KACND, Harvard University sign deal to measure coexistence, tolerance

RIYADH: The King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue (KACND) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and joint cooperation with Harvard University in the field of scientific research and the development of surveys to obtain accurate indicators of levels of coexistence and tolerance.

The signing ceremony was held on Thursday at the headquarters of the KACND and was attended by the KACND Secretary-General Faisal bin Abdul Rahman bin Muammar; the deputy secretary-general, Fahd bin Sultan Al-Sultan; Asim Khawaja, professor of international finance and development at Harvard’s Kennedy School; and Jamal Haidar, a research fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School.

This cooperation comes within the framework of the KACND’s interest in developing indicators for the reality of community coexistence and promoting the values of tolerance between different sectors of Saudi society.

It also comes to complement KACND efforts in the field of indicators, and levels of coexistence and tolerance in Saudi society by using direct measuring tools, which is one of the main areas targeted by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

Under this collaboration, Harvard University’s evidence for policy design team will explore new designs for indirect methods and tools to measure tolerance within Saudi society, in collaboration with the KACND research team.

A feasibility study will be carried out to implement interventions that can help promote tolerance, and a globalevidence base relevant to the non-cognitive value-building program in the Kingdom will be also reviewed in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of current levels of tolerance in society.