Mr. Yin Minghua, President Jiefang Daily Group,
Ambassador Li Baodong, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations,
Mr. Yang Zhenwu, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee,
Distinguished artists, writers, cultural figures and other guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

解放日报社长尹明华先生，
中国常驻联合国代表李保东大使，
中共上海市委常委杨振武先生，
尊敬的各位艺术家、作家、文化界人士及其他嘉宾，
女士们，先生们：

I am delighted to be here ... and honoured to follow in the footsteps of so many prominent men and women who have taken part in this forum, including some of my UN colleagues. Thank you for this invitation.

非常高兴能来到这里。许多杰出人士都曾参与这个论坛，包括我在联合国的同事们，今天很高兴能够追随他们的脚步，与大家相聚。 非常感谢你们的邀请。

I commend your decision to focus on the importance of culture in a globalizing world. You do so at a time of testing for the international community. We live in a world that is rapidly changing and growing more connected. This is true whether we are speaking of melting ice caps in one part of the world or rising unemployment in another. Like never before, global challenges have local impacts. Local events can have global impacts. More and more leaders understand that we must work together to solve our common challenges. So this is truly the UN moment ... the multilateral moment. It is also a multi-cultural moment.

随着全球化的发展，国际社会充满了挑战，在此背景下，你们更加重视文化发展，是值得肯定的。当今世界风云变幻，各个地区联系更加紧密。无论是极地冰盖融化，或是失业率上升，都在世界范围内有着深刻的影响。全球性挑战影响地区，地区变化产生全球性影响，这些现象都前所未有。越来越多的领导人开始懂得，我们必须携手解决共同的挑战。这是真正的联合国时刻…多边的时刻。这也是一个多文化的时刻。

After all, promotion and dialogue among cultures is crucial to fulfilling the central objectives of the United Nations Charter, upholding human rights and advancing development. Focusing on the importance of culture is not a feel-good exercise. It is essential for peace and progress in the 21st century. We know the challenge.

毕竟，加强文化间对话对实现联合国宪章的中心目标、维护人权和促进发展是至关重要的。聚焦文化不是为了自我感觉良好，这对21世纪的和平与进步不可或缺。我们知道，这是一个挑战。

Today we are seeing growing tensions among cultures and faiths. Often, we see a politics of polarization and the targeting of migrants for stereotyping and violence. And at times, globalization can be seen as a threat to local cultures and cultural diversity. Let me point to three areas of practical action.

今天，我们可以看到，文化和信仰间的紧张正在加剧。政治上呈现两极化，而移民常常成为成见和暴力行为的目标。全球化有时也被看作是对当地文化和文化多样性的一种威胁。请允许我提出三个方面的实际行动：

First, by preserving and making the most of cultural diversity. Our main cultural agency, UNESCO, is a champion of this cause. It is the custodian for a comprehensive set of international conventions that protect the world's cultural heritage – including precious sites and items here in China. Its recent report on investing in cultural diversity -- presented in its Mandarin version here in May -- contains important recommendations for the way forward.

首先，保留并充分利用文化的多样性。我们主要的文化机构， 联合国教科文组织，是这项事业的推动者。我们通过一系列广泛的国际公约来保护世界遗产，包括中国的珍贵遗址和相关项目。最近有一份关于文化多样性投资的报告，五月份出版了中文版，其中包含了如何进一步推进这项工作的的重要建议。

Second, by promoting cross-cultural dialogue. This mission is at the heart of the UN Alliance of Civilizations Initiative. The Alliance works to help diverse communities address the roots of extremism and intolerance. Building peace and improving cross-cultural understanding is not only about negotiations and contacts at the top, among leaders. It is about what happens on the ground, at the grassroots. The Alliance is mobilizing everyone from heads of state to journalists and people on the street. The Alliance is also building a pool of international experts who can speak on difficult issues at times of crisis. It is tackling youth unemployment and connecting young people to decent jobs.

第二，加强跨文化对话。这也是联合国文明联盟倡议的核心。该联盟致力于帮助社区从根本上解决各种极端主义和偏狭。促进和平、加强不同文化间的相互理解，不仅仅需要高层领导人之间进行谈判和接触，也需要从基层做起。该联盟正在动员所有人积极参与，从国家元首、记者到普通人。除此之外，它还集合国际专家，在危机时刻能够应对困难。同时，它着手处理青年人失业问题，努力为他们提供体面的工作。

The third area for action is education. We need to strengthen education systems to ensure that young people are enriched by cultural diversity, not victimized by those who exploit differences for narrow ends. I am also encouraged that Member States have continued to keep intercultural dialogue high on the agenda of the General Assembly. The world faces too many grave challenges for us to allow culture to be an obstacle to progress. It is all too easy to think that cultural differences will always produce conflicts and rivalries. But cultures are in a constant state of flux. Individuals themselves can have several cultural identities at the same time. And cultures are not insular constructs; they are themselves the products of exchanges and cross-pollination ... some times over the course of centuries.

第三，我们需要采取措施，大力发展教育。我们需要加强教育体系，使年轻人受益于文化的多样性，避免成为那些出于狭隘目的而压制差异性行为的受害者。联合国大会上，许多国家都将跨文化间对话列为重要议程，这让我倍受鼓舞。世界范围内，有太多的严峻挑战需要我们应对，在这种情况下，文化差异难以成为我们前进的障碍。人们常常认为，文化差异总会产生冲突和对抗。但文化总处于一种不断变化的状态中。个人也可以在同一时间拥有几个不同的文化身份。文化不是孤立的结构，他们本身就是交流的结果...这有时候需要经历几百年的时间。

Let us not imprison ourselves in fixed notions of cultures or clashes or conflicts among them. Let us remember that whatever our backgrounds and traditions, we are all linked by something greater. We may be many cultures – but we are a single human family. That's a lesson I have carried every day of my life.

我们不要把自己禁锢在文化碰撞与冲突的牢笼中。请记住，无论我们拥有什么样的背景和传统，我们都难以割断彼此的联系，这联系的纽带比背景和传统都更加重要。我们可以有许多的文化，但我们只有一个人类大家庭。这是我人生的信念。

Our interconnected world has brought cultures in closer contact with each other. I see that as an opportunity – not a threat, a vast new opportunity to advance the UN's global mission of peace, development and human rights.

我们相互联系的世界，使各种不同的文化联系更加紧密。在我看来，这不是一个威胁，而是一个机遇，有利于我们促进和平、推动发展、维护人权，可以说是联合国完成其全球使命的新机遇。

Thank you.

谢谢！