Forum of Cultures
The International Forum of Cultures is an event that aims to promote dialogue between cultures and initiate a global discussion on sustainability , cultural diversity and peace in the world .
The first Forum of Cultures took place in Barcelona in 2004 , the second from September 20 to December 8, 2007 in Monterrey (Mexico).
Forum 2004 in Barcelona
The first forum was held in Barcelona from May 9th to September 26th. It was sponsored by the Barcelona City Council, the Catalan Government ( Generalitat de Catalunya ) , the Spanish Government and UNESCO . A total of 146 non-governmental organizations took part. The forum is essentially associated with the then Mayor of Barcelona, Joan Clos . It was meant to be another major event after the 1992 Olympics .
The promotion of peace, sustainable development, human rights and cultural diversity were given as goals. During the 141 days of the forum, numerous conferences and congresses with personalities from culture, politics, religion and science took part.
criticism
Non-governmental organizations such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace boycotted the forum because of its commercial orientation: the sponsors of the event included companies such as Coca-Cola , Endesa , Indra , Nestlé and Telefónica . In addition, the increased construction costs (around € 320 million) were criticized. During the conception, up to 25 million visitors were expected; after the end of the forum, fewer than 3.5 million visitors were counted. In addition, the subsequent use of the site failed and today it is largely empty, not least because of its unfavorable location away from the city center.
More forums
In 2007 the second Forum of Cultures took place in Monterrey ( Mexico ). The theme was the meeting of the Indian and the "white" cultures. The third forum followed in 2010 in Valparaíso ( Chile ). Further meetings were planned for 2013 in Naples and 2016 in Amman .