The future depends on a new generation willing to choose dialogue over division, and humanity over hatred, he said.
Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), during an interview with the UN media team in Riyadh-Saudi Arabia
A unique role
The Alliance is a leading UN platform for intercultural dialogue. With the forum’s 20th anniversary, Mr Moratinos reflected on how the world has changed over the past 20 years.
When the Alliance was founded in 2005 at the initiative of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the international order was unipolar.
Today it is multipolar, with rising powers in the Arab world, Asia, Africa and Latin America demanding to be seen and heard.
The Alliance is uniquely positioned to bring them and everyone else to the same table, he pointed out.
However, Mr Moratinos acknowledged that the world has become more complex. He sees this as a challenge that requires a deeper commitment to listening, dialogue and understanding.
AI: opportunities and challenges
One of the most pressing issues Mr Moratinos has identified is artificial intelligence – a force he believes will profoundly shape the future, while warning of the challenges
“A machine is not concerned with religion, belief, ethics – but people are.he said. That’s why he insists that AI must remain human-centered, guided by human values and human decision-making.
He warned of the risk of people handing over their freedom and responsibility to machines. If humanity forgets its moral compass, he warned, technology will not correct its course. According to Mr Moratinos, the Alliance of Civilizations exists precisely to protect values and ethics.
© UNICEF/Raphaël Pouget
Social networks can enable cyberbullying.
‘Hate is back and it’s dangerous’
On one of the Alliance’s key concerns, he spoke about the resurgence of hate speech, especially online.
“The hate is backsaid Mr Moratinos. “Hate makes you feel like you have to eliminate your counterpart.”
He warned that hatred begins with words but leads to exclusion, violence and conflict. To combat this, the Alliance is investing in programs that promote counter-narratives and encourage understanding. And he said young people are at the center of these efforts.
Today’s youth live “much of their lives” in virtual spaces that he fears could pull them away from real human connection.
‘We must bring realism back to the youth’ he said, urging a better balance between the online world and real life – where relationships, cultures and communities really take shape.
Peace must come first
Mr Moratinos said the world is preoccupied with security and has forgotten peace.
‘Everyone is much more concerned about security than peace’ he said. “But without peace you cannot have security.”
Saving the planet, he added, is futile if humanity continues to destroy itself. He pointed to the heavy human toll of the conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, and emphasized that the world must refocus on what really matters: saving humanity.
“Peace with a capital P,he said, must be the defining message of the Riyadh Forum and the guiding principle for generations to come.
And he believes it is young people who can make this vision a reality. Only they, he said, can decide that the 21st century will be the last century marked by war.
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