CONCEPT
International Conference
"Dialogue is the Guarantee of Peace"
Overview
The global initiative "Dialogue is the Guarantee of Peace" was proposed by the President of Turkmenistan during the International conference entitled “Peace and Trust Policy – Basis of International Security, Stability and Development” (Forum of Peace and Trust) in December 2021 and unanimously supported by the participants of the Conference. The outcome document of the Conference was published as a document of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly[1].
The above-mentioned initiative directly echoes the initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General to form an ambitious “New Agenda for Peace”, which includes reducing global strategic risks, investing in conflict prevention and peacemaking, and supporting regional preventive measures. All efforts undertaken by the international community within the framework of this initiative are aimed at promoting conflict prevention, peaceful settlement of disputes, peacekeeping and peace-building, disarmament, sustainable development, protection of human dignity and promotion of human rights, social integration, democracy, the rule of law at the national, regional and international levels make a significant contribution to the formation of a culture of peace and dialogue.
"Dialogue is a guarantee of peace" philosophy is aimed at uniting the efforts of the international community in strengthening the traditions of peaceful and trusting existence of the peoples of the world, restoring values, ideological views and traditions of preserving and promoting peace, comprehensively establishing a culture of peace and trust in international relations.
The continuation of the global campaigns to promote a culture of peace, based on the results of the International Year of Peace and Trust (2021) and the International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2013-2022) was supported by the participants of the International Conference in December 2021 and made as a call to the UN Secretary-General and UN Member States in the final document of the Conference.
In this regard, the convening of the International Conference "Dialogue is the Guarantee of Peace" in neutral Turkmenistan in today’s geopolitical conditions is a timely and necessary step towards strengthening peace and returning multilateral dialogue to a peaceful diplomatic course.
The upcoming International Conference, scheduled to be held in Turkmenistan on December 11 of this year on the eve of the International Day of Neutrality, will sum up the results of significant international initiatives in building a peaceful dialogue. Organized jointly with the UN system entities, the Conference is designed to contribute to global efforts to strengthen peace, diplomatic dialogue, and sustainable development.
The Conference will be preceded by a number of international and regional events, such as a High-Level Meeting of the Group of Friends of Neutrality for Peace, Security and Sustainable Development, Wrap-up meeting of the Women Leaders' Dialogue for Central Asia, Twelfth annual Meeting of Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Central Asian states, Annual meeting of Institutes of strategic studies of the Central Asian countries, Government-Youth Dialogue for Central Asia.
The High-Level Plenary Meeting will be held in Ashgabat on December 11, 2022. Thematic sessions will be held in a mixed format, in person in Ashgabat and virtually on the Zoom platform. Links to connect each session will be placed in the programmes of thematic sessions.
During the Conference, simultaneous interpretation in Turkmen, English and Russian will be provided.
United Nations Member States, international, regional and sub-regional organizations and public associations are invited to participate in the Conference. The forum will be broadcast in real time on the Internet via pre-distributed links.
The host country will provide accommodation, meals and transportation within Turkmenistan for delegations planning to participate in the Conference at the level of heads of international organizations and heads of government entities of the UN Member States.
The conference will start on the morning of December 11 with an opening plenary session and will continue within thematic sessions.
The opening session of the Conference will include statements by the Chair of the Conference from the Host Country and senior officials from countries and international organizations.
Three consecutive thematic sessions of the Conference will include speeches by the UN Member States, international and regional organizations and public associations, prominent political figures and international experts. Sessions touch upon important aspects of global development that are directly related to Sustainable Development Goals 2, 9, 13, 16 and 17.
The theme of the first thematic session will be "Dialogue as a basis for preventive measures and eliminating the causes of conflicts". It is planned that during this session there will also be an exchange of views on the further implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace[2].
The second thematic session "Strengthening food and environmental security through dialogue" will cover the issues of the interdependency of food security, climate change and sustainable development, improving the adaptive capacity of countries and communities to the environmental impacts, and will review the main international practices in this area, including the development and implementation of policies to mitigate and respond to climate change, and an exchange of views among experts.
The third thematic session will consider "Multilateral cooperation in cyberspace and the role of online networks in building international dialogue". This session will provide a basis for a broad discussion on the role of information networks and software in strengthening a culture of dialogue and peace.
In order to facilitate interactive and substantive discussions, each of the thematic sessions of the forum will be attended by representatives of the UN Member States, organizations and structures of the UN system, and other international and regional organizations, as well as representatives of civil society organizations, academia, the private sector and the media.
At the conclusion of the Conference, the co-chairpersons of the thematic sessions will present a summary of the discussions, followed by a concluding statement by a representative of the host country.
The outcome document of the Conference will be preliminarily circulated reflecting the results of the sessions. It will be sent to the United Nations Secretariat for distribution as a document of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.
The list of speakers for the Conference will be formed in accordance with the established practice of the UN General Assembly and will open for inscriptions on November 21, 2022.
At the end of the official part of the Conference, participants will be invited to events dedicated to the 27th anniversary of the Neutrality of Turkmenistan, the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and the 30th anniversary of the membership of the Central Asian countries in the UN.
Pre-registration is currently open at the following Internet link, which will be available until December 2, 2022.
The Organizing Committee could be reached by e-mail DPG.Forum@gmail.com, and by phone +993 12 445737. Copies of requests should also be sent to the following e-mail addresses: iod@mfa.gov.tm and durdymammet.ilmammedov@un.org.
[1] UN General Assembly Document No. A/76/611.
[2] United Nations General Assembly Resolutions 53/243 A and B.
