The 2009 UNESCO Chairs Conference

     From May 8 - 11, 2009, the Center for Intercultural Dialogue, with the support of the University of Oregon, hosted the first-ever meeting on U.S. soil of the UNESCO Chairs from the UNITWIN network on interreligious dialogue for intercultural understanding. UNITWIN is the abbreviation for UNESCO’s university twinning and networking system. In conjunction with this meeting, the center put on a public symposium titled "Ethics, Religion and the Environment." The event was a great success – informative, enlightening and enjoyable for all involved. Some highlights from the event include the following:

• Friday's research talks by UNESCO Chairs from Austria, France, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
• Mary Evelyn Tucker's keynote address, "The Emerging Alliance of Religion and Ecology"
  
• The Grand Ronde Canoe Family's performance at the welcome reception
  
• Panel discussion, "Concrete Proposal for Future Best Practicies: How Religious or Spiritual Communities Can Address Ecological Crises"
• Building a Culture of Peace Traveling Exhibit, sponsored by Soka Gakkai International
• "A Time for Life" concert by Cappella Romana, composed by Dr. Robert Kyr

Please look through the rest of this website for more event and speaker details. We will post copies of Friday's UNESCO Chairs' research talks, as well as photographs and video coverage of the weekend's events on our website in the near future.

A special thanks to the Friendship Foundation and our wonderful host families for taking such great care of our international visitors. We would also like to thank our amazing team of volunteers, particularly the volunteer coordinators, who put in countless hours before and during the conference.