Submitted by Iona C. Hine on Thu, 17/11/2022 - 15:55
UN Interfaith Ambassador Dr Marie Chabbert is travelling to Morocco for the 9th United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) Global Forum. She will chair discussion concerning religious discrimination.
The Forum theme is “Towards an alliance of peace: living together as one humanity”. It is intended to bring together official delegations representing the UNAOC Group of Friends, political leaders, representatives of international and regional organizations, religious leaders, faith actors, youth, representatives of the private sector, civil society, academia, arts, sports and media, as well as donor agencies and foundations, to engage in a robust exchange of innovative ideas on a wide range of global issues that our world is facing today.
As a delegate and Inter-Faith Ambassador for UNAOC, Dr Chabbert will attend all sessions. She will also chair a breakout session on Tuesday 22nd: “Forging a New Social Contract: combating discrimination and intolerance based on religion or belief anchored in human rights (with focus on combating Antisemitism, Islamophobia and Christianophobia).”
With a population of 1.1 million, Fez or Fes is the second largest city in Morocco. From the 11th century CE onwards, the city gained a considerable reputation for religious scholarship and trade. It is considered to be the spiritual and cultural capital of Morocco (having also been political capital for periods of its history). This character and symbolism were key to its selection to host the AOC gathering.
Under-Secretary-General H.E. Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos explains: “The need to save the planet is often mentioned, but we are also required to learn to live together, to respect each other, and to understand the existence of different religions, cultures and civilizations, and Morocco embodies this”.
Some parts of the programme will be available to watch live courtesy of the United Nations' Web TV service (https://media.un.org/en/webtv/).
Watch an overview of the 9th UNAOC Forum and its ambitions
Dr Chabbert is a member of the Cambridge Interfaith Research Forum, having affiliated with the Programme shortly after her arrival at the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on religious pluralism and freedom with reference to France. She holds a research fellowship at St John's College. She is one of 18 young people engaged in the UN's EDIN programme, empowering dialogue and interfaith networks.
View highlights from the EDIN colloquium (February 2022, New York)
The photograph used in this report was taken by Duane Abgrall. It is licensed for free usage under the terms of the Creative Commons Share Alike 4.0. Reuse of this image must be attributed to the photographer.
