Address by the President of the Republic at the Opening Ceremony of the 3rd United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Summit

Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, His Excellency President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo; Your Excellency, Prime Minister of Namibia; Your Excellency President Ellen Johnson; Your Excellency President Catherine Samba-Panza; Imam Allahshukur Pashazade, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims’ Board; His Excellency Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations; His Excellency Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, represented by His Excellency Fathallah Sijilmassi, Director-General of the African Union Commission; Distinguished Religious Leaders; Distinguished Guests; Ladies and Gentlemen; For the Republic of Angola, it is a great honour to host this Summit, organised in partnership with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, at a time when the world is facing profound challenges to stability and understanding among nations, marked by persistent conflicts, humanitarian crises, and geopolitical tensions. This Summit provides an opportunity to strengthen international solidarity, uphold the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and ensure respect for the rules governing relations among States. Your presence reflects our collective commitment to dialogue and cooperation as essential instruments for building a more stable and secure future. Since its establishment, the Alliance of Civilizations has advocated a vision of bringing peoples closer together, a vision that is even more relevant today in light of current global challenges. For this reason, rather than serving merely as a forum for debate, this gathering should serve as a platform for mobilising peaceful solutions, strengthening the role of multilateralism in preventing violence and promoting reconciliation among nations. Today, dialogue among civilizations has become an essential condition for global stability, as the current international situation continues to deteriorate in a deeply concerning manner. We continue to witness practices based on violence, the use of force, and disregard for the right to life and human dignity. The wars affecting different regions of the world require restraint, responsibility, and negotiated solutions. It is therefore urgent that we join forces to help resolve the armed conflicts that continue to prevail in different parts of the world, particularly in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, the countries of the Sahel region, Somalia, Ukraine, Myanmar, and the Middle East, including Palestine, Lebanon, and the Persian Gulf. It is equally imperative that we relentlessly combat terrorism, the growing use of mercenarism to overthrow democratically elected governments, as well as political changes carried out in violation of the domestic laws of individual States and International Law. We cannot remain indifferent to this escalation of wars, conflicts, and tensions, whose effects undermine security, the global economy, and the fundamental principles of international relations. States must take firm positions in defence of these principles. The multilateral system must become more representative, effective, and inclusive, and capable of responding to contemporary challenges. We are facing a moment that demands action, in which diplomacy, mediation, and prevention must be prioritised as the paths towards achieving lasting stability. Distinguished Guests, Angolans know well the cost of war and the value of forgiveness. We have a particular sensitivity to these issues as a result of our own historical experience. For us, peace is an achievement attained through sacrifice and consolidated over the years through national reconciliation. Our country endured nearly three decades of war following the achievement of National Independence. It was a difficult period during which the priority was to mobilise all possible and available resources, both human and material, to achieve peace, which, fortunately, with the contribution of all sectors of the Nation, was attained on April 4, 2002. Only from that date onwards was it possible to truly build a democratic State governed by the rule of law, reconcile the Nation, design and implement a broad infrastructure reconstruction programme, and define public policies more focused on human development. Angola is today a stable and secure country, open to domestic and foreign private investment, which continues to consolidate its democratic process through the regular holding of general elections and the guarantee of citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms. Thanks to peace, we are now able to make sustainable investments in road, port, and airport infrastructure; energy generation and distribution; water production and distribution; telecommunications; education; healthcare; and housing, while transforming former battlefields into agricultural production areas, thereby strengthening food security and diversifying our economy. Despite the challenges that remain, Angola is proud of the achievements it has made across the various areas of national life. Our current focus is on improving the quality of life of the entire population through the expansion of infrastructure, economic diversification, increased employment opportunities, and strengthened social protection and inclusion. Our experience teaches us that no objective justifies the destruction and suffering caused by war, and that peace is built through dialogue, inclusion, and trust. We are fully convinced that the fundamental prerequisite for building the prosperity of any country is internal peace and security. Prosperity and economic and social development cannot be guaranteed in an environment of war and conflict. Angola remains committed to mediation and to promoting African solutions to African challenges, in cooperation with international partners, seeking to contribute to strengthening the African Peace and Security Architecture and mechanisms for conflict prevention, management, and resolution. It is within this framework that we will continue to promote the Luanda Biennale, a Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace, whose fourth edition we will hold this year, as a platform for dialogue and crisis prevention. We advocate strengthening the cultural and educational dimensions of international conflict-prevention strategies. We propose the development of a Global Education and Culture Programme for Peace and Citizenship, involving States and international organisations such as the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and UNESCO. Among its key pillars should be intergenerational dialogue, sustainable global stability, and mutual respect among cultures. Stability requires collective responsibility and the active participation of all institutional and social actors, including religious leaders, young people, and women, not merely as beneficiaries but as key participants in building solutions. Resolving conflicts requires permanent and consistent respect for international norms and addressing their root causes, including poverty, inequality, and institutional fragility. The growing militarisation of international relations requires a response centred on diplomacy and consensus-building, because we are convinced that no lasting solution can be achieved through force. We believe that this Summit will contribute to mobilising governments and institutions to promote peaceful solutions to current challenges and will strengthen the global voice in favour of cooperation and understanding among peoples. May we, from here in Luanda, capital of the Republic of Angola, send a message to the international community that conflicts can be prevented, that world peace remains possible, and that respect for human dignity, International Law, and multilateralism must remain at the heart of our collective efforts. May this gathering inspire concrete commitments to end the conflicts that continue to cause destruction, mourning, pain, and suffering in various regions of the world. Angola reaffirms its commitment and determination to work with all international partners to build a safer, fairer, and more inclusive future for all human beings, regardless of culture, religion, gender, or any other discriminatory or exclusionary criterion. I commend the joint teams of the Government of Angola and the United Nations that worked on organising this Summit, and I encourage everyone to participate actively in the discussions that follow, contributing to the development of solutions to the challenges facing global stability and security. With these words, I hereby declare open the Alliance of Civilizations Summit, held under the theme “A Call for Peace, an End to Wars, and Respect for International Law.” Thank you very much.