The Board of Directors of the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID), meeting in Vienna on Friday, 19 October 2018, received an update on the Centre’s achievements in the past year, including:
- The establishment of a platform for dialogue between the Jewish and Muslim communities in Europe. The Muslim-Jewish leadership Council brings together leaders from both communities from Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom to serve the need, more urgent than ever in today’s Europe, to free religious people and religions from prejudice, false claims, attacks, and violence. The Council is chaired by the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt and Mufti Nedzad Grabus, of Slovenia.
- The launch of the Interreligious platform for Dialogue and cooperation in the Arab World, which convenes the leadership of Christian and Muslim religious institutions in the Arab region, and provides opportunities for them to cooperate on shared initiatives. The platform was launched at a conference in Vienna, which brought together leaders from Muslim communities, including Mohammad Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, Saleh Bin Hameed, Imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Abdallah Bin Bayyah, President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, UAE with Christian leaders such as Patriarch Mar Bishara Al-Rai of the Maronite Church and His Holiness Patriarch Aram Keshishian Lebanon - Catholics of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church and leaders of other communities such as H. Sublime Highness Tahsin Saied Beg, Head of the Yazidi Community in Iraq.
- Advocacy visits organized by KAICIID-supported interreligious platform in Nigeria, which brought Christian and Muslim religious leaders on a joint mission to areas of the country affected by violence resulting from the recent farmer-herder conflicts. The Christian and Muslim leaders of the platform met with people displaced as a result of violence, and local political and religious leaders, and stressed the need to refrain from seeking revenge or retribution for violence.
- Ongoing cooperation with United Nations organizations such as UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF and other international organizations including the African Union, European Union, the Fundamental Rights Agency and the OSCE: KAICIID works with these organizations to ensure that religious communities are included in dialogue about finding policy solutions to global challenges.
The Board expressed their sorrow at news of the recent events at the consulate of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul:
‘We learn from the media that an investigation has been launched. We hope that a transparent investigation will make the truth known, and that those responsible will be held accountable. We offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jamal Khashoggi.’
They emphasized that KAICIID condemns all forms of violence.
The International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) is governed by a multi-religious Board of Directors, consisting of representatives of five religions - Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. The Board Members are: Dr. Hamad Al-Majed, Dr.Kezevino Aram, His Excellency Bishop Miguel Ayuso, His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel, ReverendKosho Niwano, His Virtue Sheikh ul-Islam A. Pashazade, Reverend Mark Poulson, Chief Rabbi David Rosen and Dr. Mohammad Sammak.
This was the 19th regular Board of Directors meeting of the KAICIID Board, which is composed of nine leaders from five major religious traditions.
About KAICIID
The International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) is an intergovernmental organization that promotes dialogue to build peace in conflict areas. It does this by enhancing understanding and cooperation between people of different cultures and followers of different religions. The Centre was founded by Austria, Saudi Arabia and Spain. The Holy See is the Founding Observer. Its Board of Directors comprises prominent representatives from five major world religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism). The Board designs and supervises the Centre’s programmes. The participation of these religious leaders is a guarantee of KAICIID’s independence and objectivity
