Since its launch in 2009 under UNESCO auspices, the Aladdin Project has been working to appease tensions and promote greater mutual knowledge among people of different cultures and religions in order to bring about changes in their attitudes and perceptions and contribute to the spreading of a culture of peace and tolerance. Such changes can ultimately come through a long-term strategy focusing on
education and knowledge dissemination. To meet the challenges of overcoming deeply-imbedded misperceptions and mutual mistrust, the Aladdin Project has developed a strategy that combines concrete measurable educational and cultural projects (translations and production of books, syllabus development, educator training, summer school programs...) with public events (conferences, exhibitions, visits to memorial sites...). In line with this approach, the International Summer University for Intercultural Leadership is an annual program launched in Istanbul in 2013 and placed under the patronage of the European Parliament and UNESCO. In partnership with sixteen prestigious universities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North America, it brings together senior undergraduates and masters’ students for two weeks every summer to give them the opportunity to study key international issues and develop their intercultural skills. The program is prepared within the framework of the International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2013-2022), which was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 67/104 of 17 December 2012 entitled: “Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace”. The International Decade, led by UNESCO, provides a platform to reaffirm the ideals of a plural humanity where “cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue are mutually reinforcing, and where international cooperation can be enhanced through education, the sciences, culture and communication”.
