The Emirates News Agency on July 19, 2026 reviewed the Muslim Council of Elders’ progress since its establishment in 2014 as an independent international organisation dedicated to peace within Muslim communities and with other societies. The Council has launched multiple initiatives focused on dialogue, tolerance and coexistence while supporting just causes across the Muslim world. Its headquarters in Abu Dhabi has served as a base for efforts that include global forums and landmark declarations.
Gulf News reported in March 2026 that the Council marked 12 years of spreading values of peace, dialogue and human fraternity worldwide. During that period the body contributed to several international documents addressing peacebuilding, climate change and mutual respect among civilisations. Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, who serves as secretary-general, has guided these activities through engagements with religious leaders, governments and multilateral institutions.
The Council participated in the inaugural Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance in Geneva in July 2026, according to Big News Network. Those sessions allowed the organisation to advocate for ethical frameworks that incorporate religious and cultural perspectives on emerging technologies. Separate meetings with United Nations and faith representatives that same month reinforced its focus on advancing human fraternity at a time of geopolitical tension.
Abdelsalam addressed a gathering in Geneva where he discussed the Emerging Peacemakers Forum, one of the Council’s flagship youth programmes. He said, “create a small space for young people to talk and speak up and then for the older ones, the leaders, to listen.” The forum aims to empower participants to become positive influencers in their communities while the Council works with global academic institutions to embed principles of dialogue, respect and acceptance in educational curricula.
A memorandum of understanding signed in 2023 with the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue has expanded cooperative projects, the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue stated at the time. The following year the Council joined faith leaders at a summit on climate change and later held talks with His Highness the Aga Khan in October 2025 to explore joint work on youth empowerment, ethical artificial intelligence and sustainable development. These alliances build upon the Document on Human Fraternity, a 2019 text launched in Abu Dhabi that the Council’s website describes as a civilisational project to safeguard human dignity.
The organisation has maintained a consistent emphasis on countering hate speech, bigotry and discrimination through its various platforms, a 2024 Vatican News interview with Abdelsalam indicated. Its track record includes invitations to contribute to United Nations summits and ongoing collaboration with bodies such as the World Council of Churches on youth peace initiatives. Recent activities demonstrate the Council’s adaptation of its founding goals to contemporary challenges in technology, climate and conflict resolution.
