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World Philosophy Day 2013 For Inclusive Societies and a Sustainable Planet
Celebrated every year on the third Thursday of November, World Philosophy Day will be held this year on 21 November. The celebration will be an opportunity to reflect on the greatest contemporary challenge, to which UNESCO and the entire United Nations system seeks to respond: building inclusive societies on a sustainable planet.
Events are being organized on this theme around the world, with participants being encouraged to share a multitude of views and experiences, fully respecting cultural diversity.
At UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the celebration will be marked by a round table on the topic (11am to 1pm, room IV), which will welcome distinguished philosophers and scholars of international repute, including Ms Tannella Boni (C么te d'Ivoire), Ioanna Ku莽uradi (Turkey) and Yves Charles Zarka (France).
Opened by the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, the round table will be moderated by Ali Benmakhlouf (Morocco), Professor of Arab Philosophy at the University of Paris-Est Cr茅teil Val de Marne (France). Discussions will focus on the growing inequalities between rich and poor and sustainable development.
Participants will discuss the concepts of social justice, solidarity, exclusion and inclusion in different societies, as well as issues related to the vulnerability of various groups - including women, children, young people, people with disabilities, minorities, indigenous peoples, migrants, refugees, people living in poverty - and the interfaces between these issues and sustainable development.
Together, they will explore such questions as: are there moral or ethical principles to be taken into account in public policies aimed at combatting exclusion and building inclusive societies? If there are such principles, how can philosophy contribute to identifying them?
Over two days of the following week, on 26 and 27 November, UNESCO House will also host a series of events which echo the main themes of the 2013 World Philosophy Day 鈥淚nclusive Societies, Sustainable Planet鈥, including workshops, round tables, conferences and exhibitions.
More information on 2013 World Philosophy Day:
Journalists wishing to cover the events require accreditation.
Contact: Djibril Kebe, +33 (0)1 45 68 17 41, d.kebe(at)unesco.org
