On the 30th April 2022, The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to the Federal Republic of Germany (KBRI Berlin) cooperates with the Indonesian Student Association in Germany and the Berlin-Brandenburg branch (PPI Jerman and PPI Berlin-Brandenburg), together with non-profit organizations from the United States Civilizations Exchange and Cooperation Foundation (CECF) held an international conference entitled “Better Understanding for a Better World (BUBW)” in Berlin. The conference highlighted the themes of leadership, diversity, and interfaith dialogue and was attended by 40 people from around the world, including Indonesia, Germany, the US, and Lebanon. The conference was also streamed online with 40 participants.
The event was opened with welcoming speech from Reza Syihabuddin Khasbullah, President of PPI Jerman. Also by H.E Arif Havas Oegroseno, the Indonesian Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany. In his remarks, Ambassador Havas explained Indonesia’s multicultural background, with 6 major religious communities and more than 240 ethnic groups, 300 languages. The opening session was closed with remarks from Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat, founder and President of CECF, who expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to hold the BUBW’s first conference in Germany.
The first session of the conference raised the topic “Leadership Development: Future Leaders for a Better World” with Alexander Kulitz as the speaker, a member of the Bundestag (German Parliament) for 2017-2021. He shared his experiences and views on leadership. He also gave pieces of advice on how to grow leadership qualities and exchanged ideas about the challenges of being a leader from a young age.
In the second session, Imam Bashar brought up the topic “Bring Diversity in Harmony”. His presentation conveyed the importance of diversity in building a peaceful world and focused on how youth can contribute to minimizing bias and prejudices in the face of pluralism that is inevitable in this global era.
In the third session, Imam Bashar moderated an interfaith discussion that presented representatives of young people from Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Hinduism in Indonesia. They shared their perspectives and experiences of living in the diversity of religions both in Indonesia and abroad.
In the last session, the participants went through focus group discussions in small groups. The topics discussed included the role of youth in conflict resolution, religious diplomacy, and the relationship between leadership and diversity in building peace.
The event was concluded with breaking the fast together with Indonesian food menus, as part of the interfaith experience which also doubles as culinary diplomacy. Participants from abroad expressed their appreciation for the taste of Indonesian cuisine and the sense of kinship when breaking the fast together.
This event was the first BUBW Conference held in Germany. After attending this conference, participants are expected to have a deeper understanding of different cultures and religions for peace and to create a more inclusive and harmonious world.
