Terror attacks on places of worship in New Zealand and Sri Lanka this year show what extremists will do to drive people and societies apart, but a united global effort has tremendous power to defeat these evils, King Abdullah II of Jordan said yesterday.

Speaking to 1,000 participants at the inaugural International Conference on Cohesive Societies at Raffles City, the King suggested that people who seek peace and harmony gather their forces, seize modern technology to address hatred, and commit to combating divisive ideology for the long term.

The King, who was on a two-day state visit, also met Singaporean and Jordanian business leaders at a roundtable, and visited Nanyang Technological University. In the evening, he received a ceremonial welcome at the Istana, where he paid a courtesy call on President Halimah Yacob, met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and was hosted to a state banquet before he left Singapore.

The leaders agreed on the importance of inter-faith dialogue, and discussed regional developments and counter-radicalisation.

Two agreements on a bilateral consultation mechanism and on water resources management were also signed between Singapore and Jordan.