Under the umbrella of the KAICIID-supported Interreligious Platform for Dialogue and Cooperation in the Arab World, the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) is sponsoring and supporting the implementation of 60 projects that promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue and cooperation in 2020.

The projects focus on three themes of particular relevance this year:  Countering hate speech, interreligious cooperation in support of solutions to the many challenges presented by COVID-19, and support for the promotion of common citizenship through interreligious education and awareness.

The Dialogue-60 initiative engages religious institutions and faith-based organizations as well as civil society organizations, NGOs, universities, media, and individuals including women and youth.

The initiative encompasses support for 44 organizations and 16 individuals, 10 of which are women and 6 men, from Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, Mauritania, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Libya, Bahrain, and Yemen.

The Secretary General of KAICIID, Faisal Bin Abdulrahman Bin Muaammar, said: “These initiatives are very significant because nobody knows these communities better than their own members. With that, we seek to enable them to implement the skills they gain from KAICIID trainings in order to find sustainable peaceful solutions to present day challenges and to better serve their own communities”.

“A real and positive change on the local and grassroots level can only be achieved if we engage people on the ground and enable them to make a difference,” he added.

The initiative was launched virtually on 30 September 2020, where participants and experts were able to familiarise themselves with each other’s initiatives. The online meeting also provided a space for them to network and plan future cooperation.

Stemming from the Centre’s strategic priorities to engage policymakers with religious leaders and institutions, the Tunisian Minister of Religious Affairs, Ahmed Azoum, participated in the Dialogue 60 Launch event where he talked about the significance of interreligious dialogue and the role it plays in creating peaceful and inclusive societies. The participants had a chance to engage with him directly as well as with experts from KAICIID.

In closing, the Secretary General of KAICIID, Faisal Bin Muaammar, wished the participants good luck and pledged his full support for their projects: “We are very proud of the Interreligious Platform for Dialogue and Cooperation in the Arab World, and we will do everything in our power to support the Dialogue-60 initiatives to achieve their maximum impact in their respective communities, overcoming challenges and building more stable and inclusive societies.”