The 7th Gulf Education Conference and Exhibition, organized by the University of Business and Technology in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was launched today, under the patronage of the Minister of Education Dr. Ahmed Al-Issa, and with the participation of more than 30 countries and 150 universities and educational institutions.
HE Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Jarwan, President of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, delivered a speech at the opening of the conference, saying:
“I am honored today to stand before this intellectual elite with hope and confidence that education is the best way for a bright future in which we eliminate ignorance and intolerance, turn hatred into love and violence into dialogue, and discrimination into acceptance and respect of the other. And I believe that education is like a seed you plant, the more we take care of it, the better results we get.
Our world today faces serious threats, wars, terrorism, extremism, violence, intolerance and racism, pests that threaten societies and spread crime and hatred. The world today has no choice but to face these risks and threats. But the armies, the police and the use of force are not enough to eliminate the fossilized ideology, the root evil, and the poison that pervades the minds of terrorists, extremists and ignorant, misguided from the very earliest age, with false and inhuman teachings and concepts. Moreover, statements of disapprobation and condemnation, no matter how eloquent, are not enough to address the ever-increasing threats to innocent people, children and women in every country and city in the world. There must be new global strategies and plans, there is a need for a new vision and the creation of treatments that eliminate the causes of these pests and evils, and to avoid the world the brutality of their consequences. New partnerships between states, governments, international and regional organizations, and leaders of thought, education and the media are needed to eradicate ignorance and extremism in order to eliminate intolerance, discrimination and hatred and combat terrorism in all its forms, by instilling the principles of tolerance and peace.
This is why we have established the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace as a global platform to achieve these goals and we have begun to partner with the United Nations Population Fund, the Government of Malta, countries and major international organizations.
Our strategy is summarized in three; the values of tolerance and peace cannot be instilled without them: “Education, Media and Sustainable Development.”
Education, you are its pioneers, leaders and experts, is the preventive medicine of ignorance, which creates generations to understand human values and commitment to the principles of dialogue and respect for each other and gain tolerance capacity and the blessings of peace.
The media is the way to spread knowledge, promote tolerance values and encourage peacebuilding on a large scale, building a general view rejecting extremism and violent terrorism, discrimination and ignorance, and a tolerant and peace-loving public opinion.
Sustainable development is a condition and a duty. We cannot ask poor and marginalized societies to pardon and forgive. They need a livelihood and the most basic elements of a decent life. Poverty, deprivation and loss of social justice increase the spread of ignorance and misery and thus create strong motives for hatred, extremism and violence. It is no longer accepted that there are marginalized communities, and teachings that differentiate people or incite groups against others. The failure to ensure education, medicine, justice and freedom for all people and communities, in no longer allowed.
Dear brothers,
There’s no tolerance or peace without development, and no development without no tolerance and no peace. Being silent about any crime against generations, is a crime. It is time to instill tolerance in building a future in which our youth enjoy freedom and security. It is time to support women and youth initiatives. This is what we seek in the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, through the dissemination of dialogue diplomacy, the support of youth initiatives and the launching of major international awards to encourage participation in building a future where ignorance and extremism are eradicated, hatred is transformed into love and terrorism is eliminated.
Therefore, we are preparing to launch the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace soon to be a key factor in the creation of legislation to update laws and educational curricula to serve the cause of tolerance and peace.
In conclusion, allow me to thank you, and to strongly commend the convening of this high-level conference and your tireless efforts, together, we can contribute to instilling a culture of tolerance to harvest peace. Hand in hand, we can make an educated generation, armed with values and morals.
God Bless you and all peace-makers.”