The UAE embassy in Ethiopia holds a roundtable meeting over tolerance and provides support to the main Ethiopian Christian churches

The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, held a round table meeting on the Year of Tolerance on Tuesday, August 6, 2019, at the embassy premises, as part of celebrating the Year of Tolerance 2019.

The event was attended by the Acting Chargé d'Affairs at the embassy Mr. Suood Ibrahim, leaders and representatives of the main Ethiopian churches, including: Cardinal Burhan Yossus Surafil, Archbishop of the Catholic Church, Father Samuel, Chairman of the Development and Aid Committee of the Orthodox Church, Tsegahun Assefa, Director of the Children and Youth Ministry Department of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, and Mohamed Doubi, Director of the Department of Peace and Tolerance at the Ethiopian Ministry of Peace, along with representatives of Ethiopian media outlets. In his speech during the meeting, Mr. Suood mentioned that the “Year of Tolerance” is a tribute to the legacy of the founding father of the state, God rest his soul in peace, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and his principles of moderation, openness and coexistence, which he established in the Emirati people, and made the UAE a living example of tolerance in the world today.

Mr. Suood Ibrahim presented a summary about the “Year of Tolerance,” explaining that it celebrates human diversity and religious, cultural and political tolerance, adding that the United Arab Emirates seeks to promote a culture of tolerance through a set of activities in the axes of “Year of Tolerance” that include: society, education, workplaces, laws, And the media, to present the UAE as a model of tolerance to the world, especially as it includes communities of more than 200 nationalities, representing a variety of religions, ethnicities and cultures, all of whom live in peace.

On the other hand, the Archbishop of the Ethiopian Catholic Church, Cardinal Burhan Yusus Suravil, expressed his appreciation to the UAE decision to celebrate the “Year of Tolerance”, and referred to the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis the Pope of the Catholic Church to the UAE, and its positive results and the signing of the Human Brotherhood’s document and the important principles it includes in promoting brotherhood and peaceful coexistence in the world .

For his part, Abouna Samuel, head of the Development and Aid Committee of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, pointed out the importance of tolerance in society, adding that it is one of the main areas on which the Church has focused in Ethiopia for decades. He expressed the Church’s appreciation for the UAE’s decision to choose tolerance as the slogan for 2019, to highlight this important topic. He concluded his speech by expressing the readiness of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to cooperate with the UAE and its embassy in Ethiopia, in all activities aimed at promoting tolerance in Ethiopia and elsewhere in the world.

In his speech, the director of the Youth Department of the Evangelical Church, Mr. Sagahoun Asfa, focused in his speech on the extent of societies' need for tolerance and peaceful coexistence as a pillar for progress and prosperity.

The representative of the Ethiopian government, Director of the Department of Peace and Tolerance at the Ethiopian Ministry of Peace, Mr. Mohamed Dobby, gave an overview of the efforts of the Ethiopian government in promoting tolerance and peace in cooperation with various religious institutions in the country in accordance with the Ethiopian constitution, and conveyed the thanks and appreciation of the Ethiopian government to the UAE to celebrate this important issue.

At the end of the meeting, some assistances are provided by the UAE, (in the framework of the year of tolerance),to the main churches in Ethiopia, which are estimated at 783 thousand Ethiopian birr, in support of their development activities and awareness of the role of religious institutions in the creation of tolerance in the Ethiopian society.