KAICIID Experts Consultation Meeting on Sacred Sites

KAICIID Dialogue Centre (King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue) was founded to facilitate dialogue among followers of different religions and cultures around the world. Located in Vienna, the Centre is an independent, autonomous international organization. The Centre’s Board of Directors features prominent representatives of major world religions and cultures (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism).

The main purpose of the meeting was to convene an exploratory expert group on understanding, preservation and use of Sacred Sites through the lens of Intercultural Dialogue and Education for Sustainable Peace, with and insights from faith traditions, to provide KAICIID an overview of the field’s challenges and active stakeholders, existing initiatives, tools and networks, by mapping current efforts and standards and identifying areas in which further work is needed. Twenty three experts participated at the meeting: seventeen from different countries and organisations, plus two members of the Board, and three staff from KAICIID.

Vita de Waal and Josep-Maria Mallarach, members of the Specialist Group on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas of IUCN, participated at the meeting. The first was representing the Committee on Environment¸ UN-Working Group on Cultural Heritage and Sacred Sites, and the last the IUCN Specialist Group.The meeting was held simultaneously with the Annual Conference of the European Association of History Educators (EUROCLIO) and had the last round table as a common activity.