The third forum of the African Conference for Promoting Peace praised the Emirati model of tolerance and happy coexistence, and called for drawing inspiration from it in developing international strategies and plans to promote peace in Africa.
The forum, which was held in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, during the period from 17 to 19 January, was titled “Enter all in peace”, under the high patronage of His Excellency the Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Al-Ghazwani, and headed by His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, President of the Abu Dhabi Forum. To promote peace, Chairman of the Emirates Council for Islamic Fatwa – Appeal in the name of Islam and human brotherhood; To stop wars and violence in the African continent in order to preserve bloodshed, and to resort to dialogue and peaceful means to solve problems and problems and resort to reason, wisdom and interest.
The final statement of the recipient appealed to the major countries friendly to Africa and international organizations to support peace and development efforts in the continent, and recommended the establishment and organization of peace caravans led by imams and notables of different ethnicities and tribes to be messengers of harmony and peace in areas suffering from civil wars and bloody conflicts.
This year, the forum witnessed the participation of African presidents and leaders, including Nigerian President Muhammad Buhari, Niger President Muhammad Bazoum, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, President of Guinea-Bissau, President of the West African Economic Community, Mr. Embalo Cisco Omar, in the presence of a large number of government representatives, prominent religious leaders, senior scholars and youth leaders. on the continent.
In their opening speeches, the participating co-chairs unanimously agreed to value this initiative and support the African Conference for the Promotion of Peace in all its initiatives to activate and implement strategies for dialogue and reconciliation, giving priority to the voice of reason, wisdom and the public interest, and restoring tranquility and wellness throughout the continent. The President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, described the African Forum in his speech as having It has truly become Africa’s “Davos of Tolerance and Peace”.
In his framing speech for the forum, His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, Chairman of the Emirates Council for Sharia Fatwa and President of the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum, welcomed the guests of the forum, and conveyed to them the greetings of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, to his fellow African leaders and all participants, and his interest The communicator of peace in Africa and the whole world, stressing that peace is the only option for the future of the world, and that all mankind is called today to enter into peace as a whole. Peace.
He stressed that attending the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum in another format, the African Conference for Promoting Peace, is nothing but the embodiment of the UAE’s vision of making peace for the world.
The opening ceremony of the third forum of the African Conference for the Promotion of Peace witnessed the handing over of the first edition of the “Award for Promoting Peace in Africa” to His Excellency Mr. Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria. It was handed to him by the Mauritanian President Muhammad Ould Cheikh Al-Ghazwani and His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah.
The award was granted to President Buhari in recognition of his individual personal efforts and Nigeria’s remarkable contribution to spreading peace on the continent through mediation and negotiations, and the great success that Nigeria achieved under his leadership in consolidating the values of coexistence in a society of diverse races and religions.
The activities of the forum were marked by a remarkable official and popular interactive momentum, with a youth and women’s majority attracted by the headlines of the axes that discussed topics related to the geography of crises, dialogue and reconciliation, correcting concepts and development on the rug of peace, and the present and future of women and youth. Islamic, ambassadors and representatives of governmental bodies, international centers and organizations, muftis, scholars, judges, thinkers, academic figures, and media professionals.
The conference also witnessed the holding of a summit for “Youth and Women… Peacemakers in Africa”, under the supervision of the Mauritanian First Lady, Dr. Mariam bint Muhammad Fadel Al-Dah, with the participation of dozens of youth and women leaders, and in the presence of a group of government officials and African scholars. The summit stressed the need to strengthen and activate the role of youth and women. In building local peace, and contributing to drawing up policies and building partnerships to enhance the stability of societies and maintain peace in them, calling for the encouragement of girls’ education and the sanctity of exposure to them, and standing in the way of their legitimate aspiration to seek knowledge and contribute to building their homelands.
It is noteworthy that the African Conference for the Promotion of Peace is one of the joint initiatives between the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace and the Mauritanian government, and it is the first high-level African conference that brings together state officials, scholars and youth at one table to discuss the issues of the continent from the perspective of the vision of peace.
This article was first published at: GLOBE ECHO