Nahyan bin Mubarak opens 'Promoting Human Fraternity in Gov Forum'

The forum discussed the mechanisms, tools and efforts used by state institutions towards consolidating and activating the Document on Human Fraternity principles.

In his keynote address, Sheikh Nahyan affirmed that this forum is organised by the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence in coordination with tolerance committees in ministries and federal authorities to exchange ideas and opinions on the ways to enhance the principles of human fraternity in the UAE government work and build channels for joint and successful work in this field. Expressing his appreciation to the ministers, participating in the form, members of the tolerance committees in government authorities, he appreciated their efforts to make tolerance and human fraternity a fertile field for excellence in the work of ministries and authorities, and an effective way to encourage joint work among all institutions of society.

He acknowledged the effort to achieve integration of the entire population into the path of the state, making human fraternity a way to communicate with states and peoples and build good relations with friends and brothers, and to achieve understanding and peace in the world, with the aim that the UAE is always at the forefront and in a leading position among all countries and peoples in its keenness to make human values the basis for building the present and shaping the future in a way that achieves happiness and development for human beings.

He said that this forum is a celebration of the International Day for Human Fraternity declared by the United Nations to celebrate the day of the issuance of the Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity, which is based on noble, moral and humane principles and objectives and rejects intolerance, violence and hatred while calling for solidarity and unity among all regardless of their differences so that they can coexist and work together in a world of love, happiness and peace.

The document emphasises women’s rights, concern for children, protection of the environment, freedom of belief, protection of places of worship, and supporting vulnerable groups in society, as well as the responsibility of the individual and the role of each institution in spreading the values of knowing each other, dialogue and joint action to combat extremism, militancy and terrorism at all levels.

He explained, "While we celebrate the Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity, we shall take pride in its issuance in the presence of His Holiness Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, and His Eminence Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, two peacemakers and symbols of tolerance and human fraternity in the world. We are very proud of their insightful vision towards the role of the UAE and its loyal leaders in making human fraternity, the positive cultural and civilisational cross-border interaction, religions and cultures an important means of spreading peace and love among all."

He expressed his pride in the leadership and pivotal role of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, in issuing the Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity, and his role in the declaration of the day of the issuance of this document as an International Day for Human Fraternity by the United Nations, stressing that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed’s sayings and actions embody the fact that the beloved UAE is a country of deep heritage and originality supported by a people creating civilisation and history, and keening to communicate positively with all. UAE’s achievements are always supported by a sincere leadership that encourages enlightened thought and seeks to be determined and committed to make people happy and achieve the quality of life everywhere, Sheikh Nahyan added.

While concluding his speech, he expressed the hope that everyone would walk together in light of the vision of the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, that a tolerant society is a successful one, and that we all do our duty to achieve tolerance and fraternity in society and the world. Human fraternity is always a way of thinking and a way of life that helps us to face the challenges with a winning mind and a healthy heart. It also represents the important meanings in the Abu Dhabi Document for Human Fraternity in the celebration of the International Day of Human Fraternity, stressing that all of this is part of the soft power of the UAE and within it the growing relations with the owners of different civilisations and cultures in the East and West alike, and sincerely striving towards achieving a future for human beings in which there is goodness and peace everywhere.

In his address to the forum, Anwar Gargash said, "The Document on Human Fraternity launched from the UAE is a global call to revive the human values that encourage fraternity, love, cooperation and tolerance among people and between East and West, as well as promotes the country's approach based on openness, multiculturalism and coexistence, so that the UAE has become a global model of tolerance, happiness and prosperity, where people from some 200 nations compose our population and live with dignity in freedom, peace and equality."

Dr. Gargash stressed that the relations between East and West have always witnessed honourable examples of cultural, civilisational and intellectual exchange, despite the problems and obstacles that marred that relation sometimes. In today's world, as we face common challenges and suffer from crises that exceed national borders. Therefore, adopting human values became more important than ever before because multiculturalism, openness to everyone and their inclusion into their societies will achieve the harmony we need to build a strong and successful country, and is the strongest line of defence in facing chaos.

He said, "the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation focuses on two important principles of human fraternity, namely tolerance and coexistence, as a part of the main aspects of the UAE's foreign policy, aiming to promote initiatives and partnerships of tolerance and coexistence regionally and globally and continue promoting the UAE's position as a global hub of tolerance, coexistence and human fraternity and strengthening its pioneering role in confronting terrorism and extremism.

"With regard to the efforts exerted to consolidate human rights principles, I state that the National Human Rights Commission started the consultation process to prepare the national human rights plan in the county to document and unite the UAE's effort in the field of human rights promotion and protection."

Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, affirmed in his speech that the move to uphold the values of humane fraternity led by the UAE, is nothing but the fruit of an approach that has been established for decades, and that the country's wise leadership has paid most attention to it. Perhaps the Forum of Mechanisms of Promoting Human Fraternity Principles in Governmental Work is nothing but an extension of this mature, benevolent and accepting human thought, which is represented by the leadership and people of the UAE throughout its history.

He added that the UAE is making continuous efforts to translate the values of tolerance contained in the Human Fraternity Document into a top priority in the ministries, institutions and bodies concerned with education, culture and society, stressing that the Ministry of Education has included the principles of the document in the national curriculum and converted it into educational lessons, topics and positions, so that Emirati school students can study, read, and analyse them and deduct values and lessons from them, in addition to implementing many initiatives in the educational field that consecrate the spirit of tolerance and coexistence between all religions.

Al Hammadi indicated that the ministry has published and circulated the document to schools and instructed everyone to design educational and training programmes for faculty members, including the principles contained in the document that call for peace and rapprochement between peoples, the rule of inter-religious dialogue and the rejection of violence that undermines the spirit of tolerance, especially as the world is facing an unprecedented crisis resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

He stressed that the international community’s celebration of the International Day of Human Fraternity and the signing of the first document of its kind in Abu Dhabi confirms the success of the UAE’s policy and its wise leadership in putting forward many historical initiatives and humanitarian stances that have contributed to spreading the culture of tolerance, stressing that the culture of coexistence and fraternity is not a product of the moment, but is a culture prevalent in the region since ancient times and the approach of tolerance, coexistence, peace and fraternity pursued by our beloved country stems from the legacy of our fathers and ancestors.

Hessa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development, said, "It is my pleasure to join you in the festival of human fraternity in the homeland of harmony and respect. It is a festival of accepting the other here in the UAE, which was founded on the values of Arabism, unity and giving. It was and still is a homeland for humans, and affirmed that achieving happiness through the principles of the "Human Fraternity Document" is a definite result of the UAE’s efforts, and that of its leadership and humanitarian initiatives that are reflected through this document that chronicles fraternity, affection and loyalty among the peoples and countries of the world.

She added that happiness is a common denominator among human beings, and it is the community’s giving to all. It is a human value that crosses borders, languages and nationalities, a commitment to a vision of leadership that covers everything that pleases human beings, making it a reality and a way of life.

She stressed that these principles are understood by all through the thoughts of our wise leadership, who are touched by the method of work of the UAE government, and live their details in the reality of the mutual social relations between the groups of society because they are principles.

She emphasised that these principles are based on absolute confidence embodied by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, when he said, "We will continue to carry the banner of human fraternity with you and pledge to continue supporting efforts aimed at making the region and the world a more peaceful and tolerant place. And embodied by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, when he said, ‘Tolerance is the cornerstone of building societies dominated by understanding, cooperation, coexistence, respect and acceptance of others, and this is what has characterised the UAE society since its inception.’"

She explained that mature societies are those that place value in a special place, and that positive governments are the ones that adopt policies and legislation that support the principle of human fraternity, and realise the importance of the values of tolerance, coexistence, acceptance of others and multiculturalism, as a way to achieve sustainable development and happiness in society.

She said, "We are all brothers in one body, an extended family, and a society that accommodates all, and the Ministry of Community Development is a part of the entity of tolerance and coexistence in the UAE. It carries out its developmental, national and societal duty with its full humanitarian capacity, and takes the initiative to reach everyone with all possible support and empowerment. We have a childhood that we preserve with the Child Rights Law (Wadeema Law), and we take care of children through a balanced upbringing based on the principle of tolerance between family members, the community and senior citizens. People of determination are also a priority on the ladder of the ministry’s agenda, and they are icons of tolerance and acceptance of others in society, as are our brothers who are residents of more than 200 nationalities, as the sons of this country to which we swore to be devoted. They are our partners in a single development process, which we work to sustain in a spirit of fraternity, tolerance and coexistence.

Dr. Sultan Al-Nuaimi stated that the phrase for world peace and coexistence is a synonym for Human Fraternity Document. The supreme goal of this document is to achieve world peace, which in turn will lead to coexistence. There must be a comprehensive view of the lived reality, which predicts a value system that allows the promotion of peaceful coexistence among human beings that was and still is one of the most important concerns of international work, which was reinforced by the outbreak of the First and Second World War. Realism imposes itself on the reality of international relations, which in turn was pushed into a series of global crises and threats that did not exclude anyone, as realism continues to impose a fait accompli policy, while idealism strives to influence international relations, and the attempt to mix realism with idealism begins the glimmer of success.

Al-Nuaimi stressed that the comprehensive view and the strategic dimension of the principles of the document go beyond the narrow horizon to touch a broad space of coexistence. The idea of the document was born after several meetings in which the levels of scientific progress in all fields were discussed, corresponding to touching the reality of poverty and wars without neglecting phenomena such as terrorism, extremism and racism. The document met all the above from a value perspective that makes the human being and humanity the focus, and therefore we look at the issues from a human perspective so that fraternity comes as an effective driver and factor of humanity and its principles.

Those who delve into the principles of the Human Fraternity Document find that it is considered an integrated system to push this document from its theoretical to practical space. The document sends a clear-cut message, that everyone shoulders responsibility, so the messages go to world leaders to work hard and spread the culture of tolerance, and to intervene immediately to stop the flow of innocent blood. It goes to thinkers, philosophers, clerics, intellectuals and media professionals, inviting them to discover the values of peace, justice, human fraternity and coexistence. It goes to family to understand that children, when they have a proper education and sound upbringing, can achieve that, and to religions that they were never a means for war and a source of hatred. It goes to society to ensure that freedom is a right for every human being, and that plurality and differences in religion, colour, gender, race and language are divine wisdom and that citizenship is based on equality in duties and rights, and the rights of women, children and the elderly are inevitable essential matters.

Hamad Ali Mohammed Al Dhaheri, Under-Secretary of the Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi, who raved about the role of the Document on Human Fraternity in the community efforts, and said that the UAE has always strived to establish the concepts of community cohesion and coexistence and has been keen on respecting and promoting cultural diversity as the UAE is now a safe and aspirant home for more than 200 nationalities. He also emphasised how the DCD is committed to the wise vision of the UAE and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and during the implementation of the social sector agenda. It worked tirelessly to enhance integration and cohesion between the various segments of society, by launching initiatives and programmes that aim to provide a decent life for all.

He added that the DCD’s work continues to strengthen ties with all communities with different religious backgrounds, and constantly seeks to integrate them socially as they are an essential part in the social development process in the UAE, stressing that these efforts have resulted in distinctly enhancing the level of well-being and the quality of life in society, evidenced by figures and statistics conducted recently in the last questionnaire about the quality of life. More than 72,000 participants from various groups took part, and the percentage of feeling proud of living in Abu Dhabi hit 97 percent, while the percentage of feeling secured and protected reached 96 percent. Besides, the numbers proved that the satisfaction rate is at 83.5 percent.

Al Dhaheri explained the DCD’s keenness to facilitate the procedures for licencing places of worship for non-Muslims to enable them to practice their religious rituals with complete freedom, is reflected in the preparation of the places of worship in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which number 20 that have been licenced for the believers of different religions. He also said that the places of worship have played a pivotal role during the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic by tangible and continuous cooperation with the DCD. They worked to spread messages of psychological support and spread positive vibes and values of faith and love among its believers, and these institutions launched several special initiatives to help those affected by the coronavirus crisis.

Al Dhaheri concluded his speech by thanking the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence for its endeavours to enhance the spirit of fraternity and community cohesion and expressed how honoured they are that the DCD in Abu Dhabi is part of this forum that works to promote and ingrain the values of human fraternity in all state departments and institutions to set a good example and be a model for all.