Year of Tolerance committee: Abdullah Bin Zayed named Chairman

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced on Monday the formation of Supreme National Committee for Year of Tolerance with Abdullah Bin Zayed as Chairman of the committee, reported WAM.

The committee's role will be to consolidate the values of tolerance in the society and to spread the UAE model of tolerance across the world, said Shaikh Mohammad.

The UAE will mark 2019 as the ‘Year of Tolerance’, President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan declared on Saturday.

The move will highlight the UAE as a global capital for tolerance via its various legislative and policy-oriented goals to enhance the role of the country in instilling the values of co-existence and peace in local, regional and international communities.

Shaik Mohammad said: “We want the UAE to become the main global reference in the culture of tolerance and its policies, laws and practices.”

Adding, “Tolerance strengthen us, and will establish a global and humanitarian Emirati society.”

Five pillars

The Year of Tolerance will focus on five main pillars. First, to deepen the values of tolerance and co-existence among cultures and peoples by concentrating on teaching the youth the values of tolerance.

The second pillar seeks to solidify the UAE as the global capital for tolerance, via a series of initiatives and projects specialised in tolerance and dialogue between various cultures and civilisations.

Third, enacting multiple cultural programmes and contributions to build tolerant communities.

As for the fourth pillar, the focus is on legislative and policy-oriented objectives that contribute mandating cultural and religious tolerance, via dialogue.

Lastly, the fifth pillar will be promoting tolerance and co-existence via targeted media initiatives and projects.