The New Centre of Excellence in Abu Dhabi (Hedaya) was officially launched on Friday to bring about the best practices and knowledge to fight extremism and terrorism.

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister, said that the Centre’s mandate will be three core areas: Training, Dialogue and Research.

“The Centre is dedicated to addressing the drivers and root causes of violent extremism. Hedaya will help the international community build potentials and share the best ever practices and researches to deal with violent extremism effectively.  It is going to serve as the premier international venue for training, dialogue, collaboration and research to counter violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations,” Sheikh Abdullah said.

He said that the initiative could not be more timely as there is a global agreement on the need to prevent individuals from turning to the path toward radicalisation, as well as to divert those already on that path before they are fully committed and mobilised.

Villy Sovndal, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, said that the Hedaya Centre is a significant achievement.

“The latest achievement is the launch of the New Centre ... is a very successful story as the level of activities had been breathtaking and at times even difficult to keep up without officials,” said Sovndal.

He added that such a Centre provides answers to the new challenges of the day that can only be solved through multilateral cooperation, by focusing on preventive measures.

Khalid Al Atiya, Qatari Foreign Minister, said that only through collective efforts the issue of terrorism can be solved.

 

Source: Gulf News