While addressing Canada's Parliament, the Aga Khan expressed a belief that the country will have an important role as religious hostility and intolerance rise in the world.
The Aga Khan also signed a protocol of understanding with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. It is a commitment between the two to holding annual high-level consultations on a variety of global issues.
The Aga Khan's addressing of Canada's Parliament is a rare happening. He is the first non-head of state to address Parliament since then-United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2004. Prior to Annan, Nelson Mandela spoke in Parliament in 1990 (which was four years before he was elected president of South Africa).
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is headed by the Aga Khan and has contributed tens of millions of dollars toward aid projects throughout Africa and Asia, with a particular emphasis on fostering civil society.
