Arab Region’s First Jewish Ambassador, Caritas’ Advisor on Interreligious Partnership are Latest Additions to KAICIID Advisory Forum

VIENNA, 31 January 2019: Over 30 Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh religious representatives will gather in Vienna for the annual meeting of the Advisory Forum and the regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID), from 4-6 February 2019.

The Advisory Forum, which comprises of representatives from religious institutions, civil society and international organizations, advises and guides KAICIID’s Board, which oversees the Centre’s programme and strategy.

The Advisory Forum is currently comprised of 43 members, following the recent addition of Houda Nonoo, Bahrain’s US ambassador from 2008-2013, and former member of parliament, and Davide Bernocchi, Special Advisor on Ecumenical and Interreligious Partnership, Caritas Internationalis.

The Advisory Forum will participate in a two-day meeting, where they will work with KAICIID’s experts to refine and execute the strategy for the coming years. Among the themes to be discussed are education, human rights and common citizenship.

Following the Advisory Forum, the Centre will convene the 20th regular Board of Directors meeting. The Board will be presented with the work plan of the Centre for 2019, and apprised of updates to the Centre’s achievements since the last meeting in October 2018.

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.

Faisal Bin Muaammar, Secretary General of KAICIID said: “The meeting of the Advisory Forum and the Board of Directors is a time of pride for us at KAICIID, because it reminds us of our commitment to be inclusive of as many religious communities as possible in our work, and that we are the only intergovernmental organization in the world that has the privilege to be led both by States and by religious representatives. These meetings, and the presence of so many distinguished religious leaders, reinforces for us our responsibility to promote dialogue between followers of different religious traditions.”

On 5 February 2019, the Board of Directors and Advisory Forum will participate in a public event at the Centre’s historic Vienna headquarters to commemorate the United Nations Interfaith Harmony Week. The event, a panel discussion, will bring together members of religious communities from Iraq, Syria and Austria to discuss the concept of “Love Thy Neighbour” and how it finds resonance in different religious traditions and contexts.