Vienna, 30 October 2019 – In the lead up to the conference “The Power of Words: The Role of Religion, Media and Policy in Countering Hate Speech”, the International Dialogue Centre’s governing bodies held meetings at its Vienna headquarters.
The Centre’s Council of Parties and its Board of Directors discussed the work of the Centre as well as the present and future of KAICIID at a joint meeting that took place on 29 October.
The Austrian delegation to the CoP included H.E ambassador Dr. Gregor Koessler, Director of Cabinet of the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs; H.E Ambassador Dr. Teresa Indjein, Director General for International Cultural Relations, Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs; H.E Ambassador Dr. Margot Klestil-Loeffler, Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs; and H.E Ambassador Dr. Marcus Bergmann, Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs.
Saudia Arabia was represented by HRH Prince Abdullah Bin Khaled Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud; Mr. Shalan Binijl, First Secretary; and Mr. Matrek Al Dosari, First Secretary. The Spanish delegation included H.E Juan Manuel González De Linares, Ambassador-At-Large for Peacekeeping Tasks, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation; H.E Ambassador Juan Sunyé, Ambassador of Spain to Austria; and Mr. Miguel Alonso, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain. The Holy See was represented by Cardinal Miguel Ayuso.
The 21 Regular Session of the KAICIID Board of Directors also took place on the sidelines of the conference. The Board members were briefed on the Centre’s recent activities and programmatic progress in the Central African Republic, Myanmar, Nigeria and the Arab region. They were also updated on topics such as KAICIID’s capacity building efforts through the Fellows programme and online courses.
About the Board of Directors
The International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) is an intergovernmental organization mandated to promote dialogue among different religious and cultural groups to promote justice, peace and reconciliation and to counteract the abuse of religion to justify violence.
The Centre 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, Reverend Kosho Niwano, His Virtue Sheikh ul-Islam A. Pashazade, Reverend Mark Poulson, Chief Rabbi David Rosen and Dr. Mohammad Sammak.
