UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity

[2] In the words of Director-General Kōichirō Matsuura, the declaration allowed states to react against the attacks, and fundamentalism in general, by affirming "that intercultural dialogue is the best guarantee of peace" and rejecting the idea of an inevitable clash of cultures.

[2] The declaration defines "culture" as "the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group", noting that this includes lifestyles, value systems, traditions, and beliefs in addition to creative works.

[5] The American lawyer Juliette Passer describes the declaration as "one of the most beautifully written international documents" whose text and action plan "can be an outstanding educational tool for developing a dialogue about diversity while humanizing globalization.

[12][13] For the declaration's 20th anniversary, an official book was published by the Khalili Foundation, featuring essays on cultural diversity by artists, intellectuals, and leaders.

"[7] Organisations whose leaders said they were influenced by the declaration included the Commonwealth of Nations, the International Labour Organization, the Caribbean Community, Europeana, and the Prince's Trust.

[7][19] The composer and conductor Daniel Barenboim is one of the public figures who identifies the declaration as an inspiration: "Each and every one of us has his or her own responsibility to foster these values in his of her area of action."

Barenboim leads the West–Eastern Divan Orchestra — composed of musicians from Israel, the Palestinian territories and Arab countries — which has been designated a UN Global Advocate for Cultural Understanding.