Seychelles founding President joins International Movement for Relations Between States and Religions

It was announced from the office of Seychelles’ founding President, Sir James R. Mancham, that the latter has accepted the invitation of Dr.

It was announced from the office of Seychelles’ founding President, Sir James R. Mancham, that the latter has accepted the invitation of Dr. Olivier Giscard d’Estaing to become a member of “Comité d’honneur du Mouvement International pour le relations Etats et Religions.”

In a letter dated in Neuilly sur Seine, France, on March 14, 2016, Monsieur Olivier Giscard d’Estaing stated:

“……Je suis heureux de vous confirmer que notre Conseil d’Administration a décidé de vous inviter à devenir membre du comité d’honneur de notre association MIRER. Nous avons été impressionés par vos publications et par les valeurs que vous exprimez et que nous partageons. Ce sera donc un honneur et un encouragement pour nous d’établir une telle collaboration avec vous…….” (“I am happy to confirm that our Board of Administration has decided to invite you to become a member of the Committee of Honor of our association MIRER. We have been impressed by your valued writings and your views which we share. It will, therefore, be an honor and encouragement for us if we can establish such a collaboration with you).”

Olivier Giscard d’Estaing is, of course, the younger brother of France’s reputed former President, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing. Olivier himself is a former member of the French Parliament and Founding Dean of INSEAD, France (Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaires), an Honorary Chairman of the INSEAD Foundation. He is or has been a member of the board of Generali, IBM, Johnson, Société Internationale de Technologie (Chairman), CEDEP, and advisor to the Chairmen of Philips and Saint Gobain.

Within the not-for-profit area, he is or has been Founding Dean and Director General of INSEAD, Chairman of the European League for Economic Cooperation (France), the “Jeune Chambre Economique,” the Business Association for the World Social Summit (BUSCO) and of COPAM (Comité pour un Parlement Mondial), Vice-Chairman of the European Movement (1978-1992), co-Founder of the Caux Round Table, and Governor of the Atlantic Institute. He has served as a member of the French Parliament (1968-1973), of the North Atlantic Parliament (1969-1973) and a member of the “Conseil Economique et Social de France” (1994-1999), and Mayor of Estaing (Aveyron).

Dr. Olivier Giscard d’Estaing is the author of seven books and widely published in journals such as the “Revue Politique Parlementaire” and the “Revue des Deux Mondes.”

INSEAD is headquartered in Fontainebleu outside Paris and has two established branches overseas – one in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and one in Singapore. In a recent article, The Financial Times referred to INSEAD as “the world’s top business school.”

In his acceptance letter to Monsieur Olivier Giscard d’Estaing, with whom Sir James has interacted at several international conferences over recent times (including those organized by the World Future Council), he states that he feels delighted and honored to have been invited to become a member of “Comité d’honneur” to such an important initiative as “Le Mouvement International pour le relations Etats et Religions.”

In a statement issued this morning, Sir James stated: “At the moment, the world is facing a great need for reconciliation not only within nations but also between nations. In many cases, the declines of religions have seen the birth and growth of extremism. The religions and the state must work together within the spirit of pluralism to stop the growth of this unfortunate phenomena. Personally, I have always held the view that religious leaders should not be tail lights, but the headlights of the reconciliation process which the world is in need. Against this reality, MIRER constitutes a commendable and important initiative which must be seriously considered, and I do not think that there are many people as qualified as Monsieur Olivier Giscard d’Estaing to internationally spearhead this initiative. He can, therefore, be assured of my total support and utter dedication to the challenges ahead.”

“Ideas have the power to change the world. Change the way we think, and we change the way the world works,” Sir James stated.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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