The XIII Session of the Secretariat of the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions presided over by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Head of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, was held on September 8, 2014.
The Session was attended by:
REPRESENTATIVES OF ISLAM
Abdelrahman Mohamed Moussa – Advisor to the Grand Imam, Sheikh of Al-Azhar El-Sherif, Egypt;
Gouda Abdelghani Basyouny – Rector of the Egyptian University of Islamic Culture “Nur-Mubarak”;
Abdullah Fahad al-Lheedan – Adviser to the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia;
Ali Mohammad Helmi – Director of the Center for Interreligious Dialogue of the Islamic Republic of Iran;
Alam Shah Fakhre – President of the branch of Jamiat Shabab-e-Islam in state of Bihar, Imam-Khatib of the Shahi Mosque in the city of Bhagalpur, India;
Yousuf Al Husaini – Assistant to the President of the Jamiat-u-Shabab-e-Islam in state of Bihar, India;
Dr. Muhammad Zia Ul-Haq – Professor of the International Islamic University in Islamabad, Pakistan;
Yerzhan Mayamerov – Supreme Mufti, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Kazakhstan.
REPRESENTATIVES OF CHRISTIANITY
Roman Bogdasarov – Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for External Church and Society Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Head of the Interreligious Council of the Secretariat of Russia;
Andrey Titushkin – specialist of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations and Society of the Moscow Patriarchate, Russian Federation;
Khaled Akasheh – Bureau Chief for Islam, Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue of the Holy See;
Emmanuel Adamakis – Metropolitan of France, Ecumenical Patriarchate;
Yuri Novgorodov – Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kazakhstan, representative of the Lutheran World FederationRichard Atkinson - Bishop of Bedford, Representative of the Anglican Church;
Richard Atkinson – Bishop of Bedford, Representative of the Anglican Church, the United Kingdom;
Aleksander (Aleksander Mogilev) – Head of the Metropolitan district of Russian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan of Astana and Kazakhstan;
Tomasz Peta – Archbishop, Metropolitan archdiocese of the St.Maria in Astana, Chairman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Kazakhstan
REPRESENTATIVES OF JUDAISM
Shachar Rachmani – Representative of the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel,
Shimon Ash – Chief Rabbi of Pavlodar region, Kazakhstan.
REPRESENTATIVES OF BUDDHISM
Wang Li – Deputy Head of the International Department of the Buddhist Association of China, member of the Secretariat;
Zhang Lin – Deputy Secretary-General of the Buddhist Association of China;
Yang Ki Hoon – Permanent representative of the “Jogye” Order of Korean Buddhism in Central Asia;
Gankhuyag Magsarjav – Vice-rector of Zanabazar Buddhist University of Mongolia at Gandantegchenling Monastery, the Center of Mongolian Buddhists;
Phra Sithawatchamethi – Vice-Director of International Buddhist Studies in Ayutthaya, Thailand.
REPRESENTATIVE OF TAOISM
Li Shuang – Officer of the International Department of the Association of Chinese Taoists.
REPRESENTATIVES OF SHINTOISM
Katsuji Iwahashi – Head of International Cooperation Section, Japan Association of Shinto Shrines, Jinja Honcho;
Toyama Koichi – Officer of International Cooperation Section, Japan Association of Shinto Shrines, Jinja Honcho;
REPRESENTATIVE OF HINDUISM
Kala Dhananjay Achariya – Director of the Organization for preparation of Indian Culture Instructors “K.J.Somaiya Bharatiya Sanskriti Peetham”, Director of the Educational Center for Sanskrit and Indian Cultural Studies.
REPRESENTATIVE OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION
Tariq Al-Ansari – Ambassador, Chief of Cabinet of the United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations.
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN
Yerzhan Ashikbayev – Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religious – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
Marat Azilkhanov – Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
Galym Shoykin – Chairman of the Committee for Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
Aidar Abuov – Director of the International Center of Cultures and Religions, Commissioner for Promoting the Objectives and Goals of the Congress.
The following agenda was approved during the Thirteenth Session of the Secretariat of the Congress:
- Identification of the theme of the Fifth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions and its panel sessions.
- Determination of the date and place of the Fifth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
- Determination of the date and place of the Fourteenth Session of the Secretariat of the Congress.
- Adoption of the Protocol of the Thirteenth Session of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
Participants fruitfully exchanged their views and opinions regarding the issues in the Agenda during the Thirteenth Session of the Secretariat of the Congress. All the participants of the Session of the Secretariat took part in discussions regarding the issues mentioned above.
The following decisions have been made based on the suggestions of the participants of the Thirteenth Session of the Secretariat of the Congress:
- To determine the theme of the Fifth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions and its panel sessions as follows:
Theme: “Dialogue of Religious Leaders and Politicians for Peace and Development”;
Panel sessions:
-“Religious and Political Leaders: The Responsibility to Humankind”.
-“The Influence of Religion on Youth: Education, Science, Culture and Mass Media”.
-“Religion and Politics: New Trends and Perspectives”.
-“Dialogue based on Mutual Respect and Understanding among Leaders of World and Traditional Religions for Peace, Security and Harmony”.
- To determine June 10-11, 2015 as the date and Astana as the place of the Fifth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
- To determine June 9, 2015 as the date and Astana as the place of the Fourteenth Session of the Secretariat of the Congress.
- To adopt the Protocol of the Thirteenth Session of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
- To inform the religious leaders about these decisions.
