Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi Leads UAE Delegation at the 10th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations

Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of State at the UAE Ministry of the Foreign Affairs, led the UAE delegation at the 10th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), which took place in the city of Cascais, Portugal from 25 to 27 November.

Hosted by the Government of Portugal, the forum served as a platform to improve understanding and cooperation among nations and people across cultures, reduce polarization at local and global levels, and develop more inclusive societies. Under the theme of “United in Peace: Restoring Trust, Reshaping the Future,” the 10th edition built on previous editions, and brought together high-level political leaders, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, as well as official delegations, interfaith actors and civil society representatives to reflect on two decades of dialogue for humanity.

H.E. Al Kaabi, who delivered the UAE’s intervention at the High-level Meeting of the UNAOC Group of Friends on the second day, celebrated the adoption of the Cascais Declaration as it provided an “opportunity to promote principles of tolerance and peaceful existence and build bridges between cultures.” Her Excellency stated, “In the UAE, which is home to more than 200 nationalities from various cultures and religions, reinforcing channels of communication and dialogue is a source of harmony within a diverse social fabric, a driver of strength, development, and progress, and a fundamental factor in security and stability.”

Her Excellency continued the UAE’s intervention by encouraging UN member states as well as other representatives of society to combat intolerance, extremism, and hate speech to create “bonds of friendship and cooperation.” She also called upon the promotion and protection of cultural and religious heritage since it can “contribute to broad cultural and social revival,” as evidenced by UNESCO’s flagship “Revive the Spirit of Mosul” initiative that the UAE joined in 2018 through a USD 50.4 million contribution.

Her Excellency concluded by reaffirming the UAE’s commitment to joint work and international cooperation to build a future of peace, tolerance, prosperity and development.
 
For more information on the UNAOC, please visit: https://www.unaoc.org/

For more information on the 10th Global Forum of the UNAOC, please visit: https://cascais.unaoc.org/