The Southern Center for International Studies, the Atlanta office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Humanities Council were honored at the Istanbul Center’s 6th annual Dialogue and Friendship Dinner.

The Southern Center was honored for its dedication to global awareness, the Atlanta bureau of the FBI for its commitment to community outreach and the Georgia Humanities Council for its contribution to education.

The dinner was held on Nov. 13 at the Westin Hotel in Buckhead, and featured as the keynote speaker Andrew Young, former ambassador to the United Nations, mayor of Atlanta and member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Nihat Ergun, deputy chairman of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party, also spoke at the event which was attended by a dozen representatives of Atlanta’s consular community as well as local business and political officials.

The dinner was held to promote dialogue and tolerance particularly between Christians and Muslims through a United Nations program titled the “Alliance of Civilizations.”

The U.N. Alliance of Civilizations secretariat was created in 2005 by the governments of Spain and Turkey to combat prejudices and cultural and ideological polarization.

To learn more about the Istanbul Center and its activities, send an e-mail to kwhitehead@istanbulcenter.org or go to www.istanbulcenter.org.