Earlier this week, H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Remeithi, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Elders, reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to combating hate speech across all mediums and safeguarding religious sites in meetings with senior UN officials.

“This year, the world witnessed an increase in horrifying terrorist attacks on places of worship, which we strongly condemn” shared Dr. Sultan. He added that the UN Secretary-General’s call to draft the Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites is very timely and critical. 

Dr. Sultan participated in the UN Alliance of Civilizations’ (UNAOC) consultations on drafting the Plan of Action, where he reiterated the UAE’s support in both drafting and implementing the Plan of Action.  He also outlined the UAE’s initiatives in promoting peaceful coexistence and interreligious dialogue, including recent legislation to prevent hatred and discrimination, facilitating the establishment and promoting awareness of places of worship for different faiths‬, training of religious leaders to promote peaceful coexistence in their communities, and announcing 2019 as the Year of Tolerance.

Furthermore, Dr. Sultan met with Miguel Moratinos, High Representative of UNAOC, and the Head of Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, where he reaffirmed the UAE's support for their vital work in combating hate speech & safeguarding religious sites.