ASEAN Hold Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue Conference 2023 in Jakarta

Jakarta, MINA – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo opened the 2023 ASEAN Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue Conference (IIDC) on Monday in Jakarta.

The event which involved interfaith leaders from 11 countries was part of the ASEAN Summit which is held in Indonesia this year.

The forum with the theme “ASEAN Shared Civilizational Values: Building an Epicentrum of Harmony to Foster Peace, Security, and Prosperity” is initiated by the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBUN) and the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In his remarks, President Jokowi believed that ASEAN was the anchor of world peace and an example of tolerance and unity.

“I believe that the ASEAN community is capable of being a catalyst for world peace, capable of becoming a caring and sharing community, not only becoming the epicenter of growth but also becoming the epicenter of harmony, which maintains the stability of world peace,” said the President.

The President said that currently the world community is starting to become less religious. This is shown by the Ipsos Global Religion survey in 2023 which states that 29 percent of 19,731 respondents from 26 countries are agnostics and atheists.

However, the President believes that the ASEAN community actually has an increasing religious spirit. For example, Indonesia, said the President, which based on research by the Pew Research Center is a country with the most people believing in God. As many as 96 percent of respondents in Indonesia believe that good morals are determined by belief in God.

“ASEAN has shown evidence that ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, have succeeded in maintaining a strong tradition of tolerance. In the midst of cultural and religious diversity, Indonesia is able to continue to maintain harmony and manage diversity of ethnicities, tribes, cultures, religions and beliefs,” said the President.

On that occasion, Jokowi also warmly welcomed the constructive role of religious and cultural leaders in ASEAN at the IIDC meeting.

“I hope that this forum will present an increasingly widespread mutual understanding, can become a solid foundation in building ASEAN as the epicenter of growth, the epicentrum of harmony,” he concluded.

The conference was also attended by the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Menlu) Retno LP Marsudi, Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Secretary General (Secretary General) of ASEAN Kao Kim Hourn, Chairman of PBNU Cholil Yahya Staquf. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)