HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal: “Together we can share the responsibility of challenging conventional thinking about the underlying causes of loss of human dignity, marginalisation and oppression”

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GENEVA, Jun 25 2018 - On 25 June 2018, the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue organized a World Conference on the theme of “Religions, Creeds and Value Systems: Joining Forces to Enhance Equal Citizenship Rights” at the United Nations Office at Geneva in collaboration with the International Catholic Migration Commission, the World Council of Churches, the Arab Thought Forum, the World Council of Religious Leaders, Bridges to Common Ground and the European Centre for Peace and Development.

The World Conference – held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan – was addressed by more than 35 world-renowned religious, political and lay leaders from the major regions of the world.

In his inaugural address, HRH Prince bin Talal spoke of the urgent need to address the growing global hunger for human dignity, because “without it, all the protections of the various legal human rights mechanisms become meaningless.” He reiterated that human culture had to be taken into account when economic and political decisions were made, so as to improve people’s livelihoods.

The Patron of the World Conference furthermore underlined the need to work together to explore appropriate responses to current global challenges, particularly as regards poverty, degradation of human dignity, poor quality of life and problems of governance, and to prioritize the realization and the enhancement of equal citizenship rights. HRH Prince bin Talal remarked that identity is not confined to just one set of value orientations, but is plural and encyclopaedic. “In both East and West, the debate is no longer restricted to citizenship (…) but includes recognition of people’s distinct identities as members of religious, ethnic and cultural communities,” he said.

To conclude, HRH Prince bin Talal emphasized the importance of tackling global issues in a concerted manner. He noted that in the current context, the challenge of promoting a culture of peace has become a priority for the entire UN system, and that governments, individuals and communities also carried significant responsibility in this regard.

About the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue
The Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue, an organization with special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, is a think tank dedicated to the promotion of human rights through cross-cultural, religious and civilizational dialogue between the Global North and Global South, and through training of the upcoming generations of stakeholders in the Arab region. Its aim is to act as a platform for dialogue between a variety of stakeholders involved in the promotion and protection of human rights.

CONTACTS MEDIA:

Blerim Mustafa
Junior project and communications officer
Email: bmustafa@gchragd.org
Phone number: +41 (0) 22 748 27 95

Teodora Popa
Project officer
Email: tpopa@gchragd.org
Phone number: +41 (0) 22 748 27 86