United Nations Alliance of Civilizations | |
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| Abbreviation | UNAOC |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2005 |
| Type | United Nations entity (multilateral) |
| Legal status | Active |
| Headquarters | New York City |
Under-Secretary-General, High Representative | Miguel Ángel Moratinos |
Director | Nihal Saad |
Former High Representative (2013-2018) | Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser |
Former High Representative (2007-2012) | Jorge Sampaio |
| Website | www |
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is an initiative that attempts to "galvanize international action against extremism" through the forging of international, intercultural and interreligious dialogue and cooperation. The Alliance places a particular emphasis on defusing tensions between the Western and Islamic worlds.
The initiative was first proposed by the Prime Minister of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, at the 59th General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) in 2005. It was co-sponsored by the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
On 14 July 2005, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan formally proclaimed the launch of the Alliance of Civilizations at the United Nations Headquarters with the co-sponsorship of the governments of Spain and Turkey.
On 10 November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly recognized the mandate of the Alliance of Civilizations by adopting resolution A/RES/64/14 "The Alliance of Civilization", acknowledging the importance of intercultural and interreligious dialogue in promoting tolerance and expressing its continuous support for the work of the Alliance of Civilizations.
On 6 July 2015, Member States demonstrated their support for the work and achievements of the Alliance of Civilizations and adopted by consensus General Assembly resolution A/RES/69/312 "United Nations Alliance of Civilizations", hence affirming the status of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) as an initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General, an entity within the United Nations system.