DUBAI — Princess Lamia Bint Majid, secretary general of Alwaleed Philanthropies (AP), chaired by Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, joined members of the international community at the prestigious World Tolerance Summit in Dubai to discuss how humanitarian institutions and NGOs can help spread tolerance across the globe. The secretary general joined an esteemed panel including Rustic Nurgaliyevich Minnikhanov, President of the Republic of Tatarstan; Muferihat Kamil, Minister of Peace of Ethiopia; and Lucy Jeannette Bermúdez, President of the State Council in Colombia. Together they discussed ‘Achieving the social, economic and humane benefits of a tolerant world'. Princess Lamia stated: "Opening up channels of dialogue among people of different backgrounds is essential to help societies become more tolerant. Many world leaders are promoting peace and happiness, but our vision to have a significant impact requires a broader effort by the business community, civil society and humanitarian institutions, all working together with government to encourage change." She added, "Each individual should consider tolerance as part of his or her responsibility to their community and society. It brings people together and strengthens relationships, making for a more stable world. There will be no economic progress or social mobility without understanding and appreciation of different cultures, faiths, values and backgrounds." Encouraging a more compassionate, tolerant and accepting world is one of the guiding principles of Alwaleed Philanthropies, which was established in 1980 by Prince Alwaleed. For the last 39 years it has collaborated with leading philanthropic, governmental, and educational organizations to work in four key areas – developing communities, providing disaster relief, empowering women and youth and foster cross-cultural understanding through art, media and academic and creative learning. Alwaleed Philanthropies has invested more than $4 billion since its founding, reaching 976 million beneficiaries in more than 189 countries. In its efforts to build bridges across gender, race, religion and other areas, the foundation recently supported Musée du Louvre, Paris, to open new and expanded spaces to explore Islamic art in the museum's Department of Islamic Art. This followed the foundation's donation of $23 million to help construct the department in 2005. In July 2019, the foundation also supported the first five young female Saudi scouts to participate in the World Scout Jamboree in the United States. It has also invested more than $120 million in funding academic research at six research centers at leadi The World Tolerance Summit (WTS) is an initiative of Dubai-based International Institute of Tolerance (IIT), established to forge alliances against extremism and sectarianism, and coincides with the International Day of Tolerance (Nov. 16). IIT, part of Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, acts as a think tank providing solutions to the challenges of extremism and sectarianism through promotion of a culture of tolerance.
