Panel Duscussion
Spiritual Culture as the space for the formation of meanings and values
Today’s world offers increasing opportunities for humanity’s progress, yet alongside them, problems are also growing. Under these conditions, the theme of spiritual culture acquires particular significance, as it provides opportunities for the formation of meanings and values. These form the foundation for peaceful coexistence, mutual understanding, and cultural dialogue. Love, kindness, respect, and the pursuit of truth and justice are universal values that unite all people. Spiritual Culture today is not only part of our heritage but also a vital resource for sustainable development and the strengthening of international ties. The round table aims to create a space for reflection on the role of spirituality in building a harmonious future.
Discussion
Questions
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Spiritual values as the foundation of intercultural dialogue
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The role of Spiritual Culture in strengthening harmony and mutual understanding among people
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Preserving spiritual heritage in the era of globalization: current challenges and prospects
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Spiritual Culture as the key to preserving humanity in a person
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What international practices and initiatives can be considered successful examples of integrating Spiritual Culture into public life
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How international cooperation can contribute to the establishment of spiritual guidelines in the world
Moderators
Irina Darneva
Member of the Presidium of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture, Chairman of the Council on Spiritual Culture, Member of the Supreme Advisory Council of the Assembly of the World’s Peoples (Russia)
Eliseo Bertolasi
Candidate of Anthropological Sciences, journalist, head of the representative office of the International Russophile Movement in Italy (Italy)
Program and Speakers
Program and Speakers
12:00 – 12:10
Opening remarks by the moderators
12:10 – 12:36
Speeches. What is the meaning and content of Spiritual Culture
- Suleimenov Olzhas, member of the Supreme Advisory Council the World’s Peoples Assembly, Co-Chairman of the Council of Elders of the Assembly of the World’s Peoples, Director of the Republican State Enterprise "State Museum ‘Center for the Rapprochement of Cultures' under the auspices of UNESCO at the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, People’s Writer of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan)
- Tolegen Mukhamejanov, president of the International Association "Peace through Culture", President of the International Public Foundation "Congress of Spiritual Accord", Co-Chairman of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture, Member of the Supreme Advisory Council of the Assembly of the World’s Peoples (Kazakhstan)
- Dr. Suheil Farah, professor, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Education and the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Chairman of the Lebanese-Russian House, writer, translator, President of the Open University "Dialogue of Civilizations" (Russia/Lebanon)
- Ariunaa Shajinbat, academic Secretary of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences (Mongolia)
12:36 – 13:02
Speeches. How the values of Spiritual Culture manifest in life practice
- Elena Rеitinger, member of the Coordinating Council of the European Association "Peace through Culture" (Austria)
- Andrey Pruss, member of the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots in Italy and President of the Orthodox Community of Merano (Italy)
- Mary Pat Fisher, manager (Administrator) of the International Interfaith Community Gobind Sadan, Member of the Council of Elders of the Assembly of the World’s Peoples (India)
- Sonam Wangmo, director of Education of the Vajrayana Buddhist Council of Malaysia (VBCM), Buddhist nun, Doctor of Philosophy, teacher, writer (Bhutan)
13:02 – 13:22
Speeches. The tasks of Spiritual Culture in building a New World of conscious unity
- Nina Zaltsman, president of the Israeli Living Ethics Society (Israel)
- Marko Vukovic, vice-President of the International Association "Peace through Culture. Europe", Member of the Supreme Advisory Council of the Assembly of the World’s Peoples (Germany)
- Zukhra Shidakova, deputy Chairman of the Council of the Assembly of the People of Kyrgyzstan, President of the Public Association "International Association of Karachays ‘Ata-Jurt'" (Kyrgyzstan)
13:22 – 13:30
Summing up the session. Adoption of the Resolution
RESOLUTION
Panel Discussion "Spiritual Culture – a Space
for the Shaping Meanings and Values"
On September 20, 2025, at the initiative of the World Peoples Assembly, the First World Public Assembly "New World of Conscious Unity" was held in Moscow. It brought together participants from more than 150 countries and became a world-class event, an influential instrument of public diplomacy.
The Panel session "Spiritual Culture – a space for shaping meanings and values" held on the sidelines of the Assembly made a significant contribution to supporting public initiatives aimed at strengthening basic universal values and friendly relations between different peoples. The session brought together experts from 10 countries: Austria, Bhutan, Germany, Israel, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Russia.
Realizing that meanings and values are the key concepts of the New World; meanings represent the spiritual guideline of human life, values are the guideline for the sustainable development of civilization;
Affirming that universal values — love, kindness, respect, and the pursuit of truth and justice — remain the unifying foundation for all mankind, and that friendship as a bridge of international relations in a multipolar system serves as a binding force for the development of society;
Referring to the exchange of experience and practice in the implementation of projects aimed at the development of international cultural and humanitarian cooperation;
Recalling the Declaration of the World Forum on Spiritual Culture "Towards a New World and Creation through Spiritual Culture," which states: "Cognition of the higher aspects of Existence will elevate human thinking, spiritualize the creative work of human hands and give directions for improvement. The art of life, the science of life and the ethics of life in their interrelation and interpenetration - such a synthesis reveals the content of Spiritual Culture",
the participants noted:
1. The international community, as well as government agencies from different countries, bears responsibility for the future of the world community, preserving and promoting traditional spiritual and moral values. The rapprochement of peoples based on the principles of universal values is the main task of both the present and the future.
2. The emergence of artificial intelligence, which does not always develop predictably, is becoming one of the many challenges facing humanity. And it is our shared responsibility to ensure that new technologies, a new world that is advancing uncontrollably, are harmonious and balanced.
3. One of the priorities of modern humanity is the harmonization of relations with nature. The quality of human life, the planet itself, and the human community should be more valued by a culture of life that includes a conscious and careful attitude to the natural biological environment. The power of the human mind is not in possession, not in the conquest of nature, but in the awareness of oneself as a part of the whole world and in a sense of responsibility for it. The World Peoples Assembly is to support the initiatives of folk culture more widely, as this is the way to peace and harmony.
4. The spiritual unity of people of different cultures and faiths is a strategic factor ensuring stability and sustainable development of the whole world. It is necessary that the culture of religious tolerance rise to benevolent religious respect, excluding the isolation of religions. The international community can also become a unifying bridge where representatives of different faiths can meet and develop common points of international agreement.
5. It is necessary to consider that spiritual culture is one of the ways to resolve conflicts. Where spiritual values and a culture of dialogue prevail, conflicts are resolved peacefully, and instead of hostility, cooperation and a desire for the common good come. It is necessary to support examples of successful integration of national spiritual culture into the world. Universal human values unite regardless of origin, nationality, religion.
6. The main activity of the media, first of all, should be aimed at the systematic dissemination of positive information, the affirmation of the spiritual values of society and the active influence on the assessments, opinions and behavior of people, since the main goal of social development is the moral transformation of man. Journalists having such a powerful means of influencing public opinion as the mass media can and should set a positive example. The image of a new humanity is formed in the constancy of positive thoughts and actions.
7. Caring for the common future is, first of all, caring for the younger generation, who are destined to take with them into the future the most valuable and highly moral experience accumulated by history. Only after achieving positive continuity can we safely say that the future of the world is in safe hands. It is proposed to support the youth public initiative "Let's be friends!" and create an international network based on it as a platform for uniting young people of different cultures and nationalities based on common spiritual and moral values.
9. The session participants consider it important to promote the development of spiritual literacy — the ability to understand and interact with various spiritual and cultural traditions in a respectful and meaningful way. This literacy is extremely important for diplomats, educators, and community leaders seeking to build trust and cooperation across cultural boundaries.
10. Realizing the interdependence of peoples and shared responsibility, striving to preserve the unique spiritual heritage of the peoples of the world, respecting the moral ideals and cultural values of each nation, proceeding from a new conceptual approach to the peacemaking unity of peoples, from the fact that strategic development today lies in human resources, the participants supported the initiative of the World Peoples Assembly to hold an annual World Public Assembly – a new international platform for discussing the prospects for constructive interaction between representatives of the international community.
11. Summing up the outcomes of the Panel discussion "Spiritual Culture – a space for the shaping meanings and values", the participants decided to hold annual panel sessions on spiritual culture within the World Public Assembly in order to form joint programs to affirm the main aspects of the influence of spiritual culture on the evolutionary development and conscious unity of the peoples of the world.
The Panel session "Spiritual Culture – a space for shaping meanings and values" held on the sidelines of the Assembly made a significant contribution to supporting public initiatives aimed at strengthening basic universal values and friendly relations between different peoples. The session brought together experts from 10 countries: Austria, Bhutan, Germany, Israel, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Russia.
Realizing that meanings and values are the key concepts of the New World; meanings represent the spiritual guideline of human life, values are the guideline for the sustainable development of civilization;
Affirming that universal values — love, kindness, respect, and the pursuit of truth and justice — remain the unifying foundation for all mankind, and that friendship as a bridge of international relations in a multipolar system serves as a binding force for the development of society;
Referring to the exchange of experience and practice in the implementation of projects aimed at the development of international cultural and humanitarian cooperation;
Recalling the Declaration of the World Forum on Spiritual Culture "Towards a New World and Creation through Spiritual Culture," which states: "Cognition of the higher aspects of Existence will elevate human thinking, spiritualize the creative work of human hands and give directions for improvement. The art of life, the science of life and the ethics of life in their interrelation and interpenetration - such a synthesis reveals the content of Spiritual Culture",
the participants noted:
1. The international community, as well as government agencies from different countries, bears responsibility for the future of the world community, preserving and promoting traditional spiritual and moral values. The rapprochement of peoples based on the principles of universal values is the main task of both the present and the future.
2. The emergence of artificial intelligence, which does not always develop predictably, is becoming one of the many challenges facing humanity. And it is our shared responsibility to ensure that new technologies, a new world that is advancing uncontrollably, are harmonious and balanced.
3. One of the priorities of modern humanity is the harmonization of relations with nature. The quality of human life, the planet itself, and the human community should be more valued by a culture of life that includes a conscious and careful attitude to the natural biological environment. The power of the human mind is not in possession, not in the conquest of nature, but in the awareness of oneself as a part of the whole world and in a sense of responsibility for it. The World Peoples Assembly is to support the initiatives of folk culture more widely, as this is the way to peace and harmony.
4. The spiritual unity of people of different cultures and faiths is a strategic factor ensuring stability and sustainable development of the whole world. It is necessary that the culture of religious tolerance rise to benevolent religious respect, excluding the isolation of religions. The international community can also become a unifying bridge where representatives of different faiths can meet and develop common points of international agreement.
5. It is necessary to consider that spiritual culture is one of the ways to resolve conflicts. Where spiritual values and a culture of dialogue prevail, conflicts are resolved peacefully, and instead of hostility, cooperation and a desire for the common good come. It is necessary to support examples of successful integration of national spiritual culture into the world. Universal human values unite regardless of origin, nationality, religion.
6. The main activity of the media, first of all, should be aimed at the systematic dissemination of positive information, the affirmation of the spiritual values of society and the active influence on the assessments, opinions and behavior of people, since the main goal of social development is the moral transformation of man. Journalists having such a powerful means of influencing public opinion as the mass media can and should set a positive example. The image of a new humanity is formed in the constancy of positive thoughts and actions.
7. Caring for the common future is, first of all, caring for the younger generation, who are destined to take with them into the future the most valuable and highly moral experience accumulated by history. Only after achieving positive continuity can we safely say that the future of the world is in safe hands. It is proposed to support the youth public initiative "Let's be friends!" and create an international network based on it as a platform for uniting young people of different cultures and nationalities based on common spiritual and moral values.
9. The session participants consider it important to promote the development of spiritual literacy — the ability to understand and interact with various spiritual and cultural traditions in a respectful and meaningful way. This literacy is extremely important for diplomats, educators, and community leaders seeking to build trust and cooperation across cultural boundaries.
10. Realizing the interdependence of peoples and shared responsibility, striving to preserve the unique spiritual heritage of the peoples of the world, respecting the moral ideals and cultural values of each nation, proceeding from a new conceptual approach to the peacemaking unity of peoples, from the fact that strategic development today lies in human resources, the participants supported the initiative of the World Peoples Assembly to hold an annual World Public Assembly – a new international platform for discussing the prospects for constructive interaction between representatives of the international community.
11. Summing up the outcomes of the Panel discussion "Spiritual Culture – a space for the shaping meanings and values", the participants decided to hold annual panel sessions on spiritual culture within the World Public Assembly in order to form joint programs to affirm the main aspects of the influence of spiritual culture on the evolutionary development and conscious unity of the peoples of the world.
