On behalf of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister inaugurated The First Annual Conference on The Role of Education in Peaceful Coexistence, at the Isa Cultural Centre.
Under the theme of “Ignorance is the Enemy of Peace”, the conference is organised by The King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence and will take place between 07-08 December 2021, with regional and global educational institutions participating.
During the inauguration, His Royal Highness highlighted that the Kingdom of Bahrain is a country of goodwill and peace, adding that Bahraini citizens exemplify conscious awareness, tolerance, and coexistence.
His Royal Highness added that the Kingdom of Bahrain’s diplomatic efforts consolidates the values of tolerance and openness between peoples and cultures, in line with the visions and aspirations of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad noted the role of The King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence in promoting tolerance between peoples. The centre’s achievements include the establishment of The King Hamad Chair in Inter-Faith Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence Programme at Sapienza Università di Roma and King Hamad Faith in Leadership Fellowship Programme, of which the first batch of Bahraini fellows graduated today.
HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister emphasised that today’s world requires all to take proactive steps to protect children and adolescents from extremist ideologies through education and promoting tolerance, coexistence, and compassion. In this regard, His Royal Highness highlighted the Kingdom’s commitment to further developing its education system and ensuring that it caters to the needs of a diverse population.
For his part, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence, HE Dr Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, extended his gratitude to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for his patronage of the conference and to His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for inaugurating the conference on behalf of His Majesty the King.
HE Dr Shaikh Khalid noted that The First Annual Conference on The Role of Education in Peaceful Coexistence has been launched in line with the centre’s commitment to promoting the values of coexistence and tolerance in line with the Kingdom’s educational system.
HE Dr Shaikh Khalid highlighted that the conference aims to provide a platform for exchanging ideas relating to the peaceful coexistence of people of different cultures and faiths.
HE Dr Shaikh Khalid emphasised the need to include values such as religious tolerance, peaceful coexistence within the university and higher education institutions curriculums around the world.
HE Dr Shaikh Khalid also called for the establishment of centres and institutions concerned with promoting peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance amongst youth.
The First Annual Conference on The Role of Education in Peaceful Coexistence highlights the necessity of providing scholarships so that young people from the GCC region can attend The King Hamad Chair for Interreligious Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence at Sapienza Università di Roma.
The conference includes four main dialogue sessions focussing on integrating coexistence and diversity within university curriculums, the role of educational institutions in promoting peace, the experiences of those who have attended The King Hamad Chair for Interfaith Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence courses at Sapienza Università di Roma, and the development of religious education as a pillar of promoting coexistence.