The International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) will convene the second annual meeting of the Board of Directors’ Advisory Forum from 6 to 7 February 2017 at KAICIID headquarters in Vienna.

KAICIID Secretary General Bin Muaammar described the forthcoming session as a milestone in which “the Advisory Forum will lay the foundation for the Forum’s development in the coming decades. In particular, the Forum’s taskforces are vehicles to focus on creating change in four thematic areas: “IRD Training”, “Governance and Common Citizenship”, “Reconciliation” and “Capacity Building”. We will be setting priorities and objectives for the coming twelve months, as well as action plans while ensuring coordination with the Centre’s work in our four focus regions and countries: the Central African Republic, Iraq/Syria, Myanmar and Nigeria.”

During the upcoming meeting, the Advisory Forum members will establish a structure for the Forum and establish their procedures for their future work in advising KAICIID’s Board of Directors.

The meeting also corresponds with World Interfaith Harmony Week, and will offer members of the Forum the opportunity to interact with Austrian stakeholders during an evening buffet and networking event with participation from KAICIID’s Board of Directors, Advisory Forum and Austrian religious and lay leaders. Interreligious dialogue advocates, through impulse statements, will offer examples of interreligious dialogue in action to build trust, inspire action and promote social cohesion in diverse communities.

The Advisory Forum is a consultative body comprised of influential leaders from major world religions and religious and cultural institutions and communities representing more than 20 countries. The Forum supports the activities of the KAICIID Board of Directors and advises on their programs.

The Advisory Forum consists of leading figures from the religious, non-governmental and intergovernmental fields from over 20 countries. In the initial session of the Forum, Ms Ela Gandhi, founder of the Gandhi Development Trust and granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi (South Africa), and Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia were elected as co-chairs of the Advisory Forum. In total the Forum numbers 31 experts in interreligious dialogue and can over time expand to include 100 in total.

A full list of the Advisory Forum members searchable by expertise, location, organization and affiliation is available here.