Rudd puts faith in ministerial forum

TENTATIVE plans are in the works for Australia to host a ministerial forum aimed at promoting greater interfaith and intercultural dialogue between Jews, Muslims and Christians.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd recently aired the idea at a meeting with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in Kazakhstan, and said Australia was in a good position to host the meeting given it is located in a region “dominated by the other great faiths of the world”.

However, this week when asked by The AJN, neither Rudd’s spokesperson nor spokespeople for Prime Minister Julia Gillard could give any specifics on the proposed event.

Rudd has previously indicated it would be held under the auspices of the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (AoC). The initiative, established in 2005, seeks to improve understanding among nations and peoples across

cultures.

“We would like to do more globally,” he told the gathering. “To begin this, Australia would like to host, or co-host with other key AoC states, a ministerial event in the coming year, promoting interfaith and intercultural activities – recognising the civilisational contributions of the great faiths of the world.”

Australia already co-sponsors a regional interfaith dialogue with Indonesia, the Philippines and New Zealand.

One of Australia’s closest neighbours, Indonesia, is the world’s most populous Muslim country, and the Asia Pacific is also home to millions of Buddhists, Christians and Hindus.

CHANTAL ABITBOL

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd

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