By He Yin, People’s Daily
June 10 marked the inaugural International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations of the United Nations.
Dialogue and mutual learning are essential to the development of civilizations, and they serve as powerful drivers for global peace, progress, and sustainable development.
In today’s rapidly evolving world, the value of civilization exchange has never been more evident, and the importance of interaction among civilizations could not be more critical. The call for dialogue among civilizations could not be more timely.
To celebrate the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, a themed event was held on June 9 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. At the event’s thematic dialogue session, participants from across the globe spoke highly of the Global Civilizations Initiative (GCI) proposed by China, recognizing its significance for the world and calling for enhanced solidarity, deeper dialogue, and collective efforts to safeguard peace and development.
In his speech, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted: “On this first International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, we celebrate that conviction and the rich diversity of civilizations as a force to promote mutual understanding and global solidarity.”
Last year, with unanimous support from all member states, the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution jointly proposed by China and 82 other countries, designating June 10 of each year as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations.
The resolution fully embodies the core message of the GCI and reflects the shared aspiration of people around the world to promote dialogue and advance human progress. It has received broad support from the international community.
Dialogue among civilizations strengthens the bonds of peace, fuels momentum for development, and builds bridges of friendship. In 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping solemnly put forward the GCI, advocating the respect for the diversity of civilizations, the common values of humanity, the importance of inheritance and innovation of civilizations, as well as robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.
Establishing the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations is a concrete step of China toward implementing the GCI, a vivid demonstration of how China is transforming its time-honored philosophy of harmony in diversity into practical solutions for global governance. Over the past year, China has worked closely with other countries to implement the spirit of the resolution, creating platforms for equal dialogue among different civilizations.
From the Inter-Civilizational Dialogue among Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Countries 2024 and the BRICS Civilization Dialogue, to the 2024 Forum on Dialogue between the Civilizations of China and Latin America and the Caribbean and the 4th Conference on Dialogue Between Chinese and African Civilizations, China has remained a steadfast promoter of mutual learning among civilizations and a driver of the GCI’s implementation. The international community widely recognizes China’s growing leadership in advocating equal dialogue among civilizations.
Through mutual learning and exchanges, the world can draw from diverse civilizational experiences to address pressing global challenges and expand pathways toward modernization. Chinese modernization, deeply rooted in the country’s rich traditional culture, represents both a continuation of China’s own civilization and a fusion of achievements from other world civilizations.
China supports all countries in exploring modernization paths suited to their national conditions. By convening forums such as the SCO Political Parties Forum, building China-Africa platform for governance experience sharing, and launching the Global South Think Tanks Alliance, China is actively promoting mutual learning in governance and civilizational exchange.
All countries are on board the same giant vessel. It carries not only aspirations for peace, economic prosperity and technological advancement, but also the diversity of civilizations and the continuation of humanity.
China is committed to collaborating with all stakeholders to advance the GCI’s principles, uphold equality among civilizations, promote exchanges among civilizations, and advance the progress of civilizations. It will let dialogues play a harmonious symphony and raise the sails on the voyage, and help steer the profound changes unseen in a century toward a direction that better promotes human progress.
