ABU DHABI: The Muslim Council of Elders organised a seminar at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2024 titled “Youth in the Journey of the Muslim Council of Elders”, featuring Meera Al Mheiri, Yara Ahmed, Khalifa Khalid, and Meera Almazrouei, all graduates of the Emerging Peacemakers Forum, which was launched by the council to empower and equip youth in fostering peace, enhancing coexistence, and bridging dialogues with others.
At the beginning of the seminar, graduates of the Emerging Peacemakers Forum highlighted the Muslim Council of Elders’ journey in promoting and enhancing the values of tolerance and human fraternity by activating the roles of religious leaders and various segments of society in global efforts to address various challenges facing humanity, particularly youth. They affirmed that the council’s pioneering role in nurturing, empowering, and supporting youth in various fields, including peacebuilding, and instilling a culture of diversity and pluralism, contributed to their openness to o
thers and understanding of the values of coexistence and positive interaction with diverse communities and peoples.
Khalifa Khalid, a graduate of the first edition of the Emerging Peacemakers Forum, stated that the cooperation and communication among graduates of the Emerging Peacemakers Forum continued even after the forum’s conclusion. They worked on implementing strategies, projects, and initiatives that support peacebuilding and promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence in various countries, including the US, the UK, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and the UAE.
For her part, Meera Al Mheiri affirmed that the Muslim Council of Elders did not limit its role to involving youth in the Emerging Peacemakers Forum and other youth initiatives, but also ensured the empowerment and qualification of youth to become peace ambassadors across various international platforms, conferences, and events. She praised the council’s efforts in supporting and empowering youth and its commitment to listening to their different ideas
and perspectives and benefiting from them in developing initiatives and programs directed at youth and humanity as a whole.
The Muslim Council of Elders launched the first edition of the Emerging Peacemakers Forum in London in 2018, in partnership with Al-Azhar and the Church of England with the second edition of the forum being held in July 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland, in cooperation with the World Council of Churches and the Rose Castle Foundation. In each edition of the forum, 50 young men and women from various parts of the world participated.
Source: Emirates News Agency