Civil society leaders pilot first intercultural civil convention
The Global Exchange on Religion in Society (GERIS), a two-year project administered by the European External Action Service and Particip GmbH, has piloted the 2022 Inter-cultural Civil Convention with over 100 professionals, civil society actors, academic practitioners, government and intergovernmental professionals, as well as faith-based professionals across different parts of the world to engage in critical discussions on civil society issues affecting them.
The Intercultural Civil Convention is a platform for professionals, industry experts and policy stakeholders to connect, collaborate, and support each other through mutual ideas that promote dissemination of positive experiences and coexistence among persons of different faiths and none. The program focused on three thematic areas such as “Inter-faith issues, Youth with Disability Issues and Education Issues.”
Some of those who facilitated from Nigeria included the Special Needs Initiative for Growth and the Blog4SDGs (representatives of both organizations Racheal Inegbedion and Georges Gambadatoun are both awardees and participants of GERIS).
In the keynote remarks by Clément Boutillier, the Head of the Governance, Peace and Migration Section of the European Union delegation in Nigeria. He stated that the European Union Commission will continue to foster inclusivity in the center of civil society issues such as Religion, Democracy, Education, Digital Rights and Disability Rights.
Lefhoko Kesamang, Senior Social Welfare officer for the African Union Commission also stated that the African Union Commission is committed to addressing issues around disabilities, education and investing on socioeconomic issues that affect civil society communities.
Marika Djolai, Expert and Project Team Lead of the Global Exchange on Religion in Society expressed her goodwill message by stating that the convention will go on to promote social inclusion and cohesion across civil societies globally and the GERIS network.
The program was anchored by the creative director of the Special Needs Initiative For Growth, Amdi Salam who welcomed and anchored the panel speakers such as Luciano Bizin, Emina Frljak, Nyasha Freeman, Mira Zineddin, Imam Shefiu Abdulkareem Majemu, Abiodun Oyeniran, Helen Umeobieri, Rukia Kalanzi, Kikelomo Olatunde who shared their strategies and insights on how to mitigate interfaith conflict and improve the support of youths with disabilities and educational equality in local and international perspectives. Amdi Salam gave opportunities to the participants to discuss inter-religious issues, education and issues around youths with disabilities for 30 minutes in breakout rooms with the speakers. Participants’ perspectives was documented and will be used for developing programs to improve civic engagement and a more active, participatory, and shared sense of citizenship across boundaries of belief and worldviews.
Participants also had the opportunity to ask questions and gain answers and insights from the speakers. Tobi Omimakinde and Agama Zinji represented the Deaf Community by signing in British and American Sign Languages during the convention.
In the closing of the convention, Oluwaseun Ejalonibu and Emmanuel Ayogu delivered a summary report on the proceedings of its convention which will serve as a policy communication product to be addressed to key policy stakeholders in the Africa Union and European Union Levels during high-level consultative meetings and forums.
Racheal Inegbedion, the Executive Director of Special Needs Initiative For Growth stated that the convention is it’s first of its kind with a call to action on policy stakeholders to mainstream inclusive opportunities and use evidence-based approaches such as the inter-cultural civil convention to design projects and responsiveness to in civil society issues globally.
