Under the patronage and in the presence of His Excellency Culture Minister Esq. Raymond Araygi, and following the joint invitation of the International Center for Human Sciences and Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung (HSS) Organization, a seminar for youth on “Cultures and Religions Dialogue” was held on the 20^th, 21^st and 22^nd of February 2014.

During the opening session, a seminar was launched, comprising five groups that included researchers and academics who looked into the following topics and issues: the disadvantages of a sectarian regime, laicism and the authority’s future in Lebanon, religions’ common principles, extremism phenomenon in Islam, the right to be different, pluralism and the power-sharing principle, as well as social media outlets and their role in the religions’ dialogue.

The opening session was attended by His Excellency former Culture Minister Gaby Layoun, MP Abbas Hashem, Director General of Culture Mr. Faisal Taleb, Byblos Municipality President Ziad Hawat and representatives of active civil-society institutions across Lebanon.

On this occasion, speeches were delivered by Ministers Araygi and Layoun, Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung Organization Representative Mr. Thomas Guyard and the Director of the International Center for Human Sciences Dr. Adonis Akra.

With the purpose of looking more closely into all the paperwork, interventions and comments during the five sessions, submitting solution proposals and transferring the discussed matters from a theoretical frame to a practical field, the seminar’s participants and speakers were divided into work groups operating under the convictions adopted by the International Center for Human Sciences. The groups also followed the center’s example in its mission to achieve inclusive democracy and the humanitarian principles emerging from this democracy and evolving around the theses of equity, social justice, dialogue and the respect of diversity and social inclusion.

The participants also adopted Sciences and Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung Organization’s slogan, which calls for achieving democracy, peace and development through a political education that allows the youth to have democratic mentalities that continue to renovate with the successive generations.

At the end of seminar, the participants issued the following recommendations:

1. Restoring the state’s role in a way that guarantees the implementation of its constitution and the correction of the disorder occurring in its institutions.
2. Emphasizing the enrooting of the common humanitarian principles in the society.
3. Channeling the social concepts to guarantee the assertion of the individual’s religious freedom and his/her obligations to participate in the reinforcement of the principles that build the foundation of a collective life in the space of citizenship.
4. Isolating religions from the extreme political exploitation in order to eliminate the obstacles between the different sects.
5. Including a History of Religions course in the educational programs to point out their mutual values and enroot them in the mentalities of children and youth.
6. Working on finding an inclusive national speech to eradicate the sectarian speech threatening the society’s entity.
7. Supporting the civil movements and unifying their efforts.
8. Urging media outlets to support these recommendations and all other national projects aiming at establishing the civil state, and encouraging the media to promote them since they are considered a patriotic cause.