1. Father Walid Moussa welcomed colleagues from around the world to the 2009 IAU conference at Notre Dame University in Lebanon, hoping it would provide an opportunity to learn about Lebanon's diversity and culture of dialogue. 2. He acknowledged Lebanon's political tensions but emphasized that social cohesion remained strong and parties engaged in active dialogue. 3. Moussa argued that Lebanon successfully embraced religious diversity through freedom of expression and preventing foreign interference, and higher education has an important role in fostering understanding between groups.