Shahid Najam

Cultural Diplomacy as an Instrument for Integration & Peace By Shahid Najam (United Nations Resident Coordinator in Turkey)

I’m a very firm believer in the use of culture as an effective, potent tool, because if you look at and concentrate on the positive aspects when we talk about coexistence, tolerance, love, help thy neighbor, affection- these are all common principles. And then look at the cultural affinity in the region and look at the huge asset that this region has in terms of its contribution and the wisdom it has accumulated over millennia, and the contribution that it has made to the development of the human civilization, and if you bring in the cultural perspective and look at the richness of the culture- of the heritage, of the art and the architecture- you could use it as an absolutely important instrument in bringing integration and peace.

- The Ankara Conference on Peace-building & Reconciliation; Ankara, Turkey, April 2012