Sessions
The Second World Forum for the Culture of Just Peace
The 2nd Edition of the World Forum for Culture of Peace was held in Malta under the auspices of His Excellency the President of Malta George Vella on 3-4 March 2022.
According to its title “Leadership for Just Peace”, the Forum’s aim was to be a practical step ahead to explore and setup institutional mechanisms, educational programmes, tools and action plans for the development of leadership competences in order to achieve the overall goal which is “Just Peace” and enduring stability of relations between peoples.
The First World Forum for the Culture of Peace
The year, 2019, marked the 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration and Programme of Action on Culture of Peace. The Culture of Peace and Non-violence as advanced by UNESCO includes a commitment to promote conflict prevention; peace education and education for non-violence; tolerance, acceptance, and mutual respect; and intercultural and interfaith dialogue and reconciliation, among other principles.
Session 15:
“Our World is One…Our Challenges are Shared”, Oxford, 24-25 October 2015:
"Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Cultural Foundation" held its fifteenth edition of the Dialogue of Civilizations under the theme "Our World is One... Our Challenges are Shared," in collaboration with the Middle East Center at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. The event was attended by a large number of prominent leaders and intellectuals.
Session 14:
“Abu Tammam Al-Ta‘I Session” & the Celebration of the Foundation’s Silver Jubilee, Marrakesh, 21-23 October, 2014:
Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, of Morocco, the Foundation of Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain’s Prize for Poetic Creativity has organized its fourteenth session, “Abu Tammam Al-Ta’i”, as well as celebrating the Foundation’s Silver Jubilee, in Marrakech from 21 to 23 October 2014.
Session 13:
"Euro-Arab Dialogue in the Twenty-First century: Towards a common vision" The European Parliament premises, Brussels, Belgium 11-12 November 2013:
The Foundation of Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain’s Prize for Poetic Creativity has convened its thirteenth session in the dialogue of civilizations, entitled “Euro-Arab Dialogue in the Twenty-First century: Towards a common vision”, in the premises of the European Parliament, in Brussels, and under the auspices of His Excellency its president. The session was attended by eminent political and diplomatic figures, academics, intellectuals and cultural prominent personalities. The opening speeches were delivered by the Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker, Mr. Marzouq Al-Ghanim and the Vice President of the European Parliament, Mrs. Tokia Saifi on behalf of the president, Mr. Martin Schulz, as well as the former president of Portugal and then- United Nations High Representative of the Alliance of Civilizations, Mr. Jorge Sampaio and the Chairman of the Foundation, Mr. Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain.
Session 12:
Khalil Mutran and Mohammed Ali/ Mak Dizdar Session, Sarajevo/Bosnia, 19-21 October 2010:
After extensive preparations that lasted for two years, the 12th session was held from the 19-21 of October. The opening ceremonies were held at 11 am on Monday 19/10/2010 at the Holiday Inn in Sarajevo, under the patronage of His Excellency Haris Silajdzic. A host of guests attended, from both inside Bosnia and abroad, and they shared the attendance with an elite of journalists both Arab and foreign.
Session 11:
Albabtain’s Encyclopaedia of Arabic Poets in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Kuwait, 27-30 October 2008:
During a meeting held on 25/12/2006, the Board of Trustees decided to base the forthcoming session on one of the Foundation’s most important projects; «Albabtain’s Encyclopaedia of Arabic Poets in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries». It was set to be held in Kuwait, the country from which this great piece of work has emerged. This publication took 11 years of hard work and team effort to complete and contains biographies of more than eight thousand deceased poets from the years 1801 to 2008. This great Encyclopaedia contains biographies and poetic samples of 8,039 poets, in addition to 1479 poets who never received sufficient documentation. Furthermore, this was the first session that took place in Kuwait and was aimed at enriching Kuwait’s cultural heritage.
Session 10:
Shawqi and Lamartine Session, Paris, France, 31 October - 3 November 2006:
This session bears the names of the two poets: Ahmed Shawqi - the Prince of Arab poets - and Alphonse Lamartine - the great French poet. Ahmed Shawqi was chosen because he was a prominent Arab poet and one of the most prolific and diverse. In 1927 the Arab poets chose him unanimously as their Laureate. He was familiar with French culture as he had studied law at Montpellier University and graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Paris. He then spent some time in the French capital studying French literature.
Session 9:
Ibn Zaydoun Session, Cordoba, Spain, 4-8- October 2004:
The Board of Trustees of the Foundation of Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain’s Award for Poetic Creativity approved naming this meeting after the great Andalusia poet Ahmed Ibn Zaydoun and decided to hold it in Cordoba, Spain between the 4th and 8th of October 2004. This was the first time the Foundation held a meeting outside the Arab world, and it was aimed at clarifying the true civilization, intellectual and cultural Arab and Muslim image after some opposing parties portrayed a distorted image of them in the wake of the September 2001 attacks. Choosing Cordoba as a host stemmed from the long historical relations between the Arabs and Spain and Portugal (the Iberian Peninsula). All the meeting’s activities were carried out under the auspices of his Majesty King Juan Carlos and his eldest daughter Princess Elena, who attended the opening ceremony.
Session 8:
Ali bin Al-Moqarrab Al-Ayouni, Manama, Bahrain, 1-3- October 2002:
This Session named after the poet «Ali bin Al-Moqarrab Al-Ayouni», who never acquired his entitled appreciation. He was not under the spotlights of the large capitals as he lived in the eastern area of the Arab peninsula in a tumultuous period, which did not receive its due concern.
Session 7:
Abu Firas Al-Hamdani Session, Algeria, 31 October - 3 November 2000:
This meeting was hosted in the Algerian capital, Algiers to celebrate the two Princes of Poetry: Abu Firas Al-Hamdani or Abu Firas Al-Jamadoma and Abdulqader Al-Jazaeri under the patronage of His Excellency President Abdulaziz Boutefliqa, in cooperation and coordination with the Algerian Ministry of Communications and Culture and the Writers’ Union. In attendance were a large number of poets, writers and dignitaries interested in the poetic movement of various Arab countries.
Session 5:
Ahmed Mishari Al-Adwani Session, Abou Dhabi, 28-31 October 1996:
This meeting was named after the prominent Kuwaiti poet Ahmed Mishari Al-Adwani and the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi was chosen as the host for this ceremonial event, with which the U.A.E. Cultural Society contributed a great deal. The prize awarding ceremony was under the auspices of His Highness Sheikh Zayed ben Sultan Al-Nahyan, President of the U.A.E. A large number of poets, writers and critics from different Arab countries attended the event.
Session 4:
Aboul-Qacem Echebbi Session, Fez, Morocco, 10-12 October 1994:
The Board of Trustees issued a decision stipulating that the prize shall be awarded during a ceremony held biannually to provide the committees and participating researchers with adequate time to prepare and write their research and to issue publications about the selected poets of the meetings and their creative work. The Board of Trustees’ decision also highlighted the importance of expanding the circle of important poets so that the chosen poet comes from a country different to that in which the ceremony is being held. As Echebbi comes from Tunisia, it was decided that the ceremony was to be held in Morocco in order to show the importance of the Arab Maghreb poets and their poetic prestige in the Arab world.
Session 3:
Mahmoud Sami Al-Baroudi Session, Cairo, 12-14-December 1992
Before convening this session, the Board of Trustees considered a way to develop the work so that the ceremony was not restricted to awarding prizes. Therefore, the Board decided to dedicate each session to a great Arab poet in order to commemorate them and to launch an intellectual seminar about such poets. So, the Board decided to name the third session after the poet Mahmoud Sami Al-Baroudi, the pioneer of Arab poetry revival.
Session 1 - Cairo, May 17th, 1990:
The prize distributing ceremony during the first meeting was held at the Marriott hotel in Cairo under the auspices of the Egyptian Minister of Culture, Mr. Farouq Hosni. The ceremony was attended by a large number of dignitaries who are interested in poetic, cultural and literary activities.