In a joint statement shared today in honour of the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Violence Based on Religion or Beliefs, leading global multi-religious organizations, Religions for Peace and United Religions Initiative (URI), announced they are “deepening their collaboration on the prevention of religiously motivated violence across the globe. This multi-religious partnership will galvanize other multi-faith groups and peacebuilding allies into common action for our shared goal of positive and lasting peace. We urge others to join us in this effort” said their statement
The need to advance multi-religious collaboration and action against religiously motivated violence
Since signing a Memorandum of Understanding in 2021, both Religions for Peace and United Religions Initiative have been leveraging their resources and networks to advance multi-religious collaboration and action.
“Today, we announce a new initiative under this partnership, aimed at bringing together the world’s religious, faith, and Indigenous leaders and communities in strengthening efforts and capacities to stop the spread of religiously motivated violence. Together, we serve to cultivate a culture of positive and lasting peace, justice, and healing worldwide” reads the joint statement.
To this day, religious and faith communities continue to face harassment and persecution by governments and private groups in various parts of the globe. Religious, spiritual, and Indigenous leaders and actors play a pivotal role in preventing this violence and establishing positive behaviours and actions to counter it.
It is with this understanding, says the declaration, that United Religions Initiative and Religions for Peace commit to build on the strengths and experiences of their respective networks, in a joint effort to call attention to and address religiously motivated violence.
With a focus on evidence-based approaches to stopping the spread of violence, this partnership will strengthen the capacities of religious and faith leaders at the grassroots, national, regional, and global levels.
Together, United Religions Initiative and Religions for Peace will provide additional tools and approaches to religious and faith leaders and scale up documentation of lessons learned and best practices from the joint mobilization of their work.
The important role of media and international organizations
In addition, this collaboration will focus on designing and implementing robust media campaigns and activities aimed at stopping the spread of religiously motivated violence.
Advocacy actions will be targeted towards governments and international organizations whose mandate is to prevent violence based on religion or belief.
A special emphasis will be placed on mobilizing the engagement of the Women and Youth Interfaith Networks, as catalysts of change and drivers of common action and awareness-raising.
More on the organizations
Religions for Peace is the largest representative multi-religious coalition, advancing common action among the world’s faith communities through Interreligious Councils – and their Women of Faith and Interfaith Youth Networks – in over 95 countries and 6 regions.
United Religions Initiative (URI) is the world’s largest interfaith grassroots network of more than 1,100 community-led organizations (Cooperation Circles) working in 110 countries to cultivate peace, justice, and healing worldwide.
