KAICIID receives 2018 Africa Peace Prize

CAIRO – 30 January 2018: The United Religions Initiative (URI) has granted the 2018 Africa Peace Prize to the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) in Vienna for its efforts to enhance interreligious dialogue, SPA reported on Tuesday.

The statement added that the prize is in recognition of the center’s contribution to the revival of the African Union Forum for Interfaith Dialogue in partnership with the African Union.

Ambassador Mussie Hailu, the regional director of URI-Africa and consultant at the Economic and Social Council of the U.N., also announced that the prize is for the center’s efforts in promoting dialogue between religious and cultures in Africa and around the world.

He added that the prize is also for managing differences, approximating distances, and activating the roles of individuals and religious institutions alongside policies.

On the other hand, the secretary-general of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Center for Dialogue among Religions and Cultures, Faisal bin Muammar, expressed his pride in the status of the center for winning the 2018 African Peace Prize, saying, “We are proud and happy to receive this international award, which reflects the center’s prestigious international status and its achievements in implementing successful interreligious and intercultural dialogue initiatives, and promoting the role of international organizations and their partnerships with the center.”

Muammar stressed that the comprehensive achievements achieved by the center are due to the support provided by the founding countries of the center, especially Saudi Arabia, Austria, Spain and the Vatican, and support of its members representing diverse religions and cultures.

He said that this international award is a strong incentive for the center's programs and its platforms spread across four regions, including Central Africa, Nigeria, the Arab region and Myanmar.

Through 204 member organizations in 31 African countries, the URI seeks to promote peaceful co-existence among the various followers of religions and cultures by involving members of societies in overcoming religious and cultural differences through dialogue and promoting coexistence among all groups of society to build peace, security and stability.