On Monday 27 March the Centre hosted the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, Ms Irina Bokova, for the launch in the United Kingdom of UNESCO’s “Different Aspects of Islamic Culture” collection. The publication of the final two volumes of this collection brings to a successful conclusion a collaboration involving more than 150 scholars worldwide. In her keynote speech, the Director General declared that “the Collection is testimony to the power of knowledge and culture to bring people together in the search for truth”. She also paid tribute to the Centre’s role in promoting international academic cooperation. To mark this important intellectual milestone, the Centre invited senior scholars to take part in a panel discussion entitled “Common Heritage and Cultural Diversity in Muslim Societies: Understanding the Past, Building the Future”. Participants included Dr Abdulrahim Ali Mohamed (International University of Africa and an editor for the UNESCO Collection), Professor Marcia Hermansen ( Loyola University), Professor Carole Hillenbrand (Edinburgh University), and Professor Bruce Lawrence (Duke University). A lively discussion ensued with an audience of scholars and students, as well as the Centre’s invited guests.