stop these problems from aggravating and reach just solutions and avoid the negative and destructive impacts of these problems. Qatar realised the paramount importance of dialogue and decided to establish centres and launch initiatives to support dialogue, in addition to playing a key role in supporting the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC).
Towards this end, Qatar established the Qatar Committee for Alliance of Civilisations (QCAC) to highlight the contribution of Arab and Islamic civilisation to other civilisations and human progress in general, bring followers of religions closer, and encourage peaceful coexistence and acceptance of others regardless of their religion, culture, or civilisational background.
Qatar’s accession to the UNAOC is in line with and implementation of the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030 for international cooperation. These goals stipulate intensifying and strengthening cultural exchange with Arab people in particular and others in general, sponsoring and supporting dialogue among civilisations and coexistence between different religions and cultures, and contributing to global security and peace through political initiatives, developmental and humanitarian aid.
On the sidelines of the Doha Forum 2024, the Qatar Committee for the Alliance of Civilisations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Qatar University organised a ceremony to honour the winners of the Qatar Global Award for Dialogue Among Civilisations 2024.
Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Qatar Committee for the Alliance of Civilisations H E Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi said the celebration of the winners of the Award comes within the framework of implementing the objectives announced in Qatar’s plan for the Alliance of Civilisations 2023-2027, which emphasises giving awards for distinguished and funded research in dialogue among civilisations. The Award was launched in 2018, since then it has made great progress over the past six years and has become the focus of attention of academic and research circles and institutions from various cultures, and has begun to attract researchers from many countries of the world, which is reflected in the increase in the number of applicants.
