Overview
Dialogue of Declarations II (DoD II) demonstrated that religious freedom and social cohesion advance most sustainably when shared commitments are reinforced by practical tools, trusted relationships, and consistent institutional follow-through. By connecting international Declarations to education, policy development, and professional practice—and grounding them in both theological reflection and scholarly rigor—the Dialogue presented a replicable model for societies seeking peaceful pluralism without coercion.
A defining feature of DoD II was its integrated certificate programs. These certificates equip citizens to exercise their rights and responsibilities, in and out of government, for the betterment of all. Building on the foundation laid in 2022 by the “Bukhara Declaration”, DoD II moved from principle to application, demonstrating how shared commitments to freedom of religion or belief, non-discrimination, and covenantal pluralism can concretely shape policy, education, and everyday governance.
Love Your Neighbor Community hosted the Dialogue in Tashkent and Samarkand alongside the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan’s Committee for Religious Affairs. More than fifty participants from fifteen countries joined the convening, including government officials, religious leaders, scholars, law-enforcement professionals, educators, and civil-society practitioners.
The Global Context: A Decade of Muslim-Majority Declarations
Over the past ten years, leading Islamic scholars and institutions rooted in classical tradition have produced a remarkable series of Declarations addressing religious freedom, pluralism, and inclusive citizenship. These include:
- The Marrakesh Declaration (2016)
- The Bahrain Declaration (2017)
- The Makkah Declaration (2019)
- The Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity (2019)
- The New Alliance of Virtue (2019)
- The Bukhara Declaration (2022)
- The Istiqlal Declaration (2024)
Together, these Declarations represent an important internal conversation within the Muslim-majority world about the theological and civic foundations of coexistence.
DoD II comparatively examined questions of religious liberty, citizenship, and human dignity, while simultaneously teaching certificate courses in cross-cultural religious literacy for government officials, religious leaders, and law-enforcement professionals.
The organizing paper for this conference has been published. It is a thoughtful and historically grounded piece by Mustafa Akyol, which reflects on these Declarations. This paper was commissioned by Chris Stewart at the Templeton Religion Trust. Akyol situates the Declarations within Islamic intellectual history while exploring their implications for pluralism and freedom of conscience today.
The Intellectual Ecosystem: Open-Access Resources Shaping This Work
The Dialogue of Declarations is part of a broader body of scholarship and practitioner reflection on religious literacy and pluralism.
The Fetzer Institute has made freely available thirty-three chapters that frame these themes in The Routledge Handbook of Religious Literacy, Pluralism, and Global Engagement. A wider set of essays and analyses also appears in The Review of Faith & International Affairs—many open access—including Mustafa Akyol’s article connected to this Dialogue.
Together, these resources gather insight from scholars and practitioners across regions and religious traditions, and they reflect sustained support from Templeton Religion Trust leadership, paired with editorial stewardship that has helped make rigorous, globally informed work on religious freedom accessible to a broader public.
Uzbekistan as a Case Study: Turning the Bukhara Declaration into Training
September 2025 made sense strategically. Three years after the first Dialogue of Declarations and the adoption of the Bukhara Declaration, there was sufficient momentum to assess progress and deepen implementation. The Declaration had gained international recognition, including acknowledgment at the United Nations, making this a natural moment to shift from affirmation to action.
This timing also coincided with a period of meaningful reform in Uzbekistan. Under President Mirziyoyev, the country expanded space for religious communities, advanced multi-faith initiatives, adopted a Concept of State Policy in the Religious Sphere in February 2025, and strengthened international partnerships.
Uzbekistan was not simply a host, but a case study. The Bukhara Declaration—distinct from other Declarations in the Muslim-majority world—was intentionally drafted in secular, rights-based language, accessible to believers and non-believers alike. Its universal framing allows it to function across diverse legal and political systems.
More importantly, Uzbekistan has treated the Declaration as a living framework rather than a symbolic document. Its principles have been embedded into educational programs for government officials, religious leaders, and law-enforcement professionals. Tashkent, as the intersection of policy, education, and practice, provided a setting where participants could see how Declarations translate into governance and professional training.
From Silos to Solutions: What the Dialogue Made Possible
Dialogue of Declarations II brought together people who rarely share the same room for sustained, practical conversation. Government officials sat alongside religious leaders. Scholars worked directly with practitioners. International participants engaged peer-to-peer with their Uzbek counterparts.
This mix improved the conversation:
- Officials shared how they train officers to protect minority houses of worship without bias.
- Religious leaders exchanged community-level practices that foster trust across faith lines.
- Scholars and policymakers compared legal approaches that balance state neutrality with robust protection of religious expression.
Some results included the surfacing of blind spots, the testing of assumptions, and the formation of partnerships that would not emerge in siloed settings. Participants left with concrete contacts, actionable ideas, and confidence that cooperative models of engagement can work.
Deepening the Model: Small-Group Design, Adaptable Frameworks, and a Five-Year MOU
The certificate programs are built directly on the plenary discussions of the Declarations and their implications for religious freedom, pluralism, and religion and society. As the Bukhara Declaration notes, these Declarations “attest to the importance of the religious factor in the life of modern society” and call on all faith communities to strengthen “a culture of tolerance and respect for human dignity.”
In line with that mandate, the Dialogue paired discussion with training. The Bukhara Declaration calls for “increasing educational activities and establishing new mechanisms—not least new curriculum—to promote multi-faith and intercultural dialogue” that yields practical programs and raises public awareness of religious freedom and peaceful coexistence. Dialogue of Declarations II responded by opening the certificate sequence with a cross-cutting overview of Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy, before moving into profession-specific tracks for government specialists, law enforcement, and religious leaders and communities.
Participants were also placed in small, mixed groups reflecting real-world conditions. Long speeches and symbolic resolutions were intentionally avoided. The guiding question throughout was simple: How does this work in practice, and how could it be applied at home?
The group anchored the discussions in the Bukhara Declaration and treated it as a framework they could adapt. The Dialogue concluded with a signed memorandum of understanding—a new five-year MOU between LYN Community and the President of Uzbekistan’s think tank, the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies, to sustain collaboration and capacity-building beyond the event itself.
Dialogue of Declarations II grew directly out of the first gathering in 2022. The core elements were intentionally carried forward: the Bukhara Declaration as the anchor, a peer-to-peer format, and mixed-sector participation.
What changed was depth and focus. The first Dialogue introduced the framework across multiple cities in a short time span. The second allowed more time in fewer locations, enabling deeper engagement, site visits, and sustained working sessions. The endgame also shifted—from producing a Declaration to producing commitments and mechanisms for implementation.