Uzbekistan To Host 2nd Int’l Forum On Religious Tolerance From Sept 10-13

Faizan Hashmi Published September 09, 2025 | 09:15 PM

The cities of Tashkent and Samarkand will host the 2nd International Forum ‘Dialogue of Declarations’ from September 10 to 13, 2025, bringing together global experts, scholars, and policymakers to promote religious tolerance and interfaith harmony

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Sep, 2025) The cities of Tashkent and Samarkand will host the 2nd International Forum ‘Dialogue of Declarations’ from September 10 to 13, 2025, bringing together global experts, scholars, and policymakers to promote religious tolerance and interfaith harmony.

According to the Uzbekistan Embassy in Islamabad, the event is being organized by the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan in partnership with the U.S.-based NGO Love Your Neighbor Community (LYNC). It is supported by Uzbekistan’s Committee on Religious Affairs, the Center of Islamic Civilization, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Samarkand Regional Administration.

The forum builds on the success of the 2022 gathering in Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara, which culminated in the Bukhara Declaration - later recognized as an official document of the 76th UN General Assembly. Similar forums since 2016 have been held in Marrakech, Makkah, Jakarta, Potomac, and Punta del Este, each resulting in landmark declarations on education, religious freedom, and tolerance.

Uzbekistan first hosted the forum in 2019 in Tashkent, elevating it into a leading international platform. The event offers an opportunity for the global community to engage with Uzbekistan’s cultural, historical, and spiritual heritage, as well as its efforts in promoting interfaith harmony and mutual respect.

This year’s edition is expected to gather around 50 prominent theologians, scholars, experts, and senior officials from 15 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and Central Asian states.

The meeting will conclude with the adoption of a Final Appeal to the international community, urging the protection of religious minority rights, elimination of discrimination based on faith, promotion of religious education to counter extremism, and the affirmation of freedom of belief as a universal human right.

The forum’s outcomes will make a significant contribution to advancing religious tolerance, peaceful coexistence, and equality in today’s diverse global society.