Participants of the UN AC Special Session
LIST OF INVITEES OF THE SPECIAL SESSION ON SAFEGUARDING RELIGIOUS SITES
Tuesday, 16 September 2025
15:00-18:00
The Independence Palace, Astana, Kazakhstan
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№ |
FULL NAME AND POSITION |
COUNTRY |
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Religious Leaders and Faith-Based Organizations (non-state actors) |
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1. |
Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, His Eminence Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb |
Egypt |
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2. |
President of the Presidency of Religious Affairs of Türkiye, Ali Erbaş |
Türkiye |
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3. |
Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board, Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade |
Azerbaijan |
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4. |
Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa |
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
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5. |
Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Dr. Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi |
Pakistan |
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6. |
Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr. Nazir Mohamed Ayyad |
Egypt |
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7. |
Chairman of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, Grand Mufti Nuriddin Kholiknazarov |
Uzbekistan |
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8. |
Chairman of the Council of Ulema of the Republic of Tajikistan, Mufti Saidmukarram Abdulkodirzoda |
Tajikistan |
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9. |
Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan, Grand Mufti Abdulaziz Kazhy Zakirov |
Kyrgyzstan |
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10. |
Grand Mufti of Turkmenistan, Yalkap Khojagulyyev |
Turkmenistan |
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11. |
Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin |
Russia |
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12. |
Grand Mufti of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim Hassan Al-Hasanat |
Jordan |
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13. |
Secretary-General of the Academy of Islamic Research at Al-Azhar, Mohamed Abdel-Dayem Al-Jundi |
Egypt |
|
14. |
General Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council, Muhammad Anwar Iskandar |
Indonesia |
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15. |
Head of the Muslim Community of the Dulles area and former President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Imam Mohamed Magid |
United States |
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16. |
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’, Kirill |
Russia |
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17. |
Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Theophilos III |
Israel |
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18. |
Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II |
Egypt |
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19. |
Serbian Patriarch, Archbishop of Peć and Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, His Holiness Porfirije |
Serbia |
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20. |
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II |
Armenia |
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21. |
General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, Dr. Anne Burghardt |
Switzerland |
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22. |
Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi |
Lebanon |
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23. |
General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, Jerry Pillay |
Switzerland |
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24. |
General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Michel Abs |
Lebanon |
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25. |
Chair of the Anglican Interfaith Commission and Senior Bishop of the Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia, Danald Jute |
United Kingdom |
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26. |
Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel, Kalman Ber |
Israel |
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27. |
Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel, David Yosef |
Israel |
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28. |
Chairman of the Somaiya Institute for Indology and Interreligious Dialogue, Somaiya Samir Shantilal |
India |
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29. |
President of the Buddhist Association of China, Yan Jue |
China |
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30. |
President of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Jinwoo |
Republic of Korea |
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31. |
Executive Director of the Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation, Debra Boudreau |
United States |
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32. |
President of the Chinese Taoist Association, Li Guangfu |
China |
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33. |
Secretary-General of Religions for Peace and Secretary-General of the African Council of Religious Leaders, Dr. Francis Kuria Kagema |
United States / Kenya |
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34. |
Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan, Grand Mufti Nauryzbay Kazhy Taganuly |
Kazakhstan |
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35. |
Metropolitan of Astana and Kazakhstan, Alexander |
Kazakhstan |
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36. |
Archbishop-Metropolitan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana, Tomasz Bernard Peta |
Kazakhstan |
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37. |
Chief Rabbi of Kazakhstan, Yeshaya Elazar Cohen |
Kazakhstan |
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38. |
Secretary-General of the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide, Dr. Ibrahim Negm |
Egypt |
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39. |
Mufti of Sarajevo and Mufti of the Islamic Community in Slovenia, Dr. Nedžad Grabus |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
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40. |
Executive Vice President of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, Karen Dresbach |
United States |
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International Organizations |
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41. |
Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha |
Saudi Arabia - Chad |
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42. |
Commissioner of Organization of American States for Religious Freedom, Imam Marwan Sarwar Gill |
Argentina |
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43. |
Head of UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Madrid Programme Office, Mr. Ignacio Ibanez |
Spain |
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Officials of Member States (Governments, Parliaments, Other) |
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44. |
Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments of Algeria Youcef Belmehdi |
Algeria |
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45. |
Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments of the Kingdom of Bahrain Sheikh Khaled bin Ali Al-Khalifa |
Bahrain |
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46. |
Deputy Head of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China – Head of the State Administration for Religious Affairs of the PRC Chen Ruifeng |
China |
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47. |
Ambassador and Special Envoy for Holocaust, Interfaith Dialogue and Freedom of Religion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Robert Řehák |
Czech Republic |
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48. |
Minister of Endowments of the Arab Republic of Egypt Dr. Osama Al-Azhari |
Egypt |
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49. |
Advisor on Religious Affairs at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Jean-Christophe Peaucelle |
France |
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50. |
State Secretary for Churches, Minorities and Civil Affairs Miklós Soltész |
Hungary |
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51. |
Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Prof. Dr.Nasaruddin Umar |
Indonesia |
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52. |
Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dr. Seyyed Abbas Salehi |
Iran |
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53. |
Prince of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Ali bin Hussein |
Jordan |
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54. |
Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs of the State of Kuwait Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al Wasmi |
Kuwait |
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55. |
Minister of Religious Affairs of Malaysia Mohd Na'im Mokhtar |
Malaysia |
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56. |
Advisor to King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Economic and Civilizational Affairs André Azoulay |
Morocco |
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57. |
Federal Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony of Pakistan Sardar Muhammad Yousaf |
Pakistan |
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58. |
Deputy Minister Khaled Shaheen Al-Ghanim, Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs of the State of Qatar |
Qatar |
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59. |
Chairman of the Consultative Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al al-Sheikh |
Saudi Arabia |
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60. |
Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Singapore Seah Kian Peng |
Singapore |
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61. |
Chairman of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments of the UAE Dr. Omar Habtoor Al-Darei |
UAE |
|
62. |
Director of the Center for Islamic Civilization under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan Dr. Firdavs Abdukhalikov |
Uzbekistan |
