“In a diverse world, the destruction of cultures is a crime, and uniformity is a dead-end: our aim must be to enhance, in one movement, the diversity that enriches us and the human rights that bring us together.”~ Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO~

 Culture is part of everyone’s life. We celebrate culture in the form of literature, movies and the arts. But culture also embraces the way we live, our value systems, traditions and beliefs.

It is a driving force of development, not only with respect to economic growth, but also as a means of leading a more fulfilling intellectual, emotional and moral. Cultural diversity is thus an asset that is indispensable for poverty reduction and the achievement of sustainable development. Culture is a sustainable development accelerator whose potential has been recognised in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations.”

To celebrate the cultural diversity, May 21 is marked as World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The day provides us with an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the values of cultural diversity and to learn to live together peacefully in a spirit of dialogue and openness. Celebrating cultural diversity means opening up new perspectives for sustainable development and promoting creative industries and cultural entrepreneurship as sources of millions of jobs worldwide, particularly for young people.

The General Assembly of the United Nations declared May 21 to be the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The General Assembly emphasized links between the protection of cultural diversity and the importance of dialogue between civilizations in the modern world. The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development was first observed in 2003.

The World Assembly of Youth (WAY) promotes culture and highlights the significance of its diversity as an agent of inclusion and positive change. WAY also encourages young people and organisations from around the world to take concrete action to support diversity and aim building a world community of individuals committed with real and every day-life gestures. We urge everyone to raise awareness worldwide about the importance of intercultural dialogue, diversity and inclusion and combat polarization and stereotypes to improve understanding and cooperation among people from different cultures.

WAY integrates culture into all development principles, especially those related to youth issues of cultural diversity in a multicultural youth context. We are endowed with diverse cultural heritage, comprising different young people from different countries and cultures, each with their own exceptional characteristics. Our target is to enable young people to successfully address issues of cultural diversity and mutual respect among different age groups from all over the globe.

We urge everyone especial the youth to raise awareness worldwide about the importance of intercultural dialogue, diversity and inclusion.

Happy World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development!

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