A historical overview of the relationship between ‘intercultural dialogue’ and associated terminology in UN-level documents in the mid to late Twentieth Century

This report takes an overview of the UN-level discourse in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) relating to the notion of ‘intercultural dialogue’, with a primary focus upon UNESCO and UNAOC. It examines the development of the notion of intercultural dialogue alongside that of the connected concepts of ‘Dialogue of Civilizations’, ‘Dialogue Among Civilizations’ and ‘Alliance of Civilizations’. It examines printed documents and speeches to trace the evolution of the term through the bodies in question. It proposes that the development of the use of ‘intercultural dialogue’ in the speeches of the leaders of the organizations being considered is closely connected to the introduction of each of these other key phrases. This report argues that it is crucial, therefore, to examine other core terminology development and its role in the construction of context when using the term ‘intercultural dialogue’ in international discussion. It is also important to consider which countries are involved in discussion labeled as ‘international’.