Aoun receives international religious, Human Rights delegation ahead of Beirut diversity conference
Press release from the Office of the President of the Republic of Lebanon (https://mtv.com.lb/en/news/Local/1603086/aoun-receives-international-religious–human-rights-delegation-ahead-of-beirut-diversity-conference)
(Bonn, 26.08.2025) The President of the Republic of Lebanon Joseph Aoun welcomed in the Presidential Residence Baabda Palace Professor and Archbishop Thomas Paul Schirrmacher, the former Secretary-General of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and President of the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR), accompanied by a delegation from the One Voice Foundation. The meeting was also attended by Professor Lara Hanna Wakim, National Coordinator of the United Nations Environment Programme’s “Faith for Earth” initiative in Lebanon.
During the meeting, the delegation briefed President Aoun on the ongoing preparations for the Beirut International Conference on Diversity, Faith, and Sustainability, scheduled for October 25, 2025. The event will be held under the patronage of President Aoun, who commended the efforts dedicated to ensuring the success of this significant international gathering.
The visit followed Professor Wakim’s recent trip to the Royal Hashemite Court in Amman at the invitation of His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal. Prince El Hassan, who will take part in the Beirut conference, sent a written message to President Aoun conveying his greetings and sharing the outcomes of recent forums advocating for enhanced intercultural dialogue, peace, and the establishment of institutional frameworks for sustained interfaith cooperation. He also proposed the creation of a “Parliament of Cultures” in the Levant to reflect the region’s intellectual and cultural plurality.
President Aoun praised Prince El Hassan’s leading role in advancing dialogue, mutual respect, and constructive cooperation among peoples.
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- Photo 1 and photo 2: Heading a delegation of the One Voice Foundation discussing Christian-Muslim relationship in Lebanon with the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun © Office pf the President of the Republic of Lebanon
- Photo 3: President Joseph Aoun and Archbishop Thomas Schirrmacher © Office of the President of the Republic of Lebanon
- Photo 4: Visit by Thomas Schirrmacher to former Lebanese President Michael Aoun in 2017 © Office pf the President of the Republic of Lebanon
- Photo 5: Listening to the report on the situation of Syrian Christians in the whole Middle East from the Syriac Catholic Patriarch Mar Ignatius Youssef III Younan © IIRF/Esther Schirrmacher
