ESCWA Executive Secretary Bader AlDafa considered that exercising moderation and achieving universally-agreed goals such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the principles of the UN would eliminate the causes of extremism coming from deprivation, poverty, repression and lack of proper health care and education. He was speaking at the "Third International Conference for Moderation in Lebanon" held under the theme of "Moderation and the Course of Stability in the Middle East."
AlDafa was invited to participate in the event along with notable religious, political and diplomatic figures, such as Head of the International Forum for Moderation and former Sudanese Prime Minister Al-Sadek al-Mehdi; Coordinator of the Strategic Vision for Russia and the Islamic World Group Veniamin Babov; Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's representative Shukri Komeito.
Held under the patronage of Lebanese MP Najib Mikati the conference was convened by the Forum of Moderation in Lebanon and the Middle East Forum at the Four Seasons Hotel in Downtown Beirut.
AlDafa said "moderation relies on constructive criticism and self-review to interact in a sound way with our political and economic conditions and the circumstances surrounding us. First we must find peace within ourselves and with each other, to be able to decide our fate and build peace with others based on just and comprehensive solutions." He added that the United Nations, including ESCWA, realized that local dilemma must be solved locally. "No one knows the peoples and particularities of this region more than we do".
ESCWA Executive Secretary also linked in his message Moderation to well-studied reforms, a bigger role to the private sector, youth and women-empowerment. "Regional governments must give youth special interest by establishing comprehensive youth policies in the framework of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, adopted in 1995 by the UN. ESCWA secretariat has decided to focus on youth in its 26th Ministerial Session, to be inaugurated on 19 May by establishing a dialogue between Lebanese and Arab youth and participating ministers."
"Our situation in the Middle East should not be a cause for panic, but a motivation to get out of the cycle of wars, fundamentalism, poverty, and the absence of justice as other peoples have done," he concluded.
The event was attended by Interior and Municipalities Minister Ziyad Baroud, Liberation and Development bloc MP Ali Bazzi and Information Minister Tarek Mitri on behalf of President Michel Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri respectively.
