Dubai: A board of trustees, headed by the Minister of State for Tolerance, is to be established for the newly announced Mohammad Bin Rashid Award for Tolerance.
The order came from His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The board will be headed by Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance. Additionally, Dr Hamad Al Shaibani has been named managing director of the International Conference for Tolerance, with Brigadier Ahmad Khalfan Al Mansouri secretary-general of the award.
The award and the conference, along with the latest two members of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, calls on the development of human societies, incorporating more than 30 humanitarian, charitable and knowledge-based institutions, as well as medical and educational ones, under its umbrella.
It is chaired by Shaikh Mohammad, who seeks to change the lives of 130 million people in various fields over the next decade, Brig Al Mansouri said.
The award embraces five branches, three of which honour the efforts of global icons of tolerance in the fields of human thought, creativity in literacy and aesthetic art. The other two are in the area of innovative competitions organised by the award through youth initiatives and the use of novel media.
Brig Al Mansouri said: “The initiative focuses on supporting the work of young people and will open up new horizons for them in the fields of science and human values, which come in parallel to a framework aimed to ease sectarian tensions that the world has been witnessing. It also reflects an honourable image of the UAE, not only at a regional level, but on a global level through the consolidation of the values of tolerance and openness to others in the Arab world.”
He pointed out the vital role the UAE plays worldwide with its peers and countries considered to be brotherly and friendly, in the promotion of tolerance and coexistence, dialogue and respect for cultural diversity and acceptance of others. It intends to address the phenomenon of violence, extremism, hatred, discrimination and terrorism.
The UAE plans to take necessary preventive measures to eradicate this phenomenon faced by the international community, which is jeopardising the security and stability of communities. Brig Al Mansouri said that the peaceful coexistence of more than 203 nationalities in the UAE is the biggest proof of its ability to embrace the world with all its factions, without distinction, making it one of the best countries to live in and work in the world.
