Taking issue with a popular school of thought predicting an inevitable "clash of civilizations", UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 28 June spoke of the need for "a world ethic" rooted in a framework of shared values and a sense of common humanity that would allow different traditions to coexist peacefully.

"Modern societies are too closely linked with each other, and modern. weapons are too terrifyingly destructive, for interaction between modern 'civilizations' to take the form of armed conflict, as that between past civilizations often did," the Secretary-General said in a lecture at the Oxford.Centre for Islamic Studies.

Calling for a dialogue of mutual respect between different civilizations, such as the West and the Islamic world, the SG stressed that the aim was not to eliminate differences between human beings, but to preserve and even celebrate them as a source of joy and strength.

"People must be able to follow their own traditions without making war on each other ... They must have sufficient freedom to exchange ideas. They must be able to learn from each other."

The SG recalled that ... the year 2001 had been proclaimed as the UN Year of the Dialogue among Civilizations. All the great religions and traditions ...overlap when it comes to the fundamental principles of human conduct. "That is what has made it possible for states in all parts of the world, representing many different religious and cultural traditions, to espouse the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and (the) international agreements which flow from it". (Source: UNIC Bulletin)