Pioneering Euro-MENA dialogue on inclusive citizenship
From 20 to 22 September 2023, Wilton Park, a space for experts and policy-makers to engage in genuine dialogue, hosted the Euro-MENA Dialogue on Inclusive Citizenship and Freedom of Religion and Belief: Bridging and Advancing the Two Agendas in partnership with Globethics and the Adyan Foundation, with the support of the British and Italian governments.
Promoting inclusive citizenship and freedom of religion and belief is critical to peace and co-existence, both within increasingly diverse societies and between them. However, the rise of xenophobia, populism, extremism, and authoritarianism, in both MENA and European spaces, constitutes a real threat to the agenda of stability and peace.
The session represented a pioneering initiative of policy dialogue, aiming to build together a common roadmap for collaboration and engagement to advance the recognition of cultural and religious diversity, while ensuring equality and human dignity for all.
The dialogue, which engaged forty faith leaders, from key religious institutions such as the Vatican, World Council of Churches, The Muslim World League, and The Muslim Council of Elders, and representatives of minority groups, will lead to the development of a common document with recommendations, to share at a later stage with policymakers, for implementation to preserve the common Mediterranean tradition of pluralism, diversity, and peaceful co-existence.
Globethics Executive Director Fadi Daou, who contributed to moderating the dialogue, commented on the "beginning of a promising path" that the dialogue represented, with leaders gathered around the same table and sharing a common objective, in echo with Globethics' strategic priority of inclusive peace and responsible governance. Two following rounds of dialogue are planned for 2024.