The fifth National Dialogue Forum titled “Us and the Others” concluded December 15 in Abha with the issuance of a unified national vision paper for how Saudi citizens should approach bridging cultural gaps with others, the Arab News reported yesterday.

This is the first time the forum has issued such a paper with concrete actions that can be taken instead of just issuing recommendations.

According to the Arab News, the main topics addressed in the paper included: dealing ethically and civilly with foreigners living in Saudi Arabia and enforcing laws already in place to protect their rights; initiating cultural exchange programs with visiting Muslims from around the world during the Hajj and Umrah seasons; increasing the number of printed materials, such as government press releases and books, offered in various languages inside the Kingdom; using Saudi embassies and consulates to offer more opportunities for dialogue around the world; engaging in more educational exchanges with students and researchers; and interacting with outsiders at an international level to address various social issues, such as human rights, women’s rights, poverty and unemployment.

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