Dates and facts that contributed to the founding of the Institute for Advanced Studies – Culture and Civilisation of the Levant
In 2011, when the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy of Berlin launched the project for a new type of relations between nations and states, based on mutual understanding instead of military and economic pressure, Emil Constantinescu strove to imagine where such a laboratory would be placed and how could this new approach be tried out and put into practice: Fortunately, he came upon the answer quite soon, i.e. this new type of relations that might ”give peace a chance” in the globalised world could the Levant.
In 2012, ”The inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics” takes up the Levant Initiative, considering that it might become a milestone and model of peace in all conflict zones in the world.
In 2013, Emil Constantinescu organises the international Conference on ”The Levant, the Cradle of Cultural Diplomacy. Re-discovering the Mediterranean” in Bucharest. He forwards the Initiative for the Levant to the Parliament of Romania and takes the responsibility to put it into practice. ”The inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics” organises a summit dedicated to the promotion of this initiative at the UNO venue in New York. Emil Constantinescu open the summit with a speech dedicated to the principles that lie at the bases if the ”initiative for the Levant for global peace”. The summit was attended by religious leaders, i.e. Christian, Mosaic, Muslim as well as members of various academies, members of the parliament, personalities of the civil society, e.g. dr. Yizthzak Dayan, chief rabbi of Geneva, and representative of the European Rabbi Conference at the United Nations, dr. Abdusallam Mraihh, coordinator of Mission-Peace, Sheikh Ramzi, director of the ICRA Institute from the Oxford University, the chairman of the Muslim Council in Great Britain, pastor Enoch Adeboye, the spiritual leader of RCCG, the largest Pentecostal movement for in the world, rabbi Benyamin Abrahamson, director of the Committee for Historical Studies of Islam and Judaism, Omer Salem, University of Yale, founder of the al Ibn Rushd Institute, congressman Peter King, Ariel Atias, member of the Israeli Knesset, rabbi dr. Elie Abadie, Yale University, member if the Forumul for Israel and Global Ethics, dr. Jeana Adebayo, international coordinator of the Christ the Redeemer’s Friends Trust, prof. Karl P. Donfried, professor emeritus, specialised in religion and Biblical Literature at the Smith College. Also present were, ambassador Simona Miculescu, ambassadors of other European countries with accreditation at UNO and a large number of students. In November, Emil Constantinescu visited the Israel and Palestine in order to promote the Initiative for the Levant, meeting the president of the Knesset, Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, the minister for foreign affairs, Avidgor Lieberman. He held several speeches in the Tel Aviv Parliament and met several Palestinian leaders.
In March 2014 the “The inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics” and the Foundation for the Culture of Peace, under the leadership of Federico Mayor, organise a new conference at UNO dedicate to the Initiative for the Levant. Two days later, Emil Constantinescu presented the principles of his Initiative Levant for Global peace before the USA Congress, and at the beginning of July he presented ”Initiative Levant – History and Context” at UNESCO, Paris.
In September 2016, as the initiator of the Initiative Levant for Global Peace, Emil Constantinescu presides the works of the Conference “Inauguration of the Inter Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics Multi Track Council for Culture of Peace”, at UNO, New york and delivers the speech entitled “The Levant Initiative for Global Peace as the Foundation for the New Culture of Peace”. The conference was attended by Ambassador Ioan Jiga, the chief of the Permanent Mission of Romania, ambassador Katalin Bogyay, the chief of the Permanent Mission of Hungary, the CEO – of the World Academy for Arts and Science, Garry Jacobs; the permanent representative of UNESCO for the culture of peace; the ex – vice - president of theUNO, Gianni Picco; the secretary general of the Youth International Forum, Z.H.Khuram; imam Agha Jafri, the founder of the American Muslim Congress; rabbi Yaakov David Cohen, founder of the Institute for Noahide Code; reverend Simpson Turner, pastor Mount Carmel Baptist Church; Master Jun Hong Lu, chairman of Australia Oriental Media Buddhist Charity Association; rabbi Elie Abadie, director of the Institute of Sephardic Studies; Boris Pincus, president of Religions in Dialogue.
In September 2017, Emil Constantinescu was the chairman of the “International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in the UN”. The symposium was attended by the former presidents Petr Stoyanov and Boris Tadic, by the former prime-minister of Bosnia – Herzegovina, Zlatko Lagumidzija, by the rector of the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Remus Pricopie, as well as an audience from Europe, Asia, Africa and America. One week later he was invited in Rome, at the ”Interparliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics (IPCGE): High Level Forum in the Italian Senat”.
”Levant initiative is an idea that could bring peace in the Middle East. I am sure, if all help, the project will be a success within our life time.”
Dr. Sheikh Ramzy
Director of the Oxford Islamic Information Centre (OIIC)
Berlin, 19th of December 2013
