Abraham Accords Global Leadership Summit
Abraham Accords Global Leadership SummitCourtesy

World Leaders, ambassadors, diplomats, entrepreneurs, lawmakers, academics, and clergy from over thirty countries converged on Rome Thursday for the First Annual Abraham Accords Global Leadership Summit, an exclusive invitation-only event focused on new ways to increase peace and tolerance in the spirit of the Abraham Accords.

The event celebrated the seismic change that the Abraham Accords have already brought to the Middle-East and North Africa in two short years with an emphasis on the shared values that enabled bitter adversaries to become indispensable allies and friends in such a short time. To this end, delegates from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Israel shared their insights with policy shapers from around the world.

Religious leaders from the three major faiths spanning six continents emphasized the importance of shared Abrahamic values that prepared the ground for peace.

Imam Mohammad Tawhidi, Islamic scholar and vice president of the Global Imams Council told delegates: “We recognize our shared past and build our common future and celebrate the traditional family cohesive unit which forms an essential role in the Abrahamic legacy as it symbolizes love, community, care and respect.” He emphasized: “Our strong values and Abrahamic traditions endorse the family’s core role in preserving the identity and culture of our societies.”

Continuing with the theme of family values, Pastor Carlos Luna Lam, Founder and Pastor of Casa De Dios of Guatemala said: “Traditional family values is at the forefront of our Abrahamic heritage. A cohesive family unit with the mother and father at the helm - is critical to our future”

Rabbi Elie Abadie, Senior Rabbi of the UAE added his recipe for peace which he feels was instrumental in making the Abraham Accords a reality: "Our commitment to the central role of our traditions form the cornerstone of our societies and connects us as we recognize our shared past and build our common future. We celebrate the traditional family values that have sustained and allowed religions and cultures to impact the world in a positive way that has resulted in a commitment to a strong sense of humanity, tolerance, and coexistence."

The summit concluded with the presentation of the Abrahamic Values Pledge, a joint declaration where delegates declared their support of shared Abrahamic values and respect to the traditional family that has been a cornerstone of our faiths for thousands of years.

The pledge was made by all delegates and read: “While shared humanity is constantly challenged by trends that question the traditional values shared by all Abrahamic religions, our deep-rooted heritage has enabled us to build a vibrant and well-knit society that is both entrepreneurial and innovative in its nature.”

It continued “The spirit of the Abraham Accords has allowed our communities to reap the fruits of peace and flourish in an ever-evolving socio-economic environment and has underscored the importance of the following foundational pillars: Tolerance, Coexistence & Diversity, Religion and Family Economic Peace.”

Delegates from six continents made a commitment to promote these pillars and bring them proactively to their communities in the spheres of academia, governance, and community.

With free market economics, front and center they declared that: “The Abraham Accords Global Leadership Summit values economic peace as a vehicle to promote open markets, contributing to more peaceful behavior among states. Economic peace has traditionally assisted in developing market-oriented economies that seek increased collaboration with one another.”

It concluded “Our commitment to the central role of our tradition forms the cornerstone of our societies and connects us as we recognize our shared past and build our common future. We celebrate the traditional family values that have sustained and allowed religions and cultures to impact the world in a positive way that has resulted in a commitment to a strong sense of humanity, tolerance, and coexistence.”