The leading role of women at the 2017 UNESCO photo exhibition “The Power of Empathy”
The photo exhibition “The Power of Empathy” will be inaugurated during the Second International conference on Youth Volunteering and Dialogue on 25 September 2017. This photo exhibition is a tribute to the power of empathy and solidarity felt and expressed by young people. Its photographs and stories were selected from the response to the global youth contest “If I were…”, launched by UNESCO on social media in Arabic, English, French and Spanish in early 2017.
UNESCO received some 837 submissions, from 117 countries, covering a wide variety of issues and experiences. Despite the gravity of the themes addressed in these beautiful pictures, hope emerges from the testaments of the young photographers which demonstrate not only a sensitivity to the situations of “others”, but, moreover, a resolve to help people recover and protect their rights and dignity.
Peace and dialogue start by appreciating differences in attitudes, values and beliefs. Empathy must be a foundation of a better world. It goes beyond passively observing others despair, to responding to situations with greater compassion, tolerance and inclusivity.
Our hope is that this emotionally charged exhibition demonstrates the capacity and desire of youth to create a fairer, more inclusive and more peaceful world, using the power of their empathy to build a more resilient culture of peace through intercultural dialogue.
Relevant links:
A. the album http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0025/002591/259191e.pdf
B. three characteristic photos with female protagonists
