The International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) is holding a conference on 11 and 12 of December in Vienna to address how dialogue can advance the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The Dialogue4SDGs conference will bring together over 120 KAICIID Fellows from more than 40 countries and 9 religions and will culminate in the graduation of 93 new Fellows from the International, Arab, Europe and South South-East Asia cohorts.

The graduating Fellows from Europe will be the first cohort of its kind to pass through the rigorous selection and training process overseen by KAICIID as part of its Fellows Programme.  This first European cohort is a reflection of KAICIID’s growing commitment to establishing the conditions for interreligious and intercultural dialogue on a continent seeking to integrate increasing numbers of people seeking refuge from across the globe.

The Fellows are a global community of 276 diverse religious leaders, educators and practitioners who apply the training in interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding provided by KAICIID to help tackle division in their local communities. Since the launch of the KAICIID International Fellows programme, Fellows’ initiatives have engaged more than 10,000 people globally. The numbers of Fellows graduated per year has grown from 20 in 2015 to 93 this year.

The conference will be centred on five panels of experts, composed of 33 Fellows alumni and members of KAICIID’s interreligious Board. The initiative reflects KAICIID's aim of making the grassroots experience of activists and religious leaders relevant to the wider human development goals at policymaking level.

The first panel will discuss inclusion, citizenship and social cohesion in an age of transition. The second is about interreligious dialogue and education (SDG 4) and will examine religious and cultural diversity as a pathway to its implementation. The third panel will discuss ways of strengthening women’s voices in dialogue (SDG 5) and seeks to promote women’s participation in interreligious dialogue processes and decision making. The fourth panel will explore interreligious dialogue for peace (SDG 16) and will highlight the importance of interfaith dialogue in the peace process. The fifth and final panel will tackle interreligious dialogue partnerships (SDG 17) and will explore ways of strengthening them to enhance knowledge sharing and coordination.

The one-year programme, developed and implemented by KAICIID, aims to equip Fellows with the required skills to educate their communities in interreligious and intercultural dialogue so that they can become active peace advocates in their communities. Upon completion of the programme, the Fellows become part of the growing KAICIID Fellows Network which connects them to a worldwide peer group that offers support, professional development and learning opportunities. 

The Fellows Programme is intended to make an impact by mainstreaming interreligious dialogue in Fellows’ affiliated religious and educational institutions and communities, equipping educators at institutions with the skills for promoting religious and cultural mutual understanding and acceptance

For more information on the Fellow’s programmes please visit:

/what-we-do/we-build-capacity/kaiciid-fellows-programme

For accreditations and interview requests please contact Press@kaiciid.org