The president of the IPS Board of Trustees, Roberto Savio, was invited as founding president of IPS to the second conference of the UN-sponsored Alliance of Civilizations in Doha, 26 February, urging action not talk to bridge the yawning gap between the Muslim world and the West.

The Alliance of Civilizations initiative, launched in November 2005 by Spain and Turkey, has created a “high-level group” of some 20 members including Iran ‘s former president Mohammed Khatami, former French foreign minister Hubert Vedrine, South Africa ‘s Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the wife of Qatar ‘s emir Sheikha Mozah. The UN appointed a high level Commission of 19 personalities, all stakeholders of this debate, with different persons as Desmond Tutu and Mohammad Khatami.