Baku:A plenary session titled ‘Intercultural Leadership for Shared Futures’ was conducted as part of the 7th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue on October 27. The session focused on the importance of intercultural leadership in an increasingly interconnected yet divided world.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, UNESCO Deputy Director-General Åsa Regnér opened the session by emphasizing the paradox of increased global connectivity coinciding with feelings of loneliness among individuals. She asserted that intercultural leadership is crucial for understanding diverse perspectives, fostering community trust, and uniting people around shared solutions and innovative ideas. UNESCO advocates for the active involvement of young people in these initiatives.
Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Farhad Hajiyev, addressed the session, highlighting intercultural dialogue as a national value and strategic priority for Azerbaijan. He referred to the Baku Process, initiated in 2008 by President Ilham Aliyev, which aims to enhance mutual understanding, cultural diversity, and cooperation among civilizations.
Hajiyev stressed the importance of providing young people with opportunities for experiential learning, mentorship, and collaboration with individuals of differing views to cultivate leadership potential. He noted that over 300 youth non-governmental organizations are active in Azerbaijan, with approximately 2 million schoolchildren and 200,000 university students representing the nation’s future leadership and human capital.
Additionally, Hajiyev mentioned that 50 young leaders were selected from over 8,000 global candidates to participate in the ‘Youth for Peace UNESCO Intercultural Leadership’ program. The session concluded with discussions moderated by Varaidzo (Vee) Kativhu, founder of the Empowered By Vee (EBV) organization.