Faith dialogue to counter violence in name of religion

RIYADH: A key partner for UN agencies, national governments and religious and interreligious organizations has made putting a stop to violence in the name of religion as one of its priorities for 2018.
The King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) Council of Parties — Saudi Arabia, Austria, Spain, and the Vatican, which is the founding observer — has approved during its meeting in the Austrian capital Vienna on Sunday KAICIID’s work and activities planned for 2018.
KAICIID Secretary-General Faisal bin Abdulrahman bin Muammar said the council had reviewed the center’s achievements during 2017, including signed agreements and programs carried out in cooperation with the UN, the EU, and the African Union, in addition to its various programs in Europe, especially in Austria.
The council has also reviewed comprehensive reports on the center’s projects for establishing dialogue platforms across the world, as well as its peace-building social media training programs and meetings held for promoting citizen coexistence.
KAICIID’s plan for 2018 includes meetings, workshops, and organizing the next international event, United Against Violence in the Name of Religion (UVNR), to promote respect of diversity and citizen coexistence.
KAICIID has identified several locations that require more attention, including a few Arab countries, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, and Myanmar, due to the intolerance and extremism they are experiencing in the name of religion, especially among diverse communities.
The center also launched a few programs in Europe, especially in Austria. The UVNR has resulted in the formation of a network of Islamic and Christian colleges and institutes across the Arab world as a pioneering, unprecedented step in the Arab region, and after two years of meetings, work, and coordination, the network was officially launched in May 2017.
KAICIID is an intergovernmental organization whose mandate is to promote the use of dialogue globally to prevent and resolve conflict to enhance understanding and cooperation.
As an international organization, it supports the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in particular the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. KAICIID also combats all forms of discrimination based on culture, religion or belief. We implement programs to overcome stereotypes in a long-term process that leads to a culture of dialogue that enables greater understanding of people of other cultures and followers of other religions.