A guard of honour was present at the airport, where leaders of the Jamat and AKDN bid Hazar Imam farewell prior to his departure.

Hazar Imam visited Portugal at the invitation of the Portuguese government. The visit coincided with the Diamond Jubilee Celebration, which saw members of the Jamat from over 45 countries around the world congregate at the Parques das Nações.

While in Portugal, Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the President and Prime Minister of Portugal, delivered an historic address to the Portuguese Parliament, met with the Jamat of the Portugal jurisdiction, and granted a Darbar attended by the Jamat from around the world. In one of the most significant moments of the visit, Mawlana Hazar Imam officially designated the premises located at Rua Marquês de Fronteira in Lisbon — the Henrique de Mendonça Palace — as the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat, and declared that it be known as the “Diwan of the Ismaili Imamat.”

During this Diamond Jubilee year, Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the Jamat in a number of countries around the world including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and Portugal. During those visits, which were at the invitation of their respective governments, Mawlana Hazar Imam met with various leaders of the government, civil society institutions, and development organisations.

A number of projects and initiatives were also announced or launched during the Diamond Jubilee year, including Sunder Nursery, a new 90-acre city park in New Delhi, India; the Global Centre for Pluralism’s first Global Pluralism Awards; the Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (CIME) at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan; the Ismaili Centre Houston, the Aga Khan Centre in London, United Kingdom; the Aga Khan Garden in Edmonton, Canada; the establishment of the Aga Khan Music Awards, and scientific and technical research grants initiated in Portugal.

These initiatives reflect goals set for the Diamond Jubilee, which build on longstanding priorities of the Ismaili Imamat. These priority areas include poverty alleviation, as well as ensuring access to education; early childhood development programmes; quality health care, and safe and secure housing; building spaces for social and cultural gathering, intellectual engagement and reflection, and spiritual contemplation; and economic opportunities that foster sustainability and growth. Initiatives during the Diamond Jubilee, like previous Jubilees, will create institutions and programmes to help improve the quality of life for people around the world.