The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held an international conference titled “From Dialogue across Civilizations to Cooperation among Generations for Peace” as part of the fourth edition of its Leadership Training in Peace and Security (LTIPS) Program. The conference brought together several experts, ICESCO Young Peace Ambassadors, and participants in the Organization’s Young Professionals Program.

The conference, held on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, in a hybrid format combining in-person attendance and videoconferencing, opened with remarks by Ambassador Khalid Fathalrahman, Head of ICESCO’s Center of Civilizational Dialogue. He underscored the importance of the conceptual evolution of dialogue among civilizations over time, noting that the Center’s work is grounded in this vision to move dialogue beyond the theoretical level into practical applications with tangible impact.

He also highlighted the concept of Civilizational Diplomacy, developed by the Center to transform dialogue among civilizations into practical pathways for cooperation and interaction among cultures, institutions, and generations, in the Islamic world and beyond.

For her part, Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of ICESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector, emphasized the essential role of the social and human sciences in enabling societies to understand current transformations and in promoting public policies grounded in inclusion, peace, and the preservation of human dignity. She stressed that peace is achieved through the building of cohesive societies founded on education, dialogue, and mutual understanding among generations.

The conference also featured a panel discussion titled “Promoting Civilizational Diplomacy and Intercultural Understanding for Global Peace,” bringing together experts and officials from civilizational dialogue institutions and centers in several of the Organization’s Member States. The panelists presented practical experiences in fostering intergenerational dialogue, strengthening youth engagement, and developing innovative tools to promote mutual understanding and build peace.

The panel featured Dr. Ravan Hasanov, Executive Director of the Baku International Multiculturalism Center (Azerbaijan); Associate Professor Dr. Durriyyah Sharifah Binti Haji Hasan Adli, UMCCD Fellow and Lead of the UNESCO Club at the Universiti Malaya Centre for Civilizational Dialogue (Malaysia); Dr. Saad Al Yahya, Director of Research and Studies at the King Abdulaziz Center for Cultural Communication (Saudi Arabia); Professor Youssef Mafuda, Dean of the School of Asian and African Studies at Xi’an International Studies University (China); and Mrs. Lantana Bako Abdullahi, National Coordinator of the Nigerian Women Mediators Network (Nigeria).