UN offices celebrate Int'l Day for Dialogue among Civilizations

China

UN offices celebrate Int'l Day for Dialogue among Civilizations

2025-06-06 19:05 Last Updated At：19:37

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris and the United Nations Office at Nairobi both held activities on Thursday to celebrate the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations.

On June 10 this year, the international community will celebrate the first International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations.

Last year, the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) unanimously adopted a China-proposed resolution to establish the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. This marked the successful implementation of China's Global Civilization Initiative and constituted a significant contribution to fostering exchanges and dialogues among diverse civilizations, as well as promoting world peace and development.

Various countries' representatives at UNESCO, winners of the UNESCO Silk Roads Youth Research Grant, young scholars and experts gathered on Thursday at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris for a symposium, which focused on mutual learning among civilizations, youth dialogue and joint endeavors for the future.

"This initiative is very important, particularly because it's prioritizing young people, early scholars, to come and share their work, and to encourage them to think about the ways in which the world can be better connected," said Peter Frankopan, co-chair of the Scientific Committee of the UNESCO Silk Roads Youth Research Grant as well as the UNESCO Silk Roads Program.

The Silk Roads Youth Research Grant was jointly established by UNESCO and China.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office at Nairobi and the Chinese Embassy in Kenya also held an activity on Thursday to celebrate the occasion.

"It (the Global Civilization Initiative) is a way of sending a very clear message that we are all interconnected. The cocktail of global diversity is celebrated today, courtesy of the effort of China. So happy International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations to the whole world!" said Ababu Namwamba, Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations Office at Nairobi.

Gulf countries consider new pipelines to avoid Strait of Hormuz: Financial Times

Impact of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is pushing Gulf countries to revisit costly plans for pipelines to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, so that they can continue to export oil and gas, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Thursday.

"Officials and industry executives say new pipelines may be the only way to reduce Gulf countries' enduring vulnerability to disruption in the strait, even though such projects would be expensive, politically complex and take years to complete," said the report.

"Previous plans for pipelines across the region have repeatedly stalled, undone by high costs and complexity," it said.

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital global energy corridor bordered by Iran to the north.

Around a fifth of global liquefied natural gas supply passed through the Strait of Hormuz, which also carries about one quarter of global seaborne oil trade.

Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities on Feb. 28, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes against Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East, while tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz by restricting passage to vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States.