Abu Dhabi

The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, an independent body of religious leaders, educational scholars and cultural figures from across the world, will convene the inaugural Voices of Human Fraternity Forum tomorrow in Abu Dhabi.

The event is held on the anniversary of the historic Document of Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, signed by His Holiness Pope Francis of the Catholic Church and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, His Eminence Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb, during the Papal visit to the UAE Capital last year.

The Voices of Human Fraternity Forum will bring together more than 150 students, youth leaders, advocates and educational representatives from around the world, to discuss ways to address young people’s aspirations for a peaceful future.

It will host internationally-renowned speakers including His All-Holiness Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and leaders on youth and peace campaigning including Leymah Gbowee, 2011 Nobel peace prize winner; Latifa ibn Ziaten, Founder, Imad Association for Youth and Peace; Muhammad Amjad Saqib, Founder Akhuwat; Daniela Pompei, Director, Humanitarian Corridors; Ambassador Susan Esserman, Founder and Director, University of Maryland SAFE Center for Human Trafficking; Yasmin Sherif, Director, Education Cannot Wait.

Commenting on the Forum, Judge Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel Salam, General Secretary of the Higher Committee, said; “On the anniversary of the Document of Human Fraternity, we want to honor those who are making human fraternity a reality. It is these people that are shaping the future and we need to hear their voices, understand their concerns, and engage with their hopes and aspirations if we are to collectively enable a more peaceful future for all.”

The Forum is an initiative by the Higher Committee that aims to bring youth, religious and cultural leaders together to celebrate the fundamentals of human fraternity and inspire its values of compassion, collaboration, openness, understanding and dialogue.

It is designed to honor those who are working to uplift, support and protect vulnerable communities across the world by sharing their stories, their work, and their aspirations for the future. Through the inspirational commitment of those speaking at the event, the Higher Committee hopes to motivate future action that brings to life these universal values.

The Higher Committee is actively pursuing a plan to realize the aspirations of the Document on Human Fraternity and is engaged in a number of major initiatives, including advising on the development of an Abrahamic Family House set to be located on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi.

Alongside this and other initiatives to be announced in the near future, the Committee is engaged in meetings and projects with leaders and in vulnerable communities. Most recently the Committee met the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres and other senior UN representatives, to discuss the group’s future plans.

Following the meeting, the Secretary General agreed to share the Human Fraternity Document with the 194-member states of the UN so they can benefit from the principles and values it sets out.

The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity includes nine members from the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Italy, Egypt, the United States, and Bulgaria.

The members are: Cardinal Miguel Àngel Ayuso Guixot, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue of the Holy See; Judge Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel Salam, General Secretary of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity; Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig, Senior Rabbi at Washington Hebrew Congregation; Monsignor Yoannis Lahzi Gaid, Personal Secretary to His Holiness Pope Francis; Professor Mohamed Hussein Mahrasawi, President of Al-Azhar University; His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi; Dr. Sultan Faisal Al Remeithi, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders; Irina Bokova, former Director-General of UNESCO;  and Yasser Hareb, an Emirati writer and TV presenter.