Dr Hassan Nadhem, UNESCO Chairholder, attended a conference entitled “the Diversity Management and Peace-Building” which was held in Rotana Hotel in Beirut from 16-19 February. This regional conference was organized by “the Forum of Development, Culture and Dialogue in Lebanon”,  “Iraqi Al-Amal Association” (the Iraqi Hope Association) and “the Permanent Peace Movement”. The themes of the aforementioned conference were about the role of the religious discourse in maintaining diversity and peace-building, and also the devoir of Education in relation to this field.

In his speech, Dr Hassan stated that we, together, need to explore how networks of communication evolve and grow when cultures cut across boundaries, looking at the role of higher education institutions that can be globally utilized in connecting cultures, as well as anchoring and sustaining networks of communication.

He also proposed the fusion and cooperation of diverse cultures and/or religion generates a creative force, which assists in strengthening societies’ harmony.

Religious and national figures attended this conference, e.g. the representative of the Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Abdul Latif Derian and Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch and in the world of Saint Ignatius Ephrem II and Hilary Adams, the Canadian ambassador to Lebanon.