By Christian Kurten, Chairperson of the AFS Board of Trustees

The following is a transcript of remarks given by Christian Kurten in his address to the Intercultural Competence and Conflict Resolution Symposium organized by AFS Sweden in Stockholm on 21 October 2011 and attended by various dignitaries including the members of Sweden’s royal family. Read more about the Symposium in the Intercultural Link Newsletter, v3, i1.

Your Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria, distinguished speakers and honored guests: In 1998 John Hume, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and Irish politician said “All conflict is about difference; whether the difference is race, religion, or nationality the European visionaries decided that difference is not a threat, difference is natural. Difference is the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of birth and it should never be the source of hatred or conflict. The answer to difference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace: respect for diversity.”

Our AFS statement of purpose says that we help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world, and we do this by reaching out to a diverse community of global citizens determined to build bridges between cultures. As we prepare to begin our discussions today on the role of intercultural education in contributing to peace building, I cannot help remarking on the number of our distinguished speakers and guests who have done so much to work towards building a more peaceful world. Many of you are former or current AFS participants and volunteers and I believe that your presence here is not mere coincidence.

As an educational organization, AFS believes that learning about another culture through immersion in a school, family, and daily life in a community teaches us at a very human level that there is more than one way of looking at the world, more than one truth, and more than one way of being right. Intercultural learning thus helps us embrace diversity. When we become interculturally competent, we are more willing and able to engage appropriately and effectively with those who are different from us. AFS helps people develop intercultural competence by fostering knowledge, skills and attitudes that broaden our cultural perspectives. These skills are increasingly important in today’s interconnected world where we interact so widely with people from many cultures.

If all conflict is about difference, as Hume said, then helping people to develop intercultural competences that translate into a willingness to positively engage with others who are different from us is essential work, and that is the essential work of AFS.

Thank you.