Minister of Sports and Youth H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali; Chairperson of DICID Board of Directors H E Dr. Ibrahim Saleh Al Nuaimi; and other officials and participants at the opening of the conference.
Doha: The four-day “Global Youth Interfaith & Intercultural Forum, Qatar 2023,” kicked off yesterday in Doha under the slogan “Youth and Peacebuilding: Interfaith Dialogue from Theory to Practice.” It is organised by the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) and A Common Word Among the Youth (ACWAY).
More than 60 young men and women from 42 countries, in addition to 20 participants from Qatar, are participating in the forum, which seeks to activate the role of youth in religious dialogue and peacebuilding.
During the opening session of the forum, which was attended by Minister of Sports and Youth H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, Chairperson of the DICID Board of Directors H E Dr. Ibrahim Saleh Al Nuaimi said that this forum offers an opportunity to listen to the opinions and ideas of young people during their dialogues and discussions about the challenges they face in their endeavour to contribute to the achievement of means of stability, peace, and civilized interaction, within the framework of calm and disciplined dialogue and the moral and spiritual values urged by pure sources of religions.
He also stressed that the forum comes from DICID’s belief in the importance of involving young people in issues of interfaith dialogue and communication between cultures and civilizations, adding that youth should have an active role in all contemporary issues affecting the world today such as cultural and humanitarian issues; including the issue of climate change and its wide global impacts, sustainability, volunteer work, and others.
Al Nuaimi pointed out that the forum is dedicated to young people to present their opinions and examples of their activities and projects in their countries, listen to the issues that concern them, and debate with them in dialogue sessions, in addition to several workshops led by a group of distinguished academics and researchers.
The young group is the most willing to connect with others, the least opposed to building bridges of communication between religions, and the most enthusiastic about combating injustice, overcoming underdevelopment, achieving a renaissance for their homelands, peaceful coexistence, and coexistence for the components of their societies, he added.
He noted that today’s youth have a degree of awareness that qualifies them to take the initiative to dialogue with each other and with those who preceded them in knowledge and experience.
The Chairperson of DICID said that young people are the opportunity and hope to restore and spread the correct religious and human values, make them a pivot for building a tolerant and coexistent world and confront extremism, terrorism, and hatred, stressing the importance of listening to their opinions and ideas and believing in their abilities to create change and lead transformations in their societies.
The opening session witnessed interventions by participants from international youth organisations, emphasising the great importance of this global youth forum, which comes at a time when young people suffer from several challenges.
