Newsroom 
17 March 2010 - Member countries of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) shared their best practices in the field of interfaith dialogue and cooperation with the hope that these would advance the Movement's vision for lasting peace.
During the first day of the Special NAM Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development (SNAMMM) being hosted by the Philippines, NAM states from Asia, Africa and the Middle East also stressed the exigency of promoting interfaith and intercultural cooperation given current global political and economic challenges."We Indonesians are great believers in dialogue - the kind of dialogue that includes all points of views of all stakeholders. The kind of dialogue that builds consensus to which all stakeholders commit themselves - because that consensus takes into account the aspirations and needs of all who are involved in it," Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa said.
The Indonesian Foreign Minister added that as "Unity in Diversity" has worked for his country, it can also work as an ideal for relations among nations.
Smt. Preneet Kaur, Minister of State for External Affairs of India, echoed Minister Natalegawa's call as India is home to a significant number of practitioners of practically every other major religion of the world. It has the largest Hindu population and has one of the largest Muslim populations worldwide.
"As a nation of unparalleled diversity, Indians would not have succeeded in holding together and strengthening a composite Indian identity unless Indians practiced tolerance and were determined to live together in peace," she said.
The Indian Minister added that "interfaith dialogue in today's world is a necessity rather than a luxury. It is the central, not a peripheral activity in today's plural world, where understanding of diversity is a living element in everyday life."
For his part, Tanzanian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Seif Ali Iddi said the SNAMMM is timely.
"Religious values are critical to defusing violence, thus have an impetus towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals... Religious values can also play an important role in advocating a culture of peace to counter intolerance... Knowing that climate change is a moral issue on the preservation of the planet for future generations, religious values can make an important contribution to debate on the issue," the Tanzanian diplomat said.
Meanwhile, NAM member countries welcomed the outcome document of the SNAMMM - the Manila Declaration on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development and Programme of Action on the Active Promotion of Dialogue, in particular Interfaith Dialogue, to Strengthen a Culture of Peace and Development - which will be adopted by the NAM Ministers during the last day of the meeting. END
