Key figures address global challenges

Exchanges vital

The veteran politicians stressed the importance of cultural and people-to-people exchanges in promoting mutual learning about various civilizations.

Prodi called for interactions between various countries, saying cultural exchanges should not be confined to the elite, but should increase the involvement of ordinary people.

People-to-people contacts, such as student exchanges, help cultural interaction and ultimately reach common understanding among people in different countries with different languages and cultures, he said.

Prodi said he is worried about the international situation being challenged by isolationism. In a world where the international order is being changed, he feels this makes the future unpredictable.

He called for united efforts from the international community to cope with the risks and threats, saying that people have sufficient wisdom to work out proper solutions to these problems.

Ahmedov said the ancient Silk Road promoted interaction among various civilizations. Now, the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, coupled with modern transportation, logistics and the internet, will help to promote progress among civilizations, not only in the growth of trade and business, but in cultural prosperity.

Sharaf called for building "the dream of global harmony" in a world of higher interdependence through sincere dialogue between civilizations and people-to-people bonds. He warned that a partial failure can put civilization at tremendous risk and may even lead to "a complete dissolution".

Komorowski considers dialogue between civilizations a condition for building international security, cooperation and development. He said such dialogue contributes to strengthening awareness of the values people share regardless of their race, gender, language and religion, including the dream of peace, welfare and economic freedom.