The World Tolerance Summit, which took place in Dubai on 15-16 November 2018, was held in line with the International Day for Tolerance in November as declared by the United Nations.
This was an international gathering of government leaders, key figures from the public and private sectors, peacekeeping ambassadors and change-makers from around the world. These representatives gather to discuss the great importance of tolerance, peace, equality, and to celebrate diversity amongst people from all walks of life, regardless of varying political views, cultural and religious backgrounds.
This year, for the first-ever World Tolerance Summit, URI sent a delegation of esteemed members to take part. URI’s Executive Director, The Rev. Victor H. Kazanjian, Jr., shares his reflections below:
From The Rev. Victor H. Kazanjian, Jr.
URI Executive Director
The two-day, interactive summit engaged international thought leaders, decision-makers, and influencers in thought-provoking discussions about technology, social innovations, and global networking can play an important role in creating a conducive environment to bring about positive change in people’s lives.
Through a wide array of activities, it delved deeply into the ways by which individuals, organizations, and nations can be open-minded, understanding, and accepting of others’ opinions and beliefs – which is necessary in order to have a peaceful co-existence and to cooperate in generating new ideas to build a prosperous and sustainable future.
URI was a key partner in the developing of the World Tolerance Summit, thanks to the hard work of Mussie Hailu, Global Envoy of URI, Continental Director for URI-Africa and URI Representative to the United Nations in Nairobi, who was an important part of the Summit planning committee. Mussie and I were both featured speakers at the Summit, and seven URI leaders were invited and hosted by the Summit. Also included in the URI delegation were Fr. James Channan OP, (Regional Coordinator for URI Pakistan), Emmanuel Ivorgba (Regional Coordinator for URI Western Africa), Abraham Karickam (Regional Coordinator for URI South India), Qutub Jehan Kidwai, (Regional Coordinator for URI West India), and Mamoun Ahmad (Regional Coordinator for URI Middle East and North Africa).
URI signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Tolerance Summit.
See an overview video of the World Tolerance Summit and an image of the MOU signing between URI and the World Tolerance Summit.
Victor H. Kazanjian moderated a panel entitled "Collaborative Efforts from International & Local Associations to Promote Harmony and to Address the Issues of Intolerance, Fanaticism and Discrimination."
