Baku
International
Humanitarian Forum

Summary of speeches by participants of the plenary session

The Special Representative of the Russian President for International Cultural Cooperation, Mikhail Shvydkoy, read the message on behalf of President Vladimir Putin to the participants of the Third Baku International Humanitarian Forum.

He said:

Dear President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev!

Your Excellency!

Ladies and gentlemen!

I am honored to be attending this forum because in a very short time the Baku Humanitarian Forum has become one of the world’s most important platforms, where the most significant, the most important problems of world development related to value problems are discussed, which is very important. Today we talk a lot about the problems associated with the value crisis, a crisis of civilization. But this is not the first time they have been encountered in the history of mankind. It is not for the first time that mankind has been looking for ways to overcome these problems.

Over the course of three years, Baku has become an important meeting place for people of different civilizations, different nationalities, different views of the world. This is where the tools that can save humanity from disaster are developed. For Russia it is a very important forum because it was established jointly by Russia and Azerbaijan.

This is a sign that we are extremely close peoples, the peoples who are bound together by history, the present and the future. Azerbaijan’s successes President Ilham Aliyev has just spoken about so impressively are very important for us, because the successes of the Azerbaijani people cause a huge upsurge of joy and enthusiasm of the Russian people. We are two close peoples, two close states, and it is important to note that the victory won by the President of Azerbaijan in the recent election is also a joy for all the peoples of the Russian Federation.

I have the honor of reading out a welcoming message on behalf of the President of the Russian Federation to the participants and guests of the Third Baku International Humanitarian Forum.

Mikhail Shvydkoy read the message of President Vladimir Putin.

The address says: “Ladies and gentlemen! Dear friends! I cordially greet the participants, guests and organizers of the Third Baku International Humanitarian Forum.

The authority of this major international event is growing every year. This time too, the forum held under the patronage of the heads of state of Russia and Azerbaijan brings together prominent politicians, scientists and intellectuals from dozens of countries. Our agenda is growing more diverse and rich. But its unifying character, the common desire of participants towards establishing mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of science, education, culture and art remains unchanged.

I am convinced that the meaningful and useful discussions to be held during the forum, the new ideas and initiatives will be implemented through real projects and contribute to trust, mutual understanding and good neighborly relations between peoples.

I wish you fruitful work and all the best.

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin”

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A message from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was read out by the acting UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, Doug Sigurdson. He said:

– Mr. President, Your Excellency!

Distinguished guests and participants of this authoritative forum!

Ladies and gentlemen!

As acting Resident Coordinator of the UN Office in Azerbaijan, I would like to bring to your attention an address of Mr. Ban Ki-moon.

Doug Sigurdson read a letter of Ban Ki-moon.

The letter said: “I greet the participants of the Third Baku International Humanitarian Forum.

I express my gratitude to the Government of Azerbaijan for hosting this event.

I want to emphasize that Azerbaijan has invited prominent people from various fields to the forum. The UN is also always ready to bring together representatives of government agencies, humanitarian and economic circles.

This cooperation should not be limited to the borders of countries. People of all countries want to live in an environment free of conflict and discrimination. This is an era of great opportunities. People can contribute to our common progress. Governments should strive to resolve the problems of women, children and all citizens.

In order to meet the Millennium Development Goals, we should strive to eradicate poverty. Due to the climate change, we need to adopt a universal program for the period beyond 2015 in this regard, the main principle of which should also be sustainable development. We should strive to cope with all the crises. In this series it is also important to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

It is necessary to achieve a peaceful solution to the issue, which would reflect the will of the people of Syria. From this perspective, we support the efforts to eliminate the chemical program of this country.

There is a deplorable situation in Africa today. In December, 394,000 people were driven out of their homes in the Central African Republic. From this point of view, the United Nations is doing its part to prevent violence. We need the support of the international community.

I am sure that each of you will contribute to the resolution of various crises. We want to achieve development. I wish this Forum every success in its collaboration efforts.

Thank you!

Ban Ki-moon

UN Secretary-General”

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Then a video address of UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova to the participants of the Forum was shown.

The address said: “Ladies and gentlemen, It is a great honor for me to address the Third Baku International Forum.

Being held for the third time, the Forum has become a global platform and an excellent means of discussing various humanitarian issues of concern to humanity.

The topics of this Forum such as sustainable development, science and education, multiculturalism, etc. represent the main activity directions of UNESCO. From this point of view, the Forum is an important activity in ensuring sustainable peace and stability. These are very difficult issues, but they are the main topics on the agenda of human development.

The development of science and the dissemination of scientific knowledge is a very important matter. Education is our most important topic. All people, men and women alike, must contribute so overall progress on this issue.

Today societies are going through a period of very deep transformation. There is a certain inequality here. For UNESCO, it is humanistic agenda number one. Protection of the rights and dignity of the individual is the most important and the main task. Therefore, we have set an ambitious goal of forming the agenda on this issue after 2015.

I wish success all the participants of the Third Baku International Humanitarian Forum every success and express my special appreciation to the Government of Azerbaijan. In particular, I express my gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev for the initiative. I wish you fruitful work and believe that you make important decisions.”

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Addressing the Forum, ISESCO Director General Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri congratulated President Ilham Aliyev on his reelection as head of the Azerbaijani state.

Noting that Azerbaijan’s rapid development would be continued, Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri said:

– First of all, I congratulate His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev on his reelection to the post of President of Azerbaijan. I wish His Excellency permanent success. Without a doubt, under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev Azerbaijan is committed to promoting peace both at the regional and international levels and makes great efforts for the development of tolerance and dialogue. This is an issue that lies at the heart of international relations. The Baku International Humanitarian Forum, as well as Azerbaijan’s other international initiatives, is a great indicator. Azerbaijan is working on a variety of adequate dialogue mechanisms to achieve cooperation and understanding in the world.

Unfortunately, despite the diversity of the media, radicalism is getting the upper hand at the moment. There is racial discrimination today. The most frustrating issue in this regard is the occupation of Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh. The grave consequences of that include ethnic cleansing and the destruction of historical and cultural sites. Despite the fact that the UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on the settlement of the conflict, the occupation still continues.

The Palestinian issue also remains unresolved. These protracted conflicts demonstrate yet again that the Security Council is not coping with its duty of ensuring peace. This is very frustrating. The issue of ensuring peace, stability and justice should be the main theme not only of this but also of other forums.

Your Excellency Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen. This Forum is being held at a very critical juncture of history, when conflicts and confrontations occur in different parts of the world, especially in the Muslim world, while the international community is not able to cope with that. This is not just a great danger, it is an issue threatening the stability of the region. At the same time, it poses a threat to human development and international relations.

Stressing that the Baku Humanitarian Forum is of particular importance from the standpoint of studying the issues that lie at the heart of such concerns as violence, isolation, extremism and Islamophobia, the ISESCO Director General said:

– We believe that the Third Baku International Humanitarian Forum, which brings together leaders, policy makers and researchers in various fields, will contribute to the protection of human rights, tolerance and dialogue. We will arrive at a world built on international law. This is the main goal of the Baku forum. Thank you!

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The ninth President of Turkey, Suleyman Demirel, also congratulated Ilham Aliyev on his reelection as President of Azerbaijan.

Expressing his satisfaction with the high level of organization of the Forum, Suleyman Demirel said:

– President Ilham Aliyev, Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen!

First of all, let me express my deep gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the fact that he invited me to this representative event. I would like to highlight the excellent organization and hospitality. It gives me great satisfaction to address such a distinguished audience today.

First of all, I would like to congratulate my dear friend, President Ilham Aliyev and all the people of Azerbaijan on his reelection as head of state. I would like to once again convey my congratulations on electing Ilham Aliyev as President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for a third term.

Two years ago I participated in the First Baku International Humanitarian Forum. Today, I have been deeply impressed by the beauty of Baku.

Dear Mr. President! This is clear evidence of the development of Azerbaijan under your leadership. Azerbaijan has become a regional center for science, economics and other fields. Most importantly, Azerbaijan’s development is underpinned by the human factor. It is a very pleasant fact that the standards of living in Azerbaijan have dramatically improved. It is therefore natural that such a significant event is being held in Baku.

Touching upon the major changes taking place in the region and the world today, Suleyman Demirel said that these processes were accompanied by changes in global economic and political centers. He noted that the mission of safeguarding peace and stability in the world poses new challenges.

The President of Turkey highlighted the importance of consolidating all the efforts at the international level to address the challenges posed by population growth in the world. He indicated that without greater international cooperation and economic integration it is impossible to achieve complete security and stability.

Noting that the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani lands posed a threat to regional and international cooperation, Suleyman Demirel said:

– The unresolved status of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a major obstacle to the realization of the region’s potential.

Therefore, the conflict must be resolved as soon as possible. The main principle is to ensure the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Armenia has to realize this. Armenia has to understand that it too can benefit from the settlement of this conflict. It can improve its relations with both Azerbaijan and Turkey, because we live in a world of mutual cooperation today. Development alone does not produce only a positive impact. At the same time, the interconnectedness of problems creates greats additional difficulties.

Suleyman Demirel noted the need for cooperation of the international community in addressing the violations of the ecological balance, water shortages, piracy and other issues of concern to the whole world. Underlining that illiteracy is among these problems, the former President of Turkey praised Azerbaijan’s experience from this point of view:

– The population of the world should be literate. In this regard, Azerbaijan may become a model country. It is commendable that the country’s natural resources are transformed into the intellectual potential. This corresponds to the thesis of transforming “black gold” into human capital. Negative events are less likely to occur in countries with educated and competent human potential. These countries are dominated by dialogue and peace.

The ninth President of Turkey also noted the importance of the Baku Humanitarian Forum for the discussion of issues of concern and achievement of a consensus.

The official Opening Ceremony was succeeded by the Plenary Session.

First part of the Plenary Session was chaired by Mr. Elmar Mammadyarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Mr. Arnold Rüütel, former President of the Republic of Estonia, made a speech about undergoing reforms in the member states of the European Union.

Saying “Humanistic approach to problems should be based on values”, Mr. Rüütel highlighted Estonia’s support to European Union’s Eastern Partnership Program and the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Furthermore, he delivered his thoughts on sustainable development, broad use of technological advancements, and the solutions of social problems.

Mr. Sjepan Mesic, former President of the Republic of Croatia, indicated that the Baku International Humanitarian Forum is devoted to the discussion on issues of utmost importance. He stated that it is unimaginable to think of Europe without multiculturalism. The future of the world lies in the provision of multiculturalism and Europe Union would be effective organization only if it embraces such values.

Mr. Emil Constantinescu, former President of Romania, delivered his thanks to President Ilham Aliyev for his support to the high-level organization of the Forum. In his speech, touching upon issues on education and knowledge, Mr. Constantinescu stressed that they are locomotive of development in all societies.

Mr. Valdis Zatlers, former President of the Republic of Latvia, thanked President Ilham Aliyev for the high-level organization of the Forum that had been conducted for the third time. He also highlighted the importance of continuance of the tradition of multiculturalism and its transformation into lifestyle. Mr. Zatlers shared Latvia’s experience on this matter with the Forum participants.

Mr. Georgi Parvanov, former President of the Republic of Bulgaria, expressed his gratitude for the kind hospitality and congratulated President Ilham Aliyev on his re-election as the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Mr. Parvanov described Baku International Humanitarian Forum as “a kind of laboratory for the exchange of ideas and experiences.” He paid special attention to energy and transportation in his speech on international economic relations. Mr. Parvanov expressed his confidence in the success of the Forum from the point of the intellectual level of participants.

“Baku raises its significance from year to year,” said Mr. Boris Tadic, former President of the Republic of Serbia. He added, “I am certain that it is crucial to open the floor for such discussions in the assembly of influential people.” By attracting attention to the importance of the resolution of conflicts that threaten peace in the world, Mr. Tadic expressed his disappointment over the lack of effectiveness of the international community as it had been before.

Mr. Elmar Mammadyarov joined the discussions and pointed out that all thoughts on multiculturalism sounded by President Ilham Aliyev indeed played a role of basic principle for each speech. He stated that views postulated by the former presidents once again confirm absence of alternative to multiculturalism.

Mr. Halil Akıncı, Secretary General of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, expressed his views on transparent, fair and unbiased presidential elections in Azerbaijan and underlined the fact that their observations on the Election Day had proved it. Highly assessing the Forum’s traditions, Mr. Akıncı delivered his speech on the humanitarian projects implemented by the organization led by him.

Nobel Prize winners took the floor during the second part of the Plenary Session chaired by Prof. Akif Alizadeh, President of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan.

Talking about significance of the Forum, President of the Academy stressed the importance of conducting such events and noted indispensability of science and education in modern societies.

Prof. Klaus von Klitzing, Nobel Prize winner in physics, highlighted the significance of empowering United Nations to tackle the problems concerning mankind. He noted that human being had already harmed the environment. Therefore, scientists and engineers should immediately unite their efforts to find ways of preventing an environmental catastrophe.

Pointing out the indispensable role of energy in provision of high living standards, Prof. Klaus von Klitzing considered it crucial to do research over the improvement of renewable green energy sources. He put forward the fact that if we could not do it now, we would leave inevitable consequences for our future generations.

Expressing his pleasure to be in Azerbaijan, Prof. Rudolph Marcus, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, enunciated that the scientific achievements of the past years are fascinating; huge advancement was made in science and it developed at an incredible pace. According to him, although science offers opportunities to prevent global warming, eradicate famine and develop medicine, it suffers to solve several problems.

Talking about the possibilities of bettering living standards as a result of sustainable development, Prof. Robert Lucas, Nobel Prize winner in economics, deemed the unity of international community key role player in this process. We, representatives of science, always make an effort to overcome problems. From this perspective, those societies which induce scientists’ activities develop. Impeding it leads to unbearable consequences. Therefore, such forums are significant.

Prof. Robert Laughlin, Nobel Prize winner in physics, made a speech about great changes in the world influenced by modern technologies, as well as the Internet. Noting modern technologies lead to substantial novelties, Prof. Laughlin brought problems of such developments to the attention of the audience. Sometimes there is inconsistency between the real facts and the ones that are obtained from the Internet; it results in deformation of young generation who strive for modern technologies because they do not have the capability to analyze mass information. Hence, organization of such esteemed events is of great importance to learn scientists’ thoughts.

Referring to his second consecutive participation in the Forum, Prof. Finn Kydland, Nobel Prize winner in economics, mentioned the significance of strong institutions in the fast development of countries. It has been noted that even well designed policy would fail, if essential institutions were weak.

Prof. Kydland emphasized that Azerbaijan was one of the countries experiencing rapid development during the last 10-15 years. Noting high competence of the Azerbaijani citizens, he underlined the importance of keeping education at the center of attention in order to realize  long-term development.

Pointing to impressive changes and rapid development in Baku, Prof. David Gross, Nobel Prize winner in physics, underlined the fact that the Forum is organized with the quest for finding solutions to urgent problems. Indicating all the countries’ efforts to heed close attention to the development of education everywhere in the world, Prof. Gross put forward the unification of endeavors by the international community as a remedy to pressing problems concerning the mankind.

Prof. Edward Prescott, Nobel Prize winner in economics, talked about the necessity of effective management in sustainable development. Mentioning Azerbaijan’s rapid development, Prof. Prescott expressed his disappointment over lack of such satisfactory growth in several developed countries. “Azerbaijan has talented population and people continuously receive education”, Prof. Prescott said. He added, “if Azerbaijan carries on implementation of its efficient policies, the country will become well-developed.”

According to Prof. George Smoot, Nobel Prize winner in physics, if a problem is to be resolved, people should come together to step forward. Science and technology advance at an incredible pace that people could hardly comprehend. Therefore, most depends on education and puplic awareness. Our future will depend on how we apply technologies.

Emphasizing today’s achievements in the field of chemistry as a triumph of human intellect, Prof. Roger Kornberg, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, declared boundaries among disciplines of science no longer exist in the contemporary period.

Prof. Kornberg mentioned rapid development of Azerbaijan and indicated that this development occured due to application of modern technologies and investment in human capital so that such factors creates room for economic growth in the country.

Prof. Ada Yonath, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, made her speech about human health, recent developments in this field and, particularly, efforts in preparation of antibiotics. She notified the situation is dissatisfactory. It has been noted that sometimes patients pass away as a result of  misuse of antibiotics. In today’s world, new generation of antibiotics and medicines are required because sensitive bacteria may frequently change its compound and resist antibiotics. Therefore, those antibiotics which considered effective 8-10 years ago have now lost their strength. Hence antibiotics should regularly be renewed.

Saying “we need talanted and competent individuals capable of contributing to the development of mankind,”Prof. Dan Shechtman, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, noted the significance of such esteemed events that bring intellectuals together.

In his speech, Prof. Shechtman emphasized the importance of instilling science and modern technologies in people when they are young. The youth who are intersted in science will have positive attitude toward science in the future and it will contribute to the creation of scientific community. He noted Israel had started to invest efforts in doing so.

The final part of the Plenary Session was chaired by Mr. Mikayil Jabbarov, Minister of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Greeting panelists of the session, Mr. Jabbarov stated that the progress in science and technologies had been incredible and fascinating. He posed a question whether this development could solve the problems of today and challenges of tomorrow. Then Mr. Jabbarov opened floor for discussion of round table topics of the next day.

Prof. Xi-Cheng Zhang, Director of the Institute of Optics of the University of Rochester (USA), took the floor as chairman of the round table “Converging Technologies and Outlines of the Future: Landmark Challenges of the 21st Century.”

Prof. Zhang based his speech on three points: quantum computing, matter exploration and green energy. According to him, the quantum computer would have massive processing power because it could do computational tasks in parallel and increase computing power in ways we could only began to imagine.  Prof. Zhang touched upon issues of matter exploration and noted that physicists have yet to discover much matter and anti-matter. New artificial matters, which might not exist in nature, have recently been simulated, designed, tested, and used. Furthermore, he made his remarks on environmental problems and stated that the Earth’s atmosphere had been polluted by the use of fossil fuels; therefore, it was vital to find renewable, non-polluting alternatives.

Prof. Feridun Hamdullahpur, President of the University of Waterloo (Canada), was to chair the round table “Scientific Innovations and their Transfer into Education.”

Expressing his gratitude for invitation to the Forum, Prof. Hamdullahpur centered his speech on the role of higher education and its impact on societies. In our profoundly changed world, information is available to anybody in any time because of the Internet, whereas several decades ago information was accessible to very few individuals. He said that there are two types of global commodities: talent and knowledge. Societies have to invest in these commodities by focusing on students, getting them take knowledge into themselves, making information available. Students have to be critical thinkers because they are going to be the ones who will run economies, who will bring profound changes to environmental approach, who will find solutions to hunger, who will make the world understand values of democracy.

Mrs. Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and founder of the International Dialogue Initiative for Protection of Environment – IDEA (Azerbaijan)  introduced the round table “Sustainable Development and Ecological Civilization.”

Mrs. Aliyeva stated that after the agricultural and industrial revolution establishing an ecological civilization had been the humanity’s most audacious dream. Combination of creativity and audacity has always been priority of the youth. According to her, there is no alternative to solving environmental problems and protecting our planet. She added, “If man does not change his attitude toward environment, future ecological disasters will pose a threat to humanity.” Mrs. Aliyeva further mentioned initiatives of the IDEA, the organization led by her.  She informed that the IDEA had established international partnerships to promote dialogue, education, leadership and cooperation among the young people.

Mr. Mikhail Shvydkoi, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation (Russia), presented the round table “Multiculturalism and Originality: in Search of Value Consensus in Society.”

Mr. Shvydkoi emphasized that multiculturalism affected daily life; it affected politics, economics and social life. At the end of nineteenth and early twentieth century, we thought that we could socialize any ethnic group; they would adapt laws and principles of others. He added, “Today, we see that those theories and assumptions have failed.” Problems of multiculturalism is not contemporary, they had existed even 2 eras ago, however, under different circumstances; globalization has given different shape. Mr. Shvydkoi stated that multiculturalism was politicized to destabilize several regions. He further talked about positive and negative records of multiculturalism around the world. Mr. Shvydkoi forwarded a question whether it would be possible to apply common rules and norms of multiculturalism so that people could live together in unity.

Prof. Richard Burt, Chief of the Division of Immunotherapy of the Northwestern University (USA), took the floor as chairman of the round table “Achievements of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology: from Theory to Practice.”

Reminding Julius Caesar’s words, Prof. Burt reiterated that it is better to create rather than to learn because creating is the main element of life. Stem cells are the driving forces for the creation of life. If we want to go from laboratory to treating people with stem cells we need accessible large source of depository. Afterward, Prof. Burt introduced key findings of his researches and shared his experience with the audience.

Prof. Frank Salter, Principal Consultant of the Social Technologies Consulting (Australia), introduced the round table “National Identity in the Postmodern Era.”

Expressing his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the organization of the Forum, Prof. Salter, said “any serious discussion of the humanitarian dimension of world affairs must incorporate the humanities to complement the perspectives of science and technology.” According to him, once static identities are exposed to frequently changing environments influenced by the Internet. Prof. Salter noted the importance of discussions on postmodern perspectives of literature, art, architecture, society and politics.

Prof. Robert Skidelski, Director of the Center for Global Studies (United Kingdom), was to chair the round table “Humanitarian Aspects of Economic Development.”

Prof. Skidelski, concentrated his speech around recent financial crisis, subsequent recovery and economic sustainability. Referring to the writings of Keynes, he made it clear that productivity is not stimulated by exchange of goods and services. Indicating housing market as an example, he reiterated the fact that modern economies exhibit speculative features and it does not have an impact on output levels. Therefore, the world experiences jobless recovery. Developing technologies substitute employees, making people to play more of a role of consumers rather than producers. Moreover, he recommended policymakers to focus on other measurements of living standards instead of GDP in order to pay attention to quality not to quantity.

Mr. Kemal Öztürk, Chairman of the Board and Director General of Turkish Anadolu News Agency (Turkey), took the floor as the chairman of the round table “The Topical Issues of Mass Media in the Globalizing Information Network.”

Mr. Öztürk informed the audience about recent developments in the Middle East and stated that the situation is exacerbating. Despite death tolls, world powers maintain their silence, pursue their own interests. Furthermore, he declared UN Security Council’s structure and its decision-makin process ineffective. Mr. Öztürk called everyone to act in unity and end this humanitarian catastrophe.