Scientology Representative among the guests of the 4th European Policy Dialogue Forum

First panel of the 4th European Policy Dialogue Forum in 2022

Once every year, the international Dialogue Center KAICIID organizes this unique meeting to discuss pressing issues of our society.

BARCELONA, SPAIN, November 10, 2022 – Scientology Representative for Europe Ivan Arjona, who has been representing the religion at European level since 2017 has been one of the guest participants to the 4th European Policy Dialogue Forum organized by the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID), Blanquerna Observatory for Media, Culture and Religion and partners on 9/10 November in Castelldefels (Barcelona), where representative of more than 8 religions have been sharing their thoughts and discussed about Social Inclusion in Cities – Strengthening Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships to Bring Communities into Dialogue.

This dialogue forum had the support from the Portuguese High Commissioner for Migration and OSCE´s Head of Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Head, Dr. Kishan Manocha, among speakers.

Once every year, this unique event serves as a platform for civil society actors, policymakers, representatives of faith-based organizations and academic experts who come together to discuss the most pressing issues related to the inclusion of refugees and migrants across Europe. The 4th edition of the forum is being attended by more than 100 participants from over 30 different countries and multiple faiths being among them Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Baha’is, Scientology and others.

During the meeting, Scientology representative Ivan Arjona had the opportunity to share with other faiths, scholars and authorities, the work the Church of Scientology has done and continues to expand against hate speech but also about creating lasting partnerships to deal with the social problems affect our societies.

Thematically, this year’s gathering explored the role of the media in countering hate speech as well as the importance of forging multi-stakeholder partnerships to support the social inclusion of migrants and refugees in European cities.

“Governments and multilateral actors cannot alone galvanize the commitment to foster social inclusion across European cities. To tackle this huge task, we also need broad collaboration with and between the religious communities, civil society representatives and grassroots activists. Through the European Policy Dialogue Forum, we seek to increase engagement between all these stakeholders, make their voices heard, share all the different perspectives and discuss ways to cooperate more effectively”, said KAICIID’s Secretary-General, Zuhair Alharthi, at the opening speech.

“The high number of people arriving on the European continent fleeing situations of poverty, war, violence or lack of security makes integration a crucial issue. The European Policy Dialogue Forum is a key space in this regard, as it brings together actors from different fields with the common goal of migrants’ integration. This year’s edition, focused on the role of the media, is highly appropriate as migrants’ contact with the world’s citizens takes place mainly through these spaces and is the journalists’ responsibility to present and describe these groups beyond labels” said Miriam Díez-Bosch, from Blanquerna Observatory.

“Our founder L. Ron Hubbard was very clear that Scientologists can and should contribute to the betterment of society” said Ivan Arjona “and we are happy that OSCE and KAICIID have decided to include Scientologists into the discussion since we have a lot to offer in a practical sphere, while taking additional inspiration and partnerships with which we can definitely help to create a better living at homes, cities, nations, and society at large”.

From its beginnings, the Church of Scientology has recognized that freedom of religion is a fundamental human right, and key to help build a better and sustainable society. In a world where conflicts are often traceable to intolerance of others’ religious beliefs and practices, the Church has, for more than 50 years, made the preservation of freedom of religion or belief an overriding concern.

The Church representatives around the world make it part of their mission to defend the right of everyone to belief in what makes them to be a better person, and supports numerous groups of interfaith dialogue as well as discussions, debates and working groups on Law and Religion.

The Founder of the Scientology religion is L. Ron Hubbard and Mr. David Miscavige is the religion’s ecclesiastical leader.

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