Forum

I FORUM OF YOUNG RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Date: 9 October 2024

Venue: Astana, Kazakhstan

Theme: “Shaping a Better Future: The role of young leaders in fostering interfaith dialogue”.

The initiative to hold the Forum emerged during the VII Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in 2022. The participants of the Congress unanimously expressed their support for young people and the idea of holding Forums of Young Religious Leaders to ensure intergenerational continuity. This initiative was aimed at ensuring that the next generation of leaders would also actively engage in dialogue and contribute to addressing global challenges facing humanity.

The initiative was enshrined in the “Development Concept Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions for 2023–2033”, approved at the 21st Meeting of the Secretariat of the Congress and adopted at the initiative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kasym-Jomart Tokaev.

The Forum brought together approximately 55 participants from 16 countries, including representatives from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Israel, the Russian Federation, the Vatican, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, China, Thailand, Japan, India, Benin, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. The Forum was attended by young religious and secular leaders, emerging scholars, experts, politicians, and public and government officials. The religious diversity of the participants included Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Shinto and the Bahá’í Faith.

The Forum began with visits to interactive side events:

Info Zone. A platform for information exchange, where guests learned about the history of the Congress and its institutions, and participants presented their academic research and the activities of their organizations.

Art Zone. A creative space where participants were invited to create a joint painting entitled “One canvas – one brush” (“Бір ғалам – бір қалам”), which was subsequently donated to the Museum of Peace and Harmony.

Book Zone. A space dedicated to exploring the works of renowned authors on interfaith dialogue, as well as presenting participants’ academic publications and books.

Fair Zone. An exhibition space featuring children’s drawings dedicated to the themes of peace and spirituality.

The official opening of the Forum featured a screening of the thematic documentary film “Faith in the Age of Change”.

During the thematic sessions, participants held an in-depth discussion on spiritual values in the era of new technologies. Particular attention was paid to the role of artificial intelligence and digitalization in religious life, as well as the importance of religion and the contribution of young leaders to sustainable development, peacebuilding and interreligious dialogue.

The Forum concluded with the presentation of the Joint Appeal of Young Religious Leaders. The document set out new messages for international dialogue based on the principles of peace, tolerance and mutual understanding, and identified key areas for further joint action. In addition, the Forum featured the presentation of an electronic library of religious materials from the Congresses of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.