Parliament of Worlds Religion 2004 Barcelona

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

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Welcome from the UNESCO Centre of Catalonia
The UNESCO Centre of Catalonia is a non-governmental organization created in 1984. It is made up of representatives from different institutions: Catalonia Foundation, Congress of Catalan culture Foundation, Catalan Encyclopaedia Foundation, Jaume Bofill Foundation, Joan Miró Foundation, Peace Foundation, Roca Galès Foundation, Institute of Catalan Studies and Òmnium Cultural.
The objective of the UNESCO Centre of Catalonia is twofold: On the one hand, it aims at fostering the relations between the Catalan Culture and UNESCO, and on the other hand, it cooperates with UNESCO and with the other institutions of the United Nations system in some of the international programmes that could benefit from the Catalan savoir-faire and experience in specific areas. The UNESCO Centre of Catalonia relates with UNESCO through its status of institution maintaining official relations with the Organisation and with the United Nations as an NGO in consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Our Centre stands out for promoting international activities in the field of human rights and people's rights, environmental education, language diversity and interreligious dialogue. In 1997, it created the UNESCO Association for Interreligious Dialogue which was decisive for the organisation of the Parliament of the World Religions we are holding in Barcelona. Before that, the UNESCO Centre of Catalonia had organised several meetings of religious leaders and experts from different spiritual traditions, culminating in the approval of the "Declaration on the Role of Religion in the Promotion of a Culture of Peace" in 1994. Ten years after the Declaration we are happy to collaborate with the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions and with the Universal Forum of Cultures to make this year's great gathering come true.
From Catalonia, and from Europe, we want to give our warm welcome to all participants at this Parliament of the World's Religions. The UNESCO Centre of Catalonia is convinced that this huge event will significantly contribute to make a step forward on the pathway towards a world more respectful with cultural pluralism and more determined to get organized around non-violence and peace.
Agustí Colomines i Companys Director of the UNESCO Centre of Catalonia
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Parliament of the World's Religions 2004