Global faith leaders end Kuala Lumpur summit with call for peace and youth empowerment

More than 2,000 religious leaders, scholars, policymakers, diplomats and youth representatives from 31 countries gathered in Kuala Lumpur on June 12 for the Third International Religious Leaders Summit 2026. The event closed with a push for stronger youth investment, ethical leadership and global cooperation as leaders warned about the risks of AI, social media and extremism. Why it matters: - The Kuala Lumpur summit put religious leadership, youth resilience and technology risks at the center of a global conversation about peace and social cohesion. - The meeting framed young people as a key target and a key solution in efforts to respond to extremism, online harm and rapid technological change. - The event ended with a new call for more investment in youth as partners in peace, understanding and sustainable development. What happened: - More than 2,000 religious leaders, scholars, researchers, policymakers, diplomats and youth representatives from 31 countries attended the Third International Religious Leaders Summit 2026 on June 12 in Kuala Lumpur. - The summit took place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. - The Muslim World League and the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office co-organized the meeting. - The summit opened in the presence of Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah of Perak, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League and chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars. - Twenty-six ambassadors and dozens of ministers and senior international delegates also attended. The details: - Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa used his opening remarks to stress the responsibility of religious leaders in addressing urgent challenges tied to world peace and social harmony. - Al-Issa highlighted the role of young people in confronting risks linked to modern technology, including artificial intelligence, when those tools are widely available without enough intellectual resilience or ethical safeguards. - A central agenda item focused on strategies to empower youth against risks tied to social media and artificial intelligence. - About 2,000 participants from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds were presented as a leading force in shaping the future of international youth engagement around shared principles and goals. - The summit said those efforts are meant to help address ethical and security challenges created by rapid technological advances, as well as challenges tied to radicalism and violent extremism, where young people are increasingly targeted. - International speakers examined four themes: social harmony and mutual respect, youth leadership and education, modern challenges affecting youth, and the role of religious leaders in nurturing future generations. - Participants emphasized dialogue, coexistence and cooperation as tools for building resilient societies that can respond to increasingly complex global problems. - During the summit, Al-Issa met with young religious leaders, university students and researchers from different cultures and faiths. - Those meetings highlighted intergenerational engagement and constructive dialogue as important to shaping a more peaceful and inclusive future. - The summit closed with a renewed resolution calling for international cooperation, ethical leadership and greater investment in youth. Between the lines: - The summit linked faith leadership with digital-era governance, suggesting religious institutions want a larger role in shaping how societies respond to AI and social platforms. - The emphasis on youth signals a strategic shift from treating young people only as an audience to treating them as actors in peacebuilding and civic resilience. - The new Global Diplomacy Award points to an effort by the Muslim World League and the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office to create a recurring platform for recognizing peace-oriented diplomacy. - The framing of moderation, tolerance and peaceful dispute resolution positions the summit as both a religious gathering and a soft-power diplomatic exercise. What’s next: - The Global Diplomacy Award will be used to recognize individuals and institutions that contribute to peace, moderation, coexistence and peaceful conflict resolution. - The summit’s closing resolution calls for continued international cooperation and more youth investment, setting up future dialogue on how religious leaders and policymakers can respond to technology-driven risks. - The Muslim World League is expected to continue using its global network and multilateral standing to advance the summit’s themes. The bottom line: - Kuala Lumpur’s summit cast religious leadership as part of the response to conflict, extremism and the social pressures of AI-era change.