On December 14, Chairman of the State Committee on Affairs with Religious Associations Ramin Mammadov participated in the opening ceremony of the 11th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and in the High-Level Meeting of the Group of Friends of the UNAOC, held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Speeches at the opening ceremony were delivered by Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, High Representative of the UNAOC and UN Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia Miguel Moratinos, Spain’s Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz Delgado, and former Prime Minister of Türkiye and former Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Binali Yıldırım.

Azerbaijan was represented at the Forum by Minister of Culture Adil Karimli, Chairman of the State Committee Ramin Mammadov, and Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazadeh.

The event brought together heads of state and government, leaders of international and regional organizations, religious figures, as well as representatives of the private sector, youth, arts, sports, academia, and media. This year’s Forum held under the theme “United Nations Alliance of Civilizations: 20 Years of Dialogue for Humanity – Towards a New Era of Mutual Respect and Understanding in a Multipolar World” was dedicated to marking the 20th anniversary of the Alliance and defining future action plans for ensuring sustainable peace as it enters its third decade.