Global Conference on Human Fraternity opens

ABU DHABI: Global conference on human fraternity was opened by the UAE Minister of Tolerance Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. More than 700 leaders, thinkers and representatives of different faiths gathered to discuss the critical importance of fraternity and peaceful coexistence.

The two-day conference is being held under the patronage of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and organised by an Abu Dhabi-based independent international organization -- the Muslim Council of Elders.

The conference takes place in conjunction with the historic visit of Head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb, to the United Arab Emirates.

Addressing the gathering, Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan said, "We are delighted to welcome Pope Francis and The Grand Imam to the UAE."

The visit represents a call for global fraternal collaboration based on peaceful dialogue, mutual tolerance, and a rejection of extremism and violence, he added. He also said that the conference provides a rare opportunity to unleash the power of wisdom and reason and learn from the ideas shared by the eminent personalities during the conference.

The Global Conference of Human Fraternity focuses on a wide spectrum of themes, including ‘Principles of Human Fraternity’, ‘Common Responsibility to Achieve Human Fraternity’ as well as ‘Human Fraternity: Challenges and Opportunities’. The conference organiser, the Muslim Council of Elders hoped the gathering would also become a global landmark event in global relations between different communities and faiths.