Professor Dimitri Spivak, who is Chair of the UNESCO Chair in Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, their Specific Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue, has published a paper in the journal Lingua-Universum, entitled Intercultural Cooperation in Actual UNESCO Strategy.
Published in Russian, the article discusses the main features of intercultural cooperation, which is a key UNESCO priorities. The paper examines how intercultural cooperation has been implemented in the UNESCO Medium-Term Strategy (2022-2029), as well as a number of UNESCO reports and programs.
Spivak shows that the implementation of intercultural cooperation in UNESCO programmes includes both a general and specific approach. The general approach involves the distribution of elements of intercultural dialogue along all UNESCO Strategic Objectives and Major Programmes. The specific approach relates to the organisation’s application for the attainment of key goals, such as the protection of human rights, promotion of social cohesion, preservation of linguistic diversity, and support of inclusive education.
Spivak also analyses rapprochement of important objectives such as intercultural dialogue and protection of cultural heritage, codified in the complex conceptual notion of ‘diversity of heritage.’ This notion was formulated as one of the nine Outcomes of the Medium-Term Strategy. Spivak argues it has quite an im-pressive theoretical potential, and at the same time can serve as a bridge to the notion of traditional spiritual values, which forms a focal point for researchers in this country.
The UNESCO Chair on Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, their Specific Cultures, and Interreligious Dialogue is a member of the IDIU Network.