By Emmanuel Abi Couson.
The Secretary-General ( SG) of the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum ( ADPF),His Excellency Sheikh Al-Mahfouz bin Bayyah, held high-level bilateral talks , at the White House in Washington, with Prof Melissa Rogers, Special Assistant to the US President Joe Biden on the need for cooperation to foster peaceful world without violences.
The talks, which took place at the White House, touched on a number of pressing issues related to the efforts of global peacemakers and ways to strengthen them in light of the current challenges and the upsurge of exclusionary discourses.
Against this backdrop of challenges, the talks discussed the current “New Alliance of Virtue,” and the important role it plays within American society and across the world in reconciling different viewpoints, countering manifestations of Islamophobia and all kinds of hatred and discrimination, and building ongoing cooperation between the leaders of the Abrahamic family religions and other human philosophies, on the basis of moral and human commonalities.
Melissa Rogers who is also the Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships emphasized the US administration’s commitment to supporting efforts that seek to promote global peace and peaceful coexistence among peoples while commending the leading role of the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum in raising issues of peace and launching effective initiatives to streamline and coordinate the efforts of peacemakers from different religious and cultural backgrounds.
Sheikh Al-Mahfouz bin Bayyah while affirming the commitment of ADPF to world peace, also highlighted some current ugly violence in the world which he said is a barometer to test the strength of the values of peace and the solidity of the bonds of cooperation and solidarity that peacemakers have built.
He added that no matter how loud the voices of hatred and war are, when compared to the quiet voices of peace, reason, religion and values, in light of the tragic events and bloody conflicts, it remains imperative for peacemakers not to despair of one another, and not to give up calling for the revival of the flame of
human conscience that believes in a better tomorrow, where peace and harmony will prevail.
The Secretary-General also stressed that the Forum is launching these coordination endeavors from its commitment to the civilizational vision of the United Arab Emirates, which is based on the principles of openness to the world through the values of peace and tolerance and the principles of respect and human fraternity, to achieve stability and prosperity for all.
At the end of the meeting, the two parties agreed to continue their efforts of cooperation and coordination, and reaffirmed their commitment to moving forward on the path of cooperation and understanding.
