II Congress of world and traditional religions was held in capital city Astana of the Republic of Kazakhstan on 12-13 September, 2006.
Three years later after I Congress, leaders of world and traditional religions met each other in Astana again, and discussed such matters as religious freedom, inter-religious dialogue, and the role of religious leaders in strengthening global security.

The participants adopted a declaration on the results of the Congress, which states their visions of religions' role in the modern world. The declaration incorporates the agreements achieved over the triennial period of joint work and dialogue, oriented to strengthening the role of leaders of world and traditional religions in processes of establishing global peace.

Representatives from Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Taoism and Shinto, international religious organizations including World Conference of religions supporting peace, World Council of Churches were invited to participate in the Congress.

Head of state Nursultan Nazarbaev opened the Second Congress of leaders of world and traditional religions in the Peace and Accord Palace in Astana. 

Distinguished Leaders of World and Traditional Religions,

Dear guests of the Congress,

Three years have passed since the moment when we held our First Congress, which gathered together Leaders of World and Traditional Religions for the first time. As we agreed at that meeting, full of good will and intercession, we are again meeting each other in the heart of Eurasia, in Astana, the new capital of Kazakhstan. Today I am heartily pleased to greet all of you, who promote the light of high spirituality throughout the world, make all efforts to call nations to live in peace, accord and mutual understanding.

As you remember, at that meeting we made a decision to hold the next Congress in a specially built Palace of Peace and Accord. I kept my promise, the unique Palace has been built up according to the design of famous architect Norman Foster. And now I tell you that you are welcome to the Palace, to Kazakhstan!

The four sides of our Palace are oriented to the four sides of the world. In some sense this construction embodies independent Kazakhstan that friendly embraces all people of all nations and practicing different religions. Therefore, in multinational Kazakhstan, populated by people of about 130 nations and 40 confessions, peace, accord and mutual respect were settled in the independence years. Due to that, we have persistently established the Kazakhstani development model and have made impressive progress in the development of our economy.

We, the leaders of world and traditional religions, gathered at our Second Congress in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan:

- building on the success of the First Congress, which took place in the city of Astana on 23-24 September 2003 and engaged internationally recognized world religious leaders in an important initiative of inter-religious dialogue;

- wishing to help strengthen mutual understanding between cultures, religions and ethnic groups which form the basic components of world civilizations, and aiming to prevent conflicts based on cultural and religious differences;

- acknowledging that religion, having always been a fundamental element of human life and society has, at the beginning of the new century, assumed a significant new role in establishing and preserving peace;

- recognizing the great responsibility held by religious leaders for spiritual teaching and advocacy on behalf of current and future generations, and their vital role in establishing a spirit of mutual respect, understanding and acceptance in the face of new challenges;

- underlining the unique character of every religion and culture, and considering cultural and religious diversity to be an important feature of human society;

1. Dialogue shall be based upon honesty, tolerance, humility and mutual respect. It requires effective perception and learning, resulting in performing good deeds.

2. Dialogue shall assume equality of all partners and create the room for free expression of opinions, perspectives and beliefs, including the integrity of each culture, language and traditions.

3. Dialogue shall not be aimed at the conversion  to another faith, as well as to abuse or demonstrate the superiority of one religion over another. It should not be aimed at eliminating differences, but rather at the cognition and res

4. Dialogue assists in avoiding prejudices and misinterpretation of faiths of other religions, thus encouraging their cognition and understanding of them. It helps to prevent conflicts and the use of violence as a means for reducing of tension and resolving dis­putes.

5. Dialogue offers a way towards the peaceful coexistence and fruitful cooperation of peoples. It encourages better education, and may also promote to a better understanding of the dialogue, the importance of mass media and lessen the risk of religious  extremism.

6. Inter-religious dialogue can serve as an example for other kinds of dialogues, especially social and political ones.

7. Dialogue, conducted in a spirit of tolerance, emphasizes that all people inhabit the same globe. This assumes certain shared values such as sacredness of life, dignity of all human beings and the integrity of creation.