Riyadh, October 17, 2021, SPA -- Secretary-General of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) Faisal bin Abdulrahman bin Muammar, underlined the important role of religious and humanitarian institutions in supporting policymakers to confront the challenges facing the world, especially the COVID-19 pandemic, calling for dealing with them as cooperation partners; to reflect the improvements they seek in their communities and to help achieve joint programs for their local communities. Bin Muammar added that the pandemic has highlighted these religious institutions’ roles and contributions and moved them qualitatively from a previously well-known stereotype image to their actual role in preaching, guidance, and counseling to engage with issues of reality, and the virtual world to support official efforts and interact with sustainable development plans. The Secretary-General’s remarks were made during his speech as a keynote speaker at the opening ceremony of the eighth edition of the 2021 Parliament of the World's Religions Conference, which kicked off yesterday in Chicago, USA, under the theme "Opening our Hearts to the World: Compassion in Action". The conference attracted about 10,000 people from all over the world, representing various religious and cultural beliefs, including heads of government, religious leaders, scholars, and activists; who participated to learn how to connect between different peoples and cultures, and to contribute to the increase and dissemination of understanding between followers of different religions and cultures around the world. Bin Muammar shared with the participants the center’s work strategy since its inception, which is based on translating its missions into practical and sustainable platforms that embrace all religions in Nigeria, the Central African Republic, the Arab region, and Myanmar, in addition to launching the first platform for Muslim and Jewish religious leaders in Europe; to enhance ways of cooperation on common issues facing the two communities across Europe, noting that KAICIID was able to train 450 young men and women from all over the world on the best professional methods necessary to promote the values of dialogue, peaceful coexistence and common citizenship. The Secretary-General praised the roles of leaders, organizations, and representatives of religions in the conference, and their tangible contributions on the ground, hoping for more engagement with their communities to solidify the national social fabric and contribute to building the capacity of their followers to participate in sustainable development and face challenges. Bin Muammar concluded by stressing the importance of the capabilities and skills of today’s youth, as they are more creative, competitive, flexible, and technically intelligent compared to the previous generations, calling for investing their energies in using social media and employing them to bring about social development and rationalize the use of modern technologies in service of humanity to enjoy a better life. --SPA 17:22 LOCAL TIME 14:22 GMT 0021 www.spa.gov.sa/w1636374