皇冠体育app

Foreign Office Minister for Human Rights Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon attended the official opening of the new Aga Khan Centre in King鈥檚 Cross today (26 June) as part of the Diamond Jubilee tour of His Highness the Aga Khan.

皇冠体育app centre is a positive symbol of diversity, cross-cultural learning and shows Britain as a multicultural, multi-faith and tolerant nation.

皇冠体育app new development will be home to institutions and agencies including those of the non-profit Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of international agencies dedicated to improving the quality of life in in the poorest countries of the world.

皇冠体育app UK Government works closely with the AKDN in Central Asia and Tanzania, as well as in Afghanistan where the Aga Khan Foundation implement Department for International Development (DfID) programmes including delivering an education programme under the Girls鈥� Education Challenge.

Speaking at the opening, Lord Tariq Ahmad said:

皇冠体育app opening of this spectacular new building in London is a concrete example of the privileged relationship the UK enjoys with the Aga Khan and the Ismaili community and is the ideal way to mark the Diamond Jubilee tour of His Highness the Aga Khan.

皇冠体育app work we do together makes a huge difference to people鈥檚 lives, not least in Afghanistan where 300,000 more girls are going to school thanks to our girls鈥� education programme there.

One of the Foreign Secretary鈥檚 key priorities is ensuring the world鈥檚 poorest girls receive 12 years of quality education. Appallingly, 90% of world鈥檚 poorest children leave school unable to read and write. That鈥檚 why we鈥檝e committed 拢500 million of UKaid to help over 1.5 million vulnerable girls to learn.

Also in attendance for the official opening were His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and the Mayor of London.

皇冠体育app new centre in King鈥檚 Cross, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki includes gardens, terraces and courtyards inspired by different Muslim civilisations, although the centre will serve as an academic centre only and will not have a religious function. It brings together under one roof the

Aga Khan Foundation (UK), Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) and Aga Khan University鈥檚 Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC).

Tomorrow His Highness will be attending a lunch at Lancaster House in his honour hosted by the International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, with Foreign Office Permanent Under-Secretary, Sir Simon McDonald, attending.

Notes to editors:

• 皇冠体育app Aga Khan is celebrating 60 years as Imam of Shia Ismaili Muslims during 2017-18 by conducting official visits to countries where there are significant Ismaili communities including the UK, USA, Canada, Uganda, Tanzania, India, Pakistan and UAE.

• 皇冠体育app UK office of the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) was established in 1973 to support the broader AKDN by forming strategic partnerships with UK and European institutional partners including government agencies, policy institutes, corporations, foundations, NGOs, universities, associations and professional networks.

• 皇冠体育app Aga Khan University (AKU) is an autonomous, not-for-profit university that promotes human welfare through research, teaching and community service. It operates in Pakistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Afghanistan and the UK. 皇冠体育app AKU鈥檚 Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (ISMC) was established in 2002 and provides research and teaching on the heritage of Muslim societies including in contemporary environments, with a Master鈥檚 programme in Muslim Cultures. 皇冠体育app institute is listed with UKVI as an Overseas Provider as the degree is an AKU degree under its Pakistani charter. 皇冠体育app AKU works with scholars abroad and in the UK including at Oxford, Cambridge and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

• 皇冠体育app Institute for Ismaili Studies (IIS) was established in 1977 to promote scholarship and learning of Muslim cultures and societies, historical and contemporary, and encourage a better understanding of their relationship with other societies and faiths. IIS collaborates with universities around the world and has two graduate programmes: Islamic Studies and Humanities and a joint double-Master鈥檚 Degree Programme in partnership with University College London鈥檚 Institute for Education.

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