Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia is set to host the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD) Leadership Meeting in Jakarta on February 3-6, 2025, the Religious Affairs Ministry informed.
Speaking in Jakarta on Sunday, the ministry's director of Islamic religious information, Ahmad Zayadi, said Indonesia views the forthcoming meeting as a crucial moment to exercise religious diplomacy at the global level.
"Indonesia applies an inclusive and tolerant approach to diversity. By joining PaRD, it seeks to ensure that religions play a strategic role in supporting sustainable development and interfaith dialogues globally," he stated.
Zayadi went on to say that Indonesia's involvement in the partnerahip reflects its determination to promote religious moderation and interfaith concord.
He then elaborated on Indonesia's history in PaRD, noting that the country joined the forum in December 2022, and became the first representative for the Global South. Indonesia was elected a member of the PaRD steering board in August 2023.
PaRD serves as a forum that brings together government institutions, multilateral organizations, religious organizations, and academicians to discuss and implement the role of religions in sustainable development.
As a steering board member, Indonesia shares the responsibility of determining and managing the forum's policy direction, budgets, and programs.
Furthermore, Zayadi remarked that then-religious affairs minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas had emphasized that Indonesia's participation in the international forum aligns with its commitment to advocating religious moderation and interfaith cooperation to address global challenges.
To carry out its role in PaRD, the Indonesian Government has delegated the Religious Affairs Ministry to contribute to multiple workstreams and task forces, including those focusing on freedom of religion and belief, gender equality, health, and food security.
The government's representative in PaRD, Nuria Isna Asyar, highlighted that the ministry has been working on a strategic step to pioneer the establishment of an Asian bloc within the forum.
She assessed that by executing the strategy, Indonesia will be able to play an even greater role in endorsing interfaith cooperation in Asia, ultimately solidifying its position as a prominent actor in religious diplomacy.
