Hundreds celebrate Peace Day in Dubai
Keep connecting and work together for more tolerant and peaceful societies, Lubna says
Hundreds of people of various faiths and nationalities gathered to celebrate the UN International Day of Peace in Dubai yesterday.
The event was organised by the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar in Jebel Ali for the fifth year.
Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, who was the chief guest, urged everyone to work together to build more tolerant, peaceful and coexisting societies.
“We all have a responsibility to promote tolerance, coexistence, harmony, peace, respect, safety and dignity. We all have to go hand in hand to protect those noble values. Here in the UAE, we believe that tolerance is the backbone of all civilisations, religions and cultures.”
Shaikha Lubna said the UAE believes that peoples and nations need to keep connecting, as a key requisite to ensure the stability and prosperity of the world. The UAE is also committed to the promotion and protection of human rights at home and around the world. The UAE’s foreign policy is based on justice, equality and human rights, she pointed out.
There are about 65 million refugees as a result of conflicts, said Frode Mauring, UN Resident Coordinator in the UAE and UNDP Resident Representative Acting in Charge for UAE, Oman and Qatar. “Particularly the ongoing crises in the Middle East have produced the greatest share of refugees in recent years, where millions of men, women and children were forced to leave their homes, their jobs, their entire livelihoods to seek asylum.
“All to escape danger in the pursuit of a better, and above all, safer tomorrow ... which brings me to this year’s theme for International Peace Day: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All,” said Mauring.
Navdeep Singh Suri, Indian Ambassador to the UAE; Dr Hamad Bin Ahmad Al Shaikh Ahmad Al Shaibani, directorgeneral of the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities; Dr Hubertus Hoffman, founder and president of the Global Tolerance Initiative, spoke.