Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, Addresses 1st Assembly on Women, Faith, & Diplomacy

Dear Prof. Karam, dignified dignitaries of all the religions represented here, dear ladies and gentlemen, it is a double pleasure for me to convey my best regards to your conference:

On the one hand, Religions for Peace is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Congratulations!

On the other hand, your meeting this year is dedicated to the role of women in religions and peace processes.

I can only welcome that. Because all too often it is overlooked what women bring about peaceful coexistence - on a small and large scale.

Above all, it is the Nobel Peace Prize winners who stand out as role models and who inspire many others with their courage. However, among the 135 honorees so far, only 17 are women. Without a doubt, there are far more women who would have deserved an award for their peacebuilding work.

The 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai was convinced, and I quote her: "The best way to solve problems and fight against war is through dialogue."

Cultivating this dialogue - religions can make a decisive contribution to this. Recent events clearly show how important the dialogue between religions is.

We must not leave room for extremists who, in their inhuman delusion, abuse religion to sow discord and undermine our peaceful coexistence. How important. This is also shown by the horrific events in Dresden, France and Vienna in the autumn of this year.

Religions see themselves connected in the common striving for peace. And we know: Peace is only sustainable if women are involved in the peace process. What many studies have shown, however, still finds little equivalent in everyday practice. It is all the more important to fill participation justice with more life.

I, therefore, thank you for shedding light on the role of women in questions of conflict mediation and peacekeeping at your conference! I wish you stimulating and enriching advice!