Statement by Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Masna, Ambassador-At-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Brunei Darussalam at The Special Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation For Peace and Development (SNAMMM) on 17th March 2010 in Manila, Republic of The Philippines

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

Mr. Chairman,
Your Royal Highness,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to be here in this beautiful city of Manila for this Special Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development.

May I express my high respect and admiration for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for her deep commitment, wisdom and foresight in initiating and supporting interfaith dialogue and cooperation. I would like to thank her and the Government and people of the Republic of the Philippines for hosting this auspicious Meeting and for the warm welcome and generous hospitality.

Our appreciation also goes to the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt as Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement for working closely with the Host in bringing us together for this important event.

Allow me to join other colleagues in expressing our sincere condolences and sympathies to the Government and people of Chile and Haiti for the loss of lives and devastation caused by the recent tragedies.

Mr. Chairman,

My congratulations to you for assuming the chairmanship of our Meeting here. It is the biggest intergovernmental event which coincides with the International Year of Rapprochement among cultures.

The presence of so many distinguished colleagues from various regions of the world is a tribute to your country’s leadership in this process since the 2005 Informal Summit on Interfaith Dialogue in New York. It is also a manifestation of our commitment towards building bridges for a harmonious community with peace and ongoing development. Gatherings such as this continue to be vital in developing a collective mass of voices that respects human dignity, rejects violence and terrorism, and promotes moderation.

Mr. Chairman,

It is encouraging to see in recent years that dialogue and cooperation between different faiths have gained ground against a backdrop of the evolving international situation. As many political, security and socio-cultural issues are still inflicted with religious connotations, they can help to work against a “clash of civilisations”.

For this reason, we appreciate the great amount of work done over the years, including efforts by the United Nations, Alliance of Civilisations, as well as regional organisations around the world. More encouraging is that leaders and scholars alike see interfaith dialogue and cooperation as having a significant role in sustaining global peace.

Clearly, our Movement with its founding principles, notably of equality, would add value to this global quest. Our strength lies not only in our large membership with its diverse backgrounds but also our strong collective voice over various international issues, all with the aim of promoting peace and development. This places us in a good position on the global stage to promote interfaith dialogue and cooperation for peace and development. This is indeed another meaningful endeavour to our Movement’s aspirations.

In moving forward, the Movement can undertake a number of measures as reflected in the Manila Declaration, which will be adopted at the end of our Meeting. I wish to commend the work of our officials in finalizing this document for our consideration.
We recognize the growing interactions amongst the young people on interfaith related matters. For us, we see the involvement of youth and students as vital to achieving our aspirations. The strengthening of youth networks and cultural exchange programs would further enhance mutual respect and understanding. These activities will bring about long-term intangible benefits for regional peace and development.

We are a firm believer that education is the key to attaining respect and tolerance for diverse faiths and cultures. What we aim to achieve ultimately would be for our new generation to contribute to this noble quest.

Mr. Chairman,

Another way forward is to promote people-to-people contact through tourism. It can be an effective tool in creating interest and promote appreciation of each other’s history, way of life, culture and faith. This will promote confidence and trust for further socio-economic advancement.

I would also like to highlight the importance of the media. It is a medium between people and nations that allows cultures and religions to meet. It has the potential to translate shared values of peace amongst civilisations into practical actions. Therefore, the media has a key role in exercising the notion of “respect and responsibility”.

Mr. Chairman,

A successful interfaith process would require the participation of diverse sectors. This is where I see the side event held yesterday as useful in bringing governments and non-government organisations together.

I would like to take this opportunity, Mr. Chairman, to share briefly the experience of my country, Brunei Darussalam. We are very fortunate and blessed to have a long history of harmonious relations among different faiths and cultures. Although Islam is our official religion and way of life, our Constitution also provides Non-Muslims the freedom to practise their religions or faiths in peace and harmony.

The policy of His Majesty’s Government in caring for the welfare of its people through equal access to education, health and adequate housing has contributed to the country’s political stability and socio-economic progress. Such a favourable environment has enabled our people to nurture a culture of peace and respect for each other.

Our country has participated in many multilateral interfaith dialogues where representatives from different faith formed part of our delegation. This is indeed conducive in promoting further positive interactions among the various religious groups.

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, this Special Meeting is not only about being relevant to current realities, but, also the promotion of goodwill and peaceful co-existence as a global community.

I am confident that with your leadership, we will, through our meeting, succeed in weaving the threads of dialogue, cooperation, respect and tolerance into a tapestry of peace and development.

Thank you.

Wabillahit taufiq walhidayah, wassalamu ‘alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

 

(source: www.mfa.gov.bn)