UNESCO CHAIR For Inter-Religious Dialogue Studies in The Islamic World
Dr. Alaa Shattnan, Director of the UNESCO Chair at the University of Kufa, took part in the international virtual seminar organised by UNESCO on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, under the title “Futures Dialogues, Time and Possibilities: Governing and Researching Time in New Ways for Transformative Futures.”
The seminar brought together a distinguished gathering of UNESCO officials, directors of university UNESCO Chairs, and eminent international researchers.
The seminar sought to critically examine conventional temporal frameworks and to explore how pluralistic and decolonial perspectives on time might unlock broader horizons for social organisation, while addressing the profound gap between short-term political cycles and the long-range environmental and social challenges of our age.
The programme featured specialised discussion sessions devoted to the governance of time and the forging of new research agendas — pursued through expanding communities’ capacity to envision a manifold temporal future and to design equitable temporal infrastructures that uphold plurality and sustain long-term possibility. The seminar also explored the prospect of developing collaborative research networks in preparation for World Futures Day 2026.
The seminar drew to a close with an open dialogue and a review of for the coming steps toward cultivating shared research networks.
