UNESCO CHAIR For Inter-Religious Dialogue Studies in The Islamic World
Kufa / Norway — 24 May 2026
On the occasion of the World Day for Cultural Diversity, celebrated annually by UNESCO on the twenty-first of May, the UNESCO Chair for the Development of Interreligious Dialogue Studies in the Islamic World at the University of Kufa — in collaboration with the International Council for Religious and Humanitarian Dialogue in Norway — convened an international cultural seminar in the virtual sphere, held under the title “Cultural Diversity and Its Significance in Dialogue and Development.” The event took place on the twenty-fourth of this May, across the international Hamsah Net platform.
The session was moderated by Dr. Ali Al-Mousawi, Secretary-General of the International Council for Religious and Humanitarian Dialogue, who opened proceedings by illuminating the profound importance of this world observance and its role in entrenching a culture of tolerance and coexistence among peoples. The seminar brought together a distinguished constellation of scholars and academics drawn from varied geographical horizons and intellectual traditions: Dr. Raed Ubais, representing the UNESCO Chair at the University of Kufa, who presented the Iraqi experience in the governance of cultural diversity and its harnessing for developmental purposes; Dr. Abd Al-Hussain Al-Taei, who drew upon his personal encounters in mobilising diversity in service of sustainable development projects; and Mr. Muhammad Sulaiss, a specialist in clinical psychology at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, who shed light upon the role of religion in safeguarding cultural diversity and fostering partnership among the constituent elements of society.
The seminar concluded with a series of recommendations, foremost among them the imperative of annually commemorating the World Day for Cultural Diversity, and the cultivation of diversity as a wellspring of sustainable development and a cornerstone of dialogue and peaceful coexistence, at both the local and international levels.
