[2] The Congress is regularly attended by representatives of the clergy from Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Taoism, and other traditional religions.
[3] The first Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions came to life following the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001, along with Pope John Paul II's second 'Spirit of Assisi' meeting in 2002.
[5] The central topic of discussion was “Religion, Society and International Security.” [5] The congress was recognized in the Congressional Record by Congressman Ben Chandler of Kentucky who called Kazakhstan "a model of religious diversity.
"[6] As a result of the forum, a joint Declaration was adopted calling on representatives of all religions to resolve conflict situations through peaceful dialogue.
[8] 85 delegations from 40 countries attended the congress with the central theme being “Peace and Harmony as the Choice of Mankind.”[8] Within the framework of this forum, the first meeting of the Council of Religious Leaders was held, whose activities are aimed at determining the mechanisms of interaction with other foreign organizations in the cultural and economic spheres.
[10] During the Congress, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Jordan's King Abdullah II.