KAICIID Secretary General Faisal Bin Muaammar today spoke at a ceremony to felicitate United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng at the end of his tenure.

The Secretary General was joined at the ceremony by a host of high-level speakers, including Dr. Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, Madame Catherine Samba-Panza, Former President of the Central African Republic, Minister Pekka Haavisto, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland, Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under Secretary-General of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA, Mr. Miguel Moratinos, UNAOC High Representative, Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, 27th Governor General of Canada and 3rd Secretary-General of the International Organization of la Francophonie, H.E. Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies and the United Arab Emirates Fatwa Council, Dr. Mohammed Al-Mamari, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs Sultanate of Oman, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and H.E. Dr. Salim Al-Malik, Director General of ICESCO. The event was organized by the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers and the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations.

Since his appointment to the post on 1 September 2012, Mr. Dieng has been at the forefront of efforts to include and engage religious leaders and their institutions in policymaking, not least through the Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors to Prevent Incitement to Violence that Could Lead to Atrocity Crimes, or the Fez Plan of Action, of which KAICIID was a key partner.

The Secretary General thanked Mr. Dieng in his remarks: “Since our paths first crossed in 2014, on the Fez Plan of Action, Adama has been a friend and supporter of KAICIID, and a powerful advocate for our shared vision: to engage religious voices, and religious actors, in the efforts to find solutions to global challenges. Adama had the vision to be inclusive of religious actors, and the will to action to make that vision a reality. He has been tireless in his mission, spending many months traveling around the world, meeting religious actors in all corners of the globe, hearing their stories, seeking their guidance, and their views from the field. In this, he has been aided by his towering reputation as an authority in the field, as a respected expert and unflagging supporter of the rule of law, human rights and dignity.”

The Fez Plan of Action was launched in July 2017 by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. The launch has been followed by hundreds of workshops and events to implement its recommendations around the world.

In a testament to Mr. Dieng’s contribution to the field of interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding, a diverse gathering of religious representatives also participated in the ceremony, such as Dr. Agnes Abuom, Moderator for the World Council of Churches, Rabbi Professor Burton Visotzky, Director for the Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue at The Jewish Theological Seminary, Ms. Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswatiji, Secretary-General, Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, Sheikh Jawad Al-Khoei, Secretary General of the Al-Khoei Institute in Najaf, Iraq, Ms. Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Bahá'í International Community to the United Nations, Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia, Chairman of the Nishkam Group of Charitable Organisations, and Venerable Napan Thawornnabjob, Founder and Director of the Institute for Buddhist Management for Happiness and Peace.