Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, announced the launch of the first edition of the Festival of Human Fraternity.
Organised by the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence in collaboration with the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, the festival will be held every year on 4th February, marking the “International Day of Human Fraternity” recently declared by the United Nations (UN).
The UN made the declaration in honour of the Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity signed on 4th February, 2019, which was considered as a global achievement at the time, for the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and an assertion of the UAE’s effective role in the international arena.
Sheikh Nahyan stated that the festival will run until 8th February, and will witness the participation of prominent international and Arab speakers including the active involvement of federal entities in the country.
“From this platform, we take great pride in organising this festival celebrating the Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity, which embodies the astute wisdom and leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who has exerted strenuous efforts to create and launch this historic document from the beloved land of the UAE in the presence of His Holiness Pope Francis of the Catholic Church and His Eminence Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders. This document is, in essence, a message of love and peace from the UAE to the world, calling on all of humanity to know one another, to encourage dialogue and to work together to accomplish prosperity and happiness for all. Moreover, it calls for uniting efforts to combat extremism, divisiveness, intolerance and terrorism at all levels.”
Sheikh Nahyan added that the festival will be held under the slogan, “Human Fraternity in Action“, acknowledging that the document extends much farther than its meaning in spirit to horizons that call for collective action by all for the common good. Areas which can greatly benefit from the document by deploying human fraternity in action, are, in the education sector, healthcare, the environment and its protection, ensuring that places of worship are respected and protected, freedom of belief, preservation of heritage and national identity, women’s rights and child care, and the eradication of poverty and providing sustained support and help for marginalised groups in society.
He further explained that the slogan is an expression of our pride of the UAE and is symbolic of a nation in which people from all over the world live in peace, fraternity and prosperity. The UAE is a country known for its tolerance and its spirit of human fraternity, which promotes and fosters an environment of safety, stability and prosperity for everyone living on this beloved land.
In organising the festival as an annual celebration, he affirmed that the festival represents a sincere expression of our pride for the UAE and a recognition of the eternal legacy of the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who laid the founding pillars firmly on values of tolerance and fraternity.