From September 10-13, 2025, the cities of Tashkent and Samarkand will host the 2nd International Forum “Dialogue of Declarations.” The event is organized by the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISRS) together with the U.S. NGO Love Your Neighbor Community (LYNC), with the support of the Committee on Religious Affairs, the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the Samarkand Regional Administration.
The upcoming forum will serve as a logical continuation of the 2022 event held in Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara, which concluded with the adoption of the Bukhara Declaration later recognized as an official document of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly.
Similar forums have been held since 2016 in cities such as Marrakech, Mecca, Jakarta, Potomac and Punta del Este, and have established themselves as an authoritative international platform for promoting the ideas of education, religious freedom and a culture of tolerance. Each forum concludes with the adoption of a declaration bearing its name.
The forum was first held in Uzbekistan in 2019, in Tashkent, and has since gained the status of a landmark international conference. It provides the global community with an opportunity to learn about the country’s rich cultural, historical, and religious-philosophical heritage, as well as Uzbekistan’s unique experience in promoting interfaith harmony, religious tolerance, and an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding in society.
This year, the forum is expected to bring together around 50 leading scholars of religion, theologians, experts, and senior officials from 15 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and the countries of Central Asia.
The forum will be marked by the adoption of a Final Appeal to the international community, calling for the protection of the rights of religious minorities, the elimination of discrimination based on religion, the promotion of religious education as a tool to counter violent extremism, the affirmation of freedom of belief as a universal human right, and the encouragement of equality among all people regardless of their religious or cultural differences.
Overall, the outcomes of the 2nd International Forum “Dialogue of Declarations” will represent an important contribution to strengthening religious tolerance, mutual respect, generosity, and peaceful coexistence among peoples in today’s diverse global environment.
