On September 14-15, 2022, the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan will host the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions – the first major international event that Kazakhstan has been holding since the beginning of the pandemic. Over 100 delegations from 50 countries of the world will take part in the VII Congress. The composition of the key speakers of the event became known, Delovoy Kazakhstan reports.
The platform of the Congress is of great importance from the perspective of religious leaders discussing the agenda of the post-pandemic development of the world. In this regard, the main theme of the Congress is defined as "The role of leaders of world and traditional religions in the spiritual and social development of mankind in the post-pandemic period."
A distinctive feature of the VII Congress is the unprecedented high level of its participants. This demonstrates the demand and relevance of the Kazakh platform, as well as the recognition by the international community of the effectiveness of Kazakhstan's initiatives to promote the policy of peace and dialogue.
The Congress gathers a highly representative composition of participants.
Among them:
- The head of the Vatican, Pope Francis.
- Sheikh Muhammad Ahmad At-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar.
- Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.
- Yitzchak Joseph, the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel.
- Guterres Antonio, UN Secretary-General (video message).
- Theophilus III, Most Holy and Beatitude Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem, All of Palestine, Arabia, Syria, Obonpol (two shores) Jordan, Holy Zion and Cana of Galilee.
- Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the World Islamic League (video message).
- Miguel Angel Moratinos, UN Deputy Secretary General, High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations.
- Abdelatif bin Abdulaziz bin Abdrahman Al-Sheikh, official representative of the Custodian of the Two Shrines of the King of Saudi Arabia, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Invocation and Instruction of Saudi Arabia.
- Li Guangfu, Chairman of China Taoist Association
- David Lau, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel.
- Abdrakhmanov Kairat, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities.
- Sheikh-Ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslim Board.
- Duarte Pacheco , Chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
- Qibla Ayaz, Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
- Jo Bailey Wells, Special Representative of the Anglican Church at the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, Bishop of Dorking.
- Sheikh Rawil Gainutdin, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia.
- Mohammad Mehdi Imanipour, President of the Organization for Culture and Islamic Relations under the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- Jayotindra Mukundray Dove, Director of the Akshardam Center for Applied Research in the Field of Social Harmony.
- Salim bin Mohammed Al-Malik, Director General of the Islamic Organization for Education, Science and Culture.
- Masanori Fujio, Executive Director of the Jinja Honche the Association of Shinto Shrine.
- Azza Karam, Secretary General of the World Interreligious Organization "Religions for Peace".
- Ulisses Soares, Elder of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Deputy Secretary General of the League of Arab States for Social Affairs.
- Hirotsugu Terasaki, Vice President of Soka Gakkai Buddhist Society, Executive Director of Soka Gakkai International.
- Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al-Jarwan, Chairman of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace.
- Mohammed Abdel Salam, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Elders.
- David Rutstein, Secretary General of the Baha'i World Center.
- Khaled Akasha, Bureau chief for Islam at the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue
- Masoom Yasinzai, Rector of the International Islamic University of Pakistan.
- Khalid Bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence.
- Urmas Viilma, Vice-President of the Lutheran World Federation.
- Ahmad Moballeghi, Member of the Assembly of Experts of the Islamic Republic of Iran
- Lokesh Muni, Founding President of the Ahimsa Vishva Bharati Center.
- Thit Duc Thien, Vice Chairman, Secretary General of the Board of the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha.
- Mark Schneier, President of the NGO "Foundation for Ethnic Understanding", rabbi.
- Zamir kazhy Rakiev, Supreme Mufti, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan.
- Song Jin, Member of the International Relations Committee of the Korean Buddhist Order "Chogye", Head of the Songwans Temple in Namyangju.
- Yuri Novgorodov, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
- Renee Hattar, Director of the Royal Institute for Interreligious Studies.
- Malcolm I. Honline, Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
- Dinara Nuketayeva, Deputy of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
- Wade Cusack, President of the NGO "LYN Community".
- Aaron Frenkel, Vice President of the Eurasian Congress of Jews.
- Abdulrahman Abdullah Alzaid, Deputy Secretary General of the Muslim World League.
- Bahrom Abdukhalimov, Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan
- Mohammed Mukhtar Juma, Minister of Waqfs of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
- Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat, President and Founder and President of Civilizations Exchange and Cooperation Foundation
- Khojatul-Islam val-Muslemin Hamid Hawali Shahriari, Secretary General of the World Assembly for the Rapprochement of Islamic Madhhabs.
- Imam Yahya Sergio Yahe Pallavicini, President of the Islamic Religious Community "COREIS".
- Mark Barry Levin, Executive Vice-Chairman, Chief Executive Officer of the NGO "National Commission in Support of Jewish Communities of Eurasia".
- Mufti Saidmukarram Abdukodirzoda, Chairman of the Ulema Council of the Republic of Tajikistan.
- Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO (2009-2017), political and public figure of the Republic of Bulgaria.
- Mohamed Elsanousi, Executive Director of the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers (NRTR).
- Nauryzbai kazhy Taganuly, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan, Supreme Mufti.
- Mahmud Erol Kilic, Head of the Research Centre For Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA) at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
- Lyazzat Suleimenov, Deputy Chairman of the National Commission on Women's Affairs and Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Deputy of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
- Afra Mohamed Al-Saabri, General Director Ministry of Tolerance & Coexistence of the United Arab Emirates.
- Nurzhan Stambakiyev, theologian of the Akniet Information and Propaganda and Rehabilitation Center.
- Isis Maria Borges de Resende, President of UniãoPlanetária.
- Dinara Saduakasova, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
- Zhuldyzai Iskakova, member of the "Club of Young Experts" at the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
It is noteworthy that individual adjustments and additions are possible in the composition of the speakers and moderators of the event.
It should be added that following the results of the Congress, the Final Declaration will be adopted – the key document on the results of the VII Congress. The content of the Declaration will reflect the vision of the current problems of our time, possible ways to resolve them, as well as the intentions of the leaders of world religions, their appeal to the international community. It is expected that the Declaration will be distributed as an official document of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.
