UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The 8th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) on partnerships for prevention and sustaining peace will be held at the UN headquarters in New York on Nov. 19-20.

　　Noting that all previous seven forums were hosted by host countries and it is the first time that UNAOC is organizing and holding the forum at the UN headquarters, Nihal Saad, spokesperson for UNAOC high representative, told reporters Thursday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attaches great importance to the event and will be present on both days of the forum.

　　"UNAOC will bring together more than 1,000 participants to share knowledge and explore innovative ways of promoting inclusive approaches to conflict prevention as a pathway for sustaining peace," she said.

　　The forum, with the theme "#Commit2Dialogue: Partnerships for Prevention and Sustaining Peace," will also "serve as a catalyst for building meaningful partnerships that will help achieve that goal," she added.

　　The forum will place special focus on youth, recognizing that the complex and evolving nature of conflict prevention and peacebuilding requires policy-makers to harness the potential and creativity of young people, according to a press release.

　　As such, the theme and sub-themes of the forum intend to support the secretary-general's vision on prevention with its emphasis on the complementarity between sustaining peace and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including Goal 16 on the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies, the press release said.

　　The forum will include two plenary sessions with one on "Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue: A Tool for Conflict Prevention and Post Conflict Peacebuilding" and the second one on "Words Matter: The Role and Responsibility of the Media in Shaping Public Perceptions about Migrants and in Promoting Inclusive Societies."

　　There are also six breakout sessions on a number of topics, including digital diplomacy, strengthening leadership, global citizenship education and the Silk Road.

　　UNAOC was launched in 2005 as the political initiative of Secretary-General Kofi Annan with the co-sponsorship of the governments of Spain and Turkey.

　　On July 6, 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted by consensus Resolution 69/312 "United Nations Alliance of Civilizations." The milestone resolution provided UNAOC with the institutional status and the political guidance necessary to pursue its work in promoting intercultural dialogue, greater understanding and respect among civilizations, cultures, religions and beliefs.