The concept of tolerance has been a leading part of the UAE’s diplomatic and government work since the start of the current year.
The 'Declaration on Human Fraternity' aims to end many crises around the world, and the historic meeting of Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar, and representatives of 12 religions on the 3rd February was the start of a global humanitarian project that aims to ease conflicts and hotspots around the world.
The document also aims to combat hateful ideologies and sectarian tensions, through promoting the values of dialogue and mutual understanding and spreading the culture of tolerance, acceptance and co-existence.
The historic papal mass that was held in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, the first to be held in the Middle East, will remain ingrained in the people’s memories for a long time, due to its symbolic and humanitarian significance. The UAE also launched many initiatives and events, in which its government and local authorities created the required local, regional and international impact.
On 3rd February, 700 intellectual and religious leaders from around the world gathered in Abu Dhabi, to discuss the means of confronting ideological extremism and its negative effects, as well as strengthening current social relations and establishing new ones between various peoples, religions and doctrines, based on respect.
On 6th February, the 'Zayed Global Fund for Co-existence' was announced, with the aim of supporting international initiatives based on the document, to support the efforts to enhance education, strengthen the values of human fraternity, and establish it in the minds of students, as well as to provide grants for conducting scientific research and organising training programmes.
During its participation in the 'Forum for Building Social Partnerships on Tolerance,' which was hosted by Abu Dhabi on 6th February, the Ministry of Tolerance presented a plan the includes over 20 related projects and initiatives.
The Muslim Council of Elders also took practical steps to spread the clauses of the document, including by holding meetings and seminars and organising workshops with the religious institutions and leaders around the world, to circulate the document’s clauses.
The UAE is continuing to implement initiatives and projects that embody tolerance in its foreign policy. On 7th February, it launched the first stage of an initiative to provide medical caravans and food baskets to refugees in Nigeria, which offered technical and medical support, medicines and medical consultations, as well as food aid to widows and orphans.
On 7th February, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, adopted the Ghaf Tree as the logo of the Year of Tolerance.
In a tweet on his official Twitter account, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed said, "Tolerance is a global value, and the Ghaf Tree is the UAE’s national tree, a source of life and stability in the middle of the desert. Its shade was a meeting point for our grandfathers to consult on matters involving their lives. During the Year of Tolerance, we have made it a logo of taking shelter under the shade of tolerance and coexistence."
The Emirates News Agency, WAM, launched, in partnership with 29 international news agencies, the 'News Agencies Tolerance Charter,' with the aim of promoting media content related to tolerance in the Arab and international media, and highlight their role in achieving peaceful coexistence among communities.
The UAE’s initiatives related to tolerance are not limited to local matters, but they also have global influence. In Karachi, Pakistan, on 13th February, the activities of the '11th Youth of Humanitarian Tolerance Forum' began, under the theme, 'Following Zayed’s Footsteps,' coinciding with the humanitarian missions of the 'Sheikha Fatima Global Humanitarian Campaign' to treat children, women and the elderly in Kasur.
The campaign also intensified its efforts to treat thousands of children and women in Rohingya refugee camps on the border area of Bengal, under the supervision of leading UAE and Bangladeshi doctors, and under the theme, 'All of us are our Mother Fatima.' The campaign’s humanitarian message reached over 16 million children, women and elderly people around the world, regardless of colour, sex, race, religion or sect.
In the Jordanian capital, Amman, Faisal Ahmed Al Malek, Acting Charge d'Affaires at the UAE Embassy in Jordan, participated in celebrating 'World Interfaith Harmony Week.' The 'Druze Orphanage' in Lebanon also highlights the charity and development efforts of the UAE Embassy in the country and is part of the initiatives of the Year of Tolerance. The orphanage distributed 200 gifts, 250 food parcels and 800 blankets presented by the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation.
The UAE’s participation in international events related to tolerance continued during February, including with the launch, on 25th February, of the first "Regional Ministerial Conference for Promoting Religious Freedom and the Role of Religious Education in Combatting the Extremist Ideology," which was organised by the Ministry of Tolerance, in cooperation with the United States, US, State Department, and with the participation of representatives of religions, religious sects and opinion-makers.
The conference focussed on promoting religious freedom, the role of religious education in combatting extremist ideology, and promoting tolerance to combat extremism.
On 25th February, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, sent letters to both Pope Francis and Dr. el-Tayeb, which thanked them for signing the document and highlighted the progress in implementing its clauses, to establish the values of peace, tolerance and coexistence among peoples around the world.