The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) stressed that achieving world peace is a shared responsibility that hinges on upholding the values of fraternity and mercy and entails serious joint human action and acceptance of religious, racial and cultural differences to build peaceful and prosperous societies, stating that the world is in dire need of mercy and love to recover from its crises.

This was in an ICESCO statement, read out by Amb. Khalid Farhalrahman, Head of the Center of Civilizational Dialogue, during a ceremony commemorating the International Day of Human Fraternity, held by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, in cooperation with the missions of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to the UN, on Monday, February 6, 2033, via videoconference. The ceremony aims to highlight the need for international commitment to promote the values of intercultural and interfaith respect, dialogue and coexistence.

The ICESCO representative commended the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, which was signed by His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmad El-Tayyeb, and Pope Francis, Pope of the Vatican, in February 2019, in the UAE, as a universal declaration on the importance of spreading peace and fraternity among people.

He added that ICESCO places building peace at the core of its priorities through launching and implementing several practical initiatives, programs and projects aiming at anchoring the values of interfaith and intercultural coexistence, understanding and accord, and promoting societal cohesion. To attain such a goal, he explained, ICESCO focuses on mobilizing and building the capacities of women and young people as key elements in ensuring the success of its vision in this field.

Moreover, Amb. Farhalrahman stated that ICESCO opened the door for non-Member States to join the Organization as Observer States to foster more cooperation, encourage expertise exchange with the countries of the Islamic world. and support the development of the fields of education, science and culture in a manner that serves humanity and contributes to addressing the challenges of the future.

In reaction to ICESCO’s statement, Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos, UNAOC High Representative, talked about the sustained cooperation relations between ICESCO and the UNAOC. He also commended the fruitful cooperation ties between ICESCO and the Republic of Azerbaijan, following the remark of Azerbaijan’s Delegate to the UN, who highlighted the cooperation relations between his country and the Organization.