The Ministry of Health and Prevention, MoHAP, organized at its headquarters in Dubai the “World Exhibition of Peoples’ and Cultures’ Harmony” event, which comes in conjunction with the International Day for Tolerance on November 16, every year.
The event comes as part of MoHAP’s support to the activities of the National Festival for Tolerance and Human Fraternity which is held under the slogan "On Zayed's Approach" to express pride in the founder of the country Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (may Allah rest his soul in peace) and in response to the call of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, in terms of fostering values of tolerance, coexistence, peace among all nationalities and religions, as well as highlighting the UAE’s position as pioneering model of peaceful coexistence.
The event was attended by MoHAP Assistant Undersecretaries, Directors of Medical Departments, and a big crowd of employees.
Al Youlah band initiated the event through a number of national and heritage songs reflecting patriotic sentiments and the culture of the UAE’s tolerant nation.
While the Exhibition of Peoples’ and Cultures’ Harmony included a multi-station platform, each representing the cultural identity of the country in terms of heritage and history, food and traditional clothing and folk songs.
Covenant for Million Tolerant
The most prominent activity of the day was the e-signature on ‘Covenant for Million Tolerant’ which is a community initiative launched by Zayed House for Islamic Culture, ZHIC, as a human initiative worldwide with the message that ‘An individual should be tolerant with themselves, surrounding people and society at large’.
It also seeks to portray the leading values of tolerance sustainability in the UAE, the land of happiness, tolerance, excellence, leadership, and achievements.
In this context, HE Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, the Minister of Health, said: “The UAE has become a bridge of tolerance towards the world. Our celebration today of the International Day for Tolerance, in a country where meanings of coexistence, harmony, openness have become apparent, reflects the deep vision of the wise vision that managed to unite people of all spectrums on values of charity and giving.
“This has been achieved by creating effective mechanisms to ensure respect for cultural and religious pluralism, and a common commitment to the values of dialogue, coexistence, and respect for the other, through a number of initiatives at various local, regional and international levels, in order to promote the values of peace and tolerance,” Al Owais explained.
Tolerance is a Sustainable Institutional Work
The Health Minister pointed out the wise leadership was also keen to enhance the noble human values which are the key pillar of civilization and to underline their role in reinforcing values of coexistence and tolerance which were instilled by the founding father Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (may Allah rest his soul in peace), until the spreading of tolerance has become a daily practice for all UAE citizens and residents.
“We, at MoHAP, are striving to turn the meaning of tolerance into sustainable institutional work, through a number of projects, initiatives, and programs portraying the significance of tolerance value. We aim to boost the UAE’s role as a global capital for peaceful coexistence and convergence of civilizations. We are also committed to bolstering the country’s vision in terms of consolidating and spreading the values of tolerance which are the title of civilized societies intellectually and humanly and an important tool of civilization empowerment, as well as a guarantee of nations’ stability and prosperity,” Al Owais elaborated.
The Message of the Tolerant UAE to the World
Concluding his remarks, Al Owais stated that the National Festival for Tolerance and Human Fraternity which is held under the slogan "On Zayed's Approach" is representing an occasion to express to our pride in the thought, humanity, and stances of the late Sheikh Zayed.
It also an opportunity to reiterate the message of the tolerant UAE to the entire world in terms of respecting multiculturalism, accepting the other and the harmony of peoples. Tolerance is one of the most important traits of the country and a role model for coexistence between different cultures, through which the UAE is providing a moral project that embodies the UAE as a global hub for tolerance and coexistence.