Charitable giving is closely linked with religions, and can take on many forms, including gifts of time, talent, and funds. His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV discussed Islam’s traditions of giving in this speech at the Conference of Indigenous Philanthropy on 17 October 2000 in Islamabad, Pakistan.

In 2006, a Danish newspaper sparked a global controversy by publishing a series of offensive drawings of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny. Protests and violence erupted around the world, amidst a vigorous debate about freedom and responsibility. His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV spoke about the need for more pluralistic societies in the following excerpts of this speech at the University of Evora in Portugal on 12 February 2006.

To address the unique challenges faced by people living in mountain societies, particularly in Central Asia in the post-Cold War period, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV worked with the governments of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan to establish the University of Central Asia, or UCA. He spoke about the vision for the university in this speech at the inauguration of the first UCA campus in Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic on 19 October 2016.

Global citizenship refers to the idea that all people are connected not just with one country but with a broader global community, and requires a steadfast commitment to the ideals of belonging and inclusion. His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV discussed the importance of global citizenship in the face of growing challenges to pluralism in this speech, made upon receiving the inaugural Adrienne Clarkson Prize for Global Citizenship in Toronto, Canada on 21 September 2016. Please note that although the majority of this speech is in English, it does contain a short section in French. A translation is available in the podcast’s transcript and on the Aga Khan Development Network website.

In Islamic belief, humans are entrusted with the responsibility to care for our worldly environment. In order to combat the threat of climate change, greater focus needs to be placed on finding renewable energy sources. His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV addressed the relationship between environmental goals and development goals in this speech at the foundation ceremony of the Bujagali hydropower project in Jinja, Uganda on 21 August 2007.

Click here to read the speech.

The Madrasa Early Childhood Programme is a partnership between the Aga Khan Foundation and local Muslim organisations, through which over 200 preschools have been established in communities in East Africa. His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV discussed the importance of early childhood development, a period in which the human brain develops most quickly, in this speech at the 25th anniversary of the Madrasa programme, made in Mombasa, Kenya on 14 August 2007.

In previous episodes, we have heard His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV speak about the role of education in strengthening developing societies. He had also discussed the important role that universities and other educational institutions can play in areas relevant to the field of international development, such as government, civil society, ethical literacy, and pluralism. He addressed these issues in this speech at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada on 9 June 2009.

High quality education is a critical way to promote the long-term development of societies by nurturing the growth of future leaders. His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV spoke about the vision of the Aga Khan Academies in this speech at the foundation ceremony of the Aga Khan Academy in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 20 May 2008.

The Muslim world has rich and diverse architectural traditions stretching back centuries. However, in the modern age, these traditions were being lost and were in need of being revitalised. His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV was awarded the National Building Museum’s Vincent Scully Prize in 2005 and participated in a seminar where he made this speech on 26 January 2005 in Washington, DC.

For several decades, Western countries have promoted democratic governance in many parts of the world, including Muslim societies. However, many democracies have struggled in recent years. His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV outlined his views on how to strengthen democracy in this speech at the International New York Times Athens Democracy Forum, held on 15 September 2015 in Athens, Greece.