Forum Building © Forum Barcelona 2004

Under the framework agreement drawn up by UNESCO’s Director-General with the Forum’s Organizing Consortium made up of the Spanish Government, the Autonomous Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya) and the Barcelona City Council, UNESCO has contributed since the start of the project to advising the organizers and cooperating closely with them in the conceptualization of the programme and activities.

The Forum, which will last from 9 May to 26 September 2004, is expecting around 5 million visitors. It will focus on three core themes - "Cultural diversity and the dialogue of cultures", "Sustainable development" and "Conditions for peace"-that are at the heart of UNESCO’s concerns and those of the United Nations as a whole. The Forum’s events are being tailored to every type of public. Lectures, exhibitions and interactive installations, shows and multicultural experiences will provide an unending interflow between the public and artists, intellectuals, political leaders, scientists, economists and experts in environmental protection from every region.

UNESCO intends to mark the occasion by organizing an interdisciplinary conference from 6 to 8 September 2004 on the subject of "New forms of ignorance, new forms of literacy" that will examine ignorance of diversity, ignorance of the Other, ignorance of the future and ignorance of ethics. This conference will be preceded by a top-level round table of heads of state and ministers. UNESCO will also organize on 14 september a roundtable discussion "Renewing the Dialogue between Cities and Rivers".

During this event, the UNESCO Cities for Peace Prize will be awarded on Monday 6 September 2004.This biannual award, which will be hosted by the Mayor of Barcelona, recognizes the initiatives of municipalities in creating the basis for peaceful coexistence. The prize for activities undertaken in 2002-3 will honour two cities from each of the following regions: Africa; Arab States; Asia and the Pacific; Europe and North America; Latin America and the Caribbean.

UNESCO’s Section for Youth will participate in the III^rd World Youth Festival (8-14 August) by organizing a Youth Forum, "Language as Violence, Violence as Language", which will deal with young people’s perception of the violence they experience in society and the expression of violence by youth vis-à-vis their social environment, whilst taking into account the key concept of language.

UNESCO’s "Design 21" Project is putting on an exhibition of works and concepts by professional designers under the magical title of "Love Why?"

UNESCO specialists are also helping to organize 13 "dialogues" proposed by other bodies :

• "The world today" (12-13 May),
• "Information, power and ethics in the twenty-first century" (17-19 May),
• "Communication and cultural diversity" (20-23 May),
• "Global audiovisual communication and cultural diversity" (30-31 May),
• "Energy and sustainable development" (2-3 June),
• "Water, a strategic resource" (31 May - 1 June),
• "Listening to the sea" (7-11 June),
• "Tourism, cultural diversity and sustainable development" (3-5 July),
• "Poverty, microcredit and social development" (15-18 July),
• The World Youth Festival (8-14 August),
• "Cultural rights and human development" (23-26 August),
• The World Urban Forum (13-17 September) and
• "Human rights, emerging needs and new commitments" (18-21 September).

The Forum News Office will have the latest technology for press and audiovisual services for direct recording and retransmission of events as they happen.
Contact : mediaoperations@barcelona2004.org

A parlour game known as "Terra" has actually been created for the occasion to teach very young persons that the future of the planet depends on cooperation between one and all.