The “Tolerance Portal” in UAE, opens today to the public at City Walk in Dubai, connecting residents and visitors of the Emirate to cities around the world such Erbil, Iraq; Mexico City, Mexico; La Paz, Bolivia; Gaza, Palestine and New York, USA. The “Tolerance Portals” launched for the first time in Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, on October 18 and hosted hundreds of visitors over the course of five days, before it was relocated to the Emirate of Dubai, where it will remain until October 28.

The public is invited to engage with the portals which will be activated from Thursday to Monday during the evenings, from 6pm to 10pm. Residents and the international community are encouraged to discuss key aspects of tolerance such as peace, humanity, coexistence and respect. The portal is also an ideal platform for visitors to share personal experiences and knowledge on how tolerance is reflected through cultural experiences such as food, architecture, local customs and the celebration of religious diversity and inclusion. The discussions have been curated to foster new connections through conversations on tolerance.

Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammad Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development and Chairperson of the Executive Committee of The Year of Tolerance, said: “We aim through this initiative to strengthen the UAE’s position as a global model for tolerance. Tolerance is not merely an annual theme we are celebrating this year. It is a value deeply rooted within our culture and is transferable to all who reside on this land through the principles of coexistence we adopt and the openness approach we promote by encouraging intellectual communication and dialogue.”

The “Tolerance Portal” was launched on Friday 18 October, in Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, and remained in the capital until Tuesday 22 October. The portal will be activated in Dubai from 24 October to 28 October; in Sharjah from 31 October to 4 November; in Ajman from 7 November to 11 November and will conclude in Ras Al Khaimah from 14 November to 18 November.

At different times throughout the day, the portal will be connected to one of forty other containers, located around the world including in Nigeria, the USA, Honduras, Afghanistan, Mexico, Iraq, Palestine, Rwanda, Bolivia, the Netherlands and Germany giving residents of the UAE the opportunity to connect with the global community. The containers will be located in public settings such as universities, refugee camps, parks and libraries to encourage as much participation as possible.