Press Statement
On the Meeting with Sheikh Khaled Bentounes, President of (AISA)
New York – 13 October, 2016
The Chief of Cabinet for the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), Ms. Nihal Saad met with Sheikh Khaled Bentounes, President of the International Association Sufi Alawiyya (AISA). Sheikh Bentounes discussed the proposal of his NGO (AISA) to designate the International Day of Peace on 21 September to be celebrated in cities and countries worldwide every year. The Chief of Cabinet stated in the meeting that UNAOC promotes dialogue among all religious denominations without exclusion, stressing that diversity and tolerance are core values for UNAOC. She noted that proposals of this nature should be referred to a process driven by member states.
During the meeting, Ms. Saad referred to the Thematic Debate on “Tolerance and Reconciliation: Fostering peaceful, Inclusive Societies & countering Violent Extremism” that UNAOC co-organized in April 2015 with the offices of the UN Secretary General and the President of the 69th Session of the General Assembly in which religious leaders representing a wide range of religious denominations and beliefs gathered to discuss the best practices for fostering inclusive societies and countering violent extremism.
Ms. Saad reiterated that UNAOC works with the governments of UNAOC Group of Friends, faith-based organizations, religious leaders and grassroots organizations. She stated that upon receiving a formal letter from AISA containing their proposal, UNAOC would respond accordingly.