Only Brightest Thinkers Can Help Region And World Navigate Challenges Successfully: Nahyan Bin Mubarak

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 14th Oct, 2019) ''Our region, and indeed the entire world, is faced with unprecedented challenges that will require the collaboration of our best and brightest thinkers and doers to navigate successfully, said Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, while delivering the host country's address at the third Beirut Institute Summit, which began today in Abu Dhabi.

''In the UAE, we need look no further than our founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, to see examples of how bold thinking and decisive action can move a country forward. Sheikh Zayed was a man of wisdom and vision. He was able to see beyond the horizon and chart a path for our country's future. What distinguished his style of leadership, I believe, was a strong conviction that the collective involvement of our people in both planning and implementation is absolutely essential. Our success in the UAE, therefore, is based in large measure on setting high standards for ourselves and instilling in our people high expectations for our collective endeavors,'' Sheikh Nahyan added.

''The circumstances of our world emphasise quite clearly that only by thinking and working together can we collectively reach the promise that human ingenuity offers for a peaceful and prosperous global society. I am, of course, highly influenced in this remark by the historic visits to the UAE of His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Sheikh Ahmad El Tayeb, earlier this year. They issued the Abu Dhabi Declaration on Human Fraternity that exemplifies the moral force that we all must exert if we are to meet the great global challenges of this twenty-first century.'' Sheikh Nahyan believes that the power of tolerance and human engagement can shape the future and help solve many of the world’s great challenges.

''I am a strong believer that tolerance and human fraternity will help us recognise the moral imperative for improving the health and safety of all individuals. Tolerance and human fraternity will help improve education and encourage innovation so that all citizens can contribute to a knowledge-based economy and society. Tolerance will enable cooperation, understanding, and mutual respect among different groups and cultures. Tolerance will help us deal collectively with important environmental issues.

Tolerance will help resolve conflicts and political disagreements. Tolerance will make us become champions for human rights and human obligations.'' ''And tolerance will assist in preserving our heritage, and strengthening our own cultures, thereby making us all proud of our national identities. In short, it is tolerance that will help define our responsibility to work together in order to build a bright future and take up the banner of peace and preservation of human dignity for all in the development of our local, regional and global communities.'' The Year of Tolerance, he stated, is an important initiative that is influencing ''our progress as a nation, now and in the future.'' ''The Year of Tolerance seeks to emphasise that tolerance, the legacy of the country’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, is a key enabler of the country’s success and progress. The Year of Tolerance Celebrates the rich diversity of the UAE in all of its forms. The Year of Tolerance finds its origins in the concept of "Tolerance for All" that defines our progress in the UAE. All means All – all segments of society, all ages, all nationalities, all religions and all regions of the country,''he added.

The Year of Tolerance, he continued, demonstrates to the world that tolerance is a major part of the soft power of the UAE, a country founded through a model of union, coexistence and respect for others.

'' We are ready to share our experiences and to gain from others a wider understanding of the universal value of tolerance. I know that all of you join me in agreeing with the declaration of the UN General Assembly that tolerance is the sound foundation of any civil society and of peace,''Sheikh Nahyan concluded.

Beirut Institute Summit is designed as a platform for interaction among leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors who have left their mark on the Arab region and expanded its role in the global space.

Beirut Institute Summit Edition III convenes a wide spectrum of thinkers including political leaders, senior policymakers, prominent intellectuals, leading CEOs, and civil society leaders to reflect on the evolving relationship between the Arab region and the world.