Enver Yücel Speaks at the French Parliament

ENVER YÜCEL, SPEAKING AT THE FRENCH PARLIAMENT:

"EDUCATION IS THE ONLY PATH TO A CULTURE OF LIVING TOGETHER"

Invited to the meeting held by UNESCO at the French Parliament, Bahçeşehir University (BAU) Chair of the Board of Trustees Enver Yücel made important statements on the culture of living together and the role of education.

The BAU&UNESCO Research Center, established through the cooperation of Bahçeşehir University and UNESCO, carries out important work every year to build bridges between cultures. Within the scope of this work, the meeting in France, one of the meetings UNESCO organizes in many countries around the world, was attended by former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and leading representatives of the French government. Speaking at the meeting, BAU Chair of the Board of Trustees Enver Yücel emphasized that education is the only way to embrace the culture of living together.

Stating that the world has become a small village and that everyone in that village shares the common expectation of living more happily and peacefully, Enver Yücel said: "With so many walls and not enough bridges between people, this expectation cannot be fulfilled. People now want to exist with their own languages, religions and cultures without being regarded as the other, discriminated against or humiliated, and thus to be accepted, respected and to live."

RESPECT IS THE PRIMARY CONDITION FOR PEACE

Stating that every corner of the world is full of countless examples showing that different thoughts, identities, understandings and ways of life form a common fabric of humanity, Yücel said: "Since, as a Turkish proverb says, 'A neighbor needs even the ashes of a neighbor,' we humans must get to know one another and stand in solidarity with one another not only locally but universally. This is the primary condition for both peace and happiness."

Stating that education is the healthiest and most correct way to realize humanity's dream of living together, Yücel said: "To make the culture of living together permanent and lasting, we must first solve our problems in education and change our understanding of education. The education systems and approaches existing in the world today struggle to produce solutions for today's world. Just as, when we talk about the global economy, we talk about the global economic effects of an event in the remotest corner of the world regardless of language, religion, country or region, we should also be able to talk about globality in education and in our understanding of living together; a globalization free from alienation and discrimination."

EDUCATION IS THE SOLUTION TO THE WORLD'S MOST IMPORTANT PROBLEMS

Stating that the world's most important problems are poverty, the environment and ethical values, Enver Yücel said: "If the purpose of education is to enable people and societies to live as happy individuals, the issues that can offer solutions to today's world problems should be our top priorities. The world's three most important problems are poverty, the environment and ethical values. We must again seek the answer to these important problems in education. Especially within an ethical framework, we must make the culture of living together a common issue of education throughout the world. Therefore, introducing our young people, who are our future, to all cultures and civilizations and building a more peaceful future among them is one of the greatest responsibilities of all of us today, especially those who govern countries."

"THE FUNDAMENTAL SHORTCOMING IS INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE AND EMPATHY"

Stating that they believe BAU must act with awareness of this responsibility and that, as a young university, they attach great importance to dialogue between cultures and civilizations, Yücel said: "The documentary 'The River Flowing West: A Civilization Documentary' was broadcast on many TV channels around the world. It is not right to blame the problems experienced anywhere in the world today on the civilizations of that region. Those civilizations and the persons, societies or communities causing today's adversities in that region are separate things. On closer examination, it will be seen that the fundamental shortcoming underlying these problems is the lack of dialogue between cultures and empathy between people."

Stating that he wholeheartedly supports the International Summer University initiative, held last year at BAU's campus in İstanbul and of great importance for the development of intercultural dialogue, Enver Yücel said: "I am very happy to be here as someone who believes in and wholeheartedly supports the International Summer University initiative, in which students from many countries around the world participate. I congratulate the young people who took part in this event, which started last year and which we will host this summer at our university in Berlin, and whose projects were deemed worthy of success. The power of humanity will be enough to remove all obstacles to living together in friendship, happiness and peace."