Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the 14th International Likhachov Scientific Conference “Dialogue of Cultures and Partnership of Civilizations” (St Petersburg, 15-16 May 2014)

Dear members of the Organizing Committee,

Distinguished participants and guests of the 14th international Likhachov scientific

conference,

I am delighted to extend my warm welcome to all of you!

St. Petersburg University of the Humanities and Social Sciences has been performing a difficult and responsible task of cultivating the heritage of academician Dmitry Sergeyevich Likhachov, whose scholarly, educational and public activities have become a moral and civil standard.

Likhachov’s ideas are more than ever challenging in the current situation, when the dialogue of cultures keeps developing, and partnership among civilizations is getting intensified and acquiring new forms. This process has a very complicated and ambiguous nature as well as outcomes, but Dmitry Likhachov’s works and those of his followers contribute greatly to its understanding.

Humanistic values lie at the core of the UNESCO’s philosophy. They are listed in the Constitution and serve as ever-lasting guidelines for the Organization in order to strengthen peace, which must be based upon the intellectual and moral integrity of mankind.

Continuing the good tradition of participation in the Conference, I would like to remark that year by year the themes of this Conference get closer to the projects UNESCO is trying to implement on the international scene.

I wish fruitful and successful work to all the participants in the forthcoming discussions. I express my gratitude to St. Petersburg University of the Humanities and Social Sciences for organizing this important event.

Irina Bokova

 Official web-site of the XIV Likhachev Conference

 Message from Ms Eleonora Mitrofanova (in Russian)