Religions for Peace Secretary General, Professor Azza Karam’s Statement for International Day of Education
International Day of Education
On this International Day of Education, Religions for Peace is pleased to congratulate all the remarkable educational efforts which governments all over the world undertake, as we express gratitude for the seminal work of the multilateral institutions, donour organisations and individuals who serve these critical needs. As we live in times of the greatest number of people living in poverty, multiple armed conflicts, public health crisis and drastic impact of climate change, we insist that education is the key means to overcome challenges today and tomorrow, and to thrive.
Religions for Peace has a long track record of supporting interreligious education, including through our global partners, advocacy and capacity building opportunities, and multi-stakeholder efforts which serve religious leaders (including women and youth) to jointly realise a non-violent world where gender- and climate- justice are normal.
Furthermore, we advocate for solid, factual education, as this is paramount to eradicating misinformation. We believe that interreligious education not only offers the opportunity for the learning of other traditions, practices and beliefs, but it also eliminates the stereotypes we have of “the other.”
Interreligious education not only involves learning about other religious, faith-based, and Indigenous traditions, but is also based on the ethos that such learning broadens our understanding of the world, not only through spiritual connections, but also through unlearning discriminatory attitudes, beliefs and behaviours which marginalise culture, race, ethnicity, religion and gender. Interreligious education efforts are geared towards understanding that although our religions and faiths differ, we are one humanity coexisting on one planet. Interreligious education is a means to cross bridges and build better relationships with each other, the wider community, nation, and the world.
We share our convictions about the interreligious work of Religions for Peace in Faithful Peace: Why the Journey to Build Resilience is Multi-Religious, and the work of Religions for Peace’s Standing Commission on Interreligious Education.
Professor Azza Karam, Secretary General, Religions for Peace