Saif bin Zayed attends second day of interfaith summit in Vatican City

Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, HH Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, witnessed part of the second and last day of the World Summit. Yesterday, Thursday at the Vatican, under the title of “Summit of Religions: Promoting the dignity of the child in the digital world - from idea to practice between 2017 and 2019”, in the presence of His Holiness Pope Francis the Catholic Church, Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh, Grand Imam Dr. Ahmad Al-Tayeb, and more. 80 international personalities.

His Highness also witnessed the opening of the third session on the second day, in which the guest of honor Sheikh Al-Azhar Al-Sharif spoke with the Grand Imam Dr. Ahmad Al-Tayeb, in the presence of a large international presence, including the Swedish Queen Sylvia.

The summit, organized by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (PASS), the Religions Alliance for Safer Communities, and the Dignity of the Child Alliance, is held on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The economy and the banking sector, representatives of organizations working in the field of combating crimes of violence against children, and psychologists and sociologists interested in children's affairs and dignity.

At the conclusion of the Interfaith Summit, the participants issued a joint final communiqué, entitled “Promoting the dignity of the child in the digital world from idea to practice.” The statement said that the Internet has changed our world, often for the better. But there is also a dark side that hurts the most vulnerable members of society. Infants and toddlers are now the target of abuse by sophisticated online communities. As children grow up and face the digital world themselves, they face challenges such as cyberbullying, harassment and extortion. The statement recommended a global prevention and awareness campaign, including education on the nature and severity of sexual exploitation and abuse of children online, early intervention with potential perpetrators before they commit crime, and taking advantage of the public health model and focus on primary prevention. He also recommended setting up a round table for the Internet industry to redefine the role of technology companies, apply new standards, work together to develop new tools and technologies to attack these problems, and take steps to achieve another type of progress, healthier and more humane progress. It also recommended a round table on victim services, which would include experts in victim identification and treatment to promote the implementation of a victim-centered approach.

His Holiness Pope Francis delivered a speech on the first day, urging the international community to support human fraternity, and holding such forums and conferences aimed at enhancing the protection of communities of all categories, in particular calling on technology companies to take more decisive and enhanced measures to protect children from harmful content.

He urged computer specialists to strengthen methods of using artificial intelligence and algorithms to protect children on the Internet, and said they should feel "personal responsibility for building the future, urging everyone urgently to take responsibility for children, integrity and future," stressing that "it will not be possible to ensure the safety of minors Children in the digital world without the full participation of companies in this sector, and without a full awareness of the ethical and social implications. ”

For her part, the representative of the Alliance of Religions for Community Security, Dana Hamid, in a speech at the opening of the summit yesterday on its first day, stressed the importance of starting practical measures after we completed a journey of research, study and speeches on theoretical concepts and about what is needed, considering that it is time for practical action from all of us representatives of governments Civil society and religious leaders.

Dana Hamid praised the tremendous and pioneering efforts of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the initiatives behind His Holiness Pope Francis and the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb. Today, for their belief in us all, and for their support of this vision.

Saif bin Zayed discusses with Pope the values ​​of dialogue and tolerance

HH Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, met with His Holiness Pope Francis Pope, Catholic Church, in the presence of Sheikh Al-Azhar, Grand Imam Dr. Ahmad Al-Tayeb.

During the meeting, they exchanged views on a number of issues related to enhancing cooperation in order to consolidate the values ​​of dialogue, tolerance and human coexistence, and the most important initiatives that aim to achieve peace and stability and enhance the role of religious leaders in facing societal challenges, especially in the fields of child protection.

His Highness then met with a number of religious leaders and dignitaries, including the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Violence against Children, Najat Ma'ala Amjad, and Prof. Hani Farid, an expert in digital forensic analysis at the University of Berkeley.

Accompanied by his elders and accompanying delegation, His Highness visited the Vatican Museums and Library, which includes a collection of manuscripts, artifacts, historical collections, paintings and artifacts of the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica.

His Highness and the accompanying delegation toured the pavilions of the Vatican Museums Complex, its sections and exhibitions, such as the Art Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art and the Sculpture Museum. VATICAN - WAM

Dignity of the child in the digital world

The World Summit, which kicked off on Thursday in the Vatican, through its two-day sessions, discussed a number of themes, most notably the concept of child dignity in the digital world, and the actions required by companies and NGOs to curb child sexual abuse and exploitation through the Internet. , And the role of religious leaders in mobilizing the international community to combat this emerging phenomenon.

Sheikh Al-Azhar stresses protection of children's rights

On the second day, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, spoke about the rights of the child, Al-Azhar's efforts in supporting initiatives that preserve and promote his dignity, and highlighting the positive models provided by the digital world for children from better opportunities for education and entertainment. He also addressed some models and negative images of child abuse in the digital world, and made a number of suggestions and recommendations for translating these rights from the theoretical stage to the actual application stage. He said that this meeting is an imperative that can go beyond mere repetition of these rights, pointing out that the rights of children, which are diverse in Islamic legislation and are well protected, «such rights represent a sacred goal in the philosophy of Islam» as a result of the dignity of childhood.

He expressed deep concern about the dire situation of contemporary children, enslaved by technological tools and virtual life whose symptoms have caused a "deep drift between children and their parents and relatives" and "social and psychological disorders."

According to UN reports, thousands of children are being recruited by terrorist Boko Haram and ISIS through social media, digital games, and websites that "fill their heads with images of violence and aggressive ideas."

The third session, entitled "Practical Actions by Policymakers," was opened by a number of world government officials and the Vatican Holy See president, and the fourth session, entitled "Practical Actions by Religious Leaders."