In their speeches, religious leaders noted the high importance of the work carried out by Kazakhstan to establish interreligious and interfaith dialogue not only within the country, but also at the international level. Photo credit: Press Service of Nazarbayev Center.
The seventh Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions will be held on September 14 and 15 in 2022 in Nur-Sultan. This was announced at the 19th Session of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions on October 5-6, 2021.
In their speeches, religious leaders noted the high importance of the work carried out by Kazakhstan to establish interreligious and interfaith dialogue not only within the country, but also at the international level.
The representatives of world religions and confessions such as Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, as well as Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Protestants from 20 countries including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, Israel, Armenia, Russia, Vatican, United Kingdom, Mongolia, Thailand, South Korea, China, Japan, India, United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan and epresentatives of international organizations attended the secretariat session.
This year’s agenda included issues related to resolving global crises in view of new challenges and global opportunities. Leaders also discussed the importance of the congress in terms of post-pandemic world development, defined the format of the Final Congress Document and spoke about the Kazakh model of interethnic and interreligious harmony in a global interreligious and intercivilizational dialogue.
The 7th Congress, which will be held Sept. 14-15 in 2022 in Nur-Sultan, is planned to be dedicated to the role of leaders of world and traditional religions in the spiritual and social development of mankind in the post-pandemic period. Photo credit: Press Service of Nazarbayev Center.
Mr Maulen Ashimbayev, Head of the Congress Secretariat and Chairperson of the Senate of the Kazakh Parliament, said that Kazakhstan has managed to form its own model of peace and national dialogue over the years of Independence, based on the principles of diversity through unity and joint responsibility for the future of the country, respect and ensuring the rights of citizens, regardless of ethnicity and religion.
“The current secretariat is taking place amid difficult conditions – along with the pandemic, other global issues have worsened in recent years. Among them are the intensification of international tensions caused by geopolitical and geo-economic factors, the breakdown of the global security system, as well as the intensification of the arms race and the problems of the global environmental agenda,” Mr Ashimbayev said.
The head of the congress secretariat noted that in these conditions, the key task of spiritual leaders is to establish the correct system of values and unite people behind the ideas of peace, social harmony and mutual support for each other.
The High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos noted the importance of the congress in terms of discussing the role of religion in society and interaction at the international level to build a sustainable and secure world.
“The unique platform that this initiative provides will constitute a key opportunity for representatives of governments, religions leaders, international and regional organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to reflect collectively about the challenges to inter-religious dialogue and sustainable peace in an increasingly polarized world,” Moratinos said.
The 7th Congress, which will be held in September 2022 in Nur-Sultan, will be dedicated to the role of leaders of world and traditional religions in the spiritual and social development of mankind in the post-pandemic period.
