Official relations between the OTS and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) started with the signing of the MoU on 20 October 2016 in Istanbul on the occasion of the international conference titled the “Role of Youth in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE): Holistic Approaches From Education to De-radicalization” in 20-21 October 2016 in Istanbul with a larger participation across the world. The Conference, co-organized by the OTS and the UNAOC, aimed at raising awareness on the role that youth can play in addressing violent extremism and radicalization and gathered more than 300 young people and experts from 40 countries from Africa to Asia as well as credible international organizations.
Upon further contacts between the Secretary General of theOTS and the High Representative for the UNAOC and based on the decisions taken at the international conference jointly organized in Istanbul in 2016, a Youth Dialogue Exchange Program was conducted in Istanbul in December 2017 where the youth affiliated to the UNAOC and the OTS were brought together to exchange views and experiences on the projects and activities they are conducting, as well as to discuss issues relating to youth empowerment.
Within the framework of the official visit to New York on the occasion of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), OTS Secretary General held a meeting with the High Representative for the UNAOC on 27 September 2019 where both sides reassured their readiness for the continuation of the official relations between the two organizations based on the MoU signed in 2016. The Secretariat reaffirmed the continuation of its ongoing close cooperation with the UNAOC on youth empowerment projects.
Upon the invitation of the Secretary General Al-Nasser, Secretary General Amreyev addressed at the UNAOC Group of Friends Ministerial meeting dedicated to the title “Building Bridges: Using Soft Power to Promote a Culture of Peace” held on 28 September 2019 in the UN General Assembly. In his speech, he touched upon the general process of global dialogue among civilizations, the role of UNAOC in inter-cultural and inter-faith dialogue, as well as OTS’s ongoing cooperation with the UNAOC and its potential to promote the culture of peace in its region. The Ministerial meeting, which was attended by 31 countries and 5 international organizations, has served as the first occasion where the OTS Secretary General addressed at the UN Headquarters. Mr. Al-Nasser also praised the ongoing cooperation between the two organizations.
Secretary General was invited to the 8th Global Forum of the UNAOC held in New York on 19-20 November 2018 dedicated to theme of Commit2Dialogue: Partnerships for Prevention and Sustaining Peace.
