Video: Mohamed bin Zayed receives members of Higher Committee of Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi: His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on Wednesday received members of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity.

During the meeting, held at Sea Palace in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed commended the committee’s efforts in promoting the values of the ‘Document on Human Fraternity’, whose core values are harmony, coexistence and understanding, along with launching initiatives that serve all humanity.

Sheikh Mohamed reiterated the UAE’s steady approach to consolidating the values of coexistence, human brotherhood, and harmony, highlighting the importance of promoting these values today more than ever, especially in light of the world’s common challenges. He added that the COVID-19 pandemic had affirmed the urgent need for cooperation and human solidarity between societies and countries to confront and overcome its effects.

Sheikh Mohamed also assured the UAE’s support for the Higher Committee for Human Fraternity, which was instituted to promote human fraternity values in communities worldwide and achieve the goals and principles of the historic Document on Human Fraternity.

2022 goals

The committee’s members, in turn, briefed Sheikh Mohamed on the committee’s initiatives and goals for 2022 to advance human brotherhood at the global level and build partnerships for the future. They also expressed their gratitude for his patronage in supporting human coexistence issues among all people without discrimination and his efforts to achieve world peace.

Judge Mohamed Abdel-Salam, Secretary-General of the Higher Committee on Human Fraternity, said: “The Supreme Committee expressed its deep gratitude for Sheikh Mohamed’s support and his eagerness to achieve the objectives of the document, which gives it a motive to move forward and achieve a positive impact in the region and the world.”

He added: “The historic moment of human brotherhood that the world witnessed three years ago in Abu Dhabi has now turned into a global project thanks to the great support of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for this humanitarian project.”

For his part, Cardinal Miguel Ayuso Guixot, Meeting Chair of the Higher Committee for Human Fraternity, said that he, and His Holiness Pope Francis, praised the efforts of Sheikh Mohamed for supporting the projects and initiatives of the Higher Committee for Human Fraternity, stressing that the UAE leadership represents an inspiring model for many countries.

The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity is an independent international committee instituted to promote human fraternity values in communities around the world, and it includes religious scholars and international figures in the fields of culture and education from the UAE, Egypt and the US, as well as Spain, Bulgaria, Liberia and Romania.

International Day of Human Fraternity

The meeting comes ahead of the world's celebration of the International Day of Human Fraternity on February 4 , and also coincides with the third anniversary of the signing of the historic Document on Human Fraternity by Dr Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar, and His Holiness Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi in 2019 under the patronage of Sheikh Mohamed.

Committee members

The membership of the committee includes Cardinal Miguel Ayuso Guixot, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue at the Holy See and Meeting Chair of the Higher Committee for Human Fraternity; Judge Mohamed Abdel-Salam, Secretary-General of the Higher Committee on Human Fraternity and the former legislative and legal advisor to the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar; Professor Mohamed Hussein Mahrasawi, President of Al-Azhar University; Irina Bokova, Former Director-General of UNESCO; Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig, Senior Rabbi at Washington Hebrew Congregation; Rev. Prof. Dr. Ioan Sauca, General Secretary of World Council of Churches; Leymah Gbowee, Peace Activist and Nobel Peace Laureate; Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture, Abu Dhabi; Dr. Sultan Faisal Al Remeithi, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders; Monsignor Yoannis Lahzi Gaid, Former Personal Secretary to Pope Francis; and Yasser Hareb, Emirati Writer and TV Presenter.