2011 - First Week of February: World Interfaith Harmony Week (UN General Assembly resolution 65/5)

2010 - UN International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures

2009 - Secretary-General's report on Developments at the UN in Interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace

2009 - UN International Year of Reconciliation

2008 - World Conference on Dialogue in Madrid proposed that the UN create an interreligious council

2007 & 2008 - High-Level Dialogues on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace in the UN General Assembly, including opportunities for civil-society participation (Reports: 2007 and 2008)

2008 - Focal Point created in ECOSOC for interreligious, intercultural and intercivilizational dialogue and cooperation efforts

2006 - Proposal for a Decade of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding and Cooperation for Peace

2006 - Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace begins hosting joint meetings of UN missions, UN offices, and NGOs)

2005 - Committee of Religious NGOs formed at the UN

2004 - UN NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns began hosting a Week of Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns every fall at the UN in New York

General Assembly Resolutions

Promotion of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding, and Cooperation for Peace, GA 64/81, adopted 7 December 2009

Promotion of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding, and Cooperation for Peace, GA 60/10, adopted 3 November 2005

Promotion of Interreligious Dialogue, GA 59/23, adopted 11 November 2004

Promotion of Religious and Cultural Understanding, Harmony, and Cooperation, GA 58/128, adopted 19 December 2003

References to Religion and Spirituality
In early UN documents
By UN Secretaries-General

UPF's Proposal

Call for an interreligious council at the United Nations [English, Español, Italiano]

The world has great expectations for the United Nations as an organization embodying humanity's aspiration for peace. World peace can be fully accomplished only when the wisdom and efforts of the world's religious leaders, who represent the internal concerns of the mind and conscience, work cooperatively and respectfully with national leaders who have much practical wisdom and worldly experience.

• Overview of the proposal [PowerPoint presentations in English, Español, Français]
• UPF Statement on Interreligious Dialogue
  

High-level consultations

Consultations about the proposal convened by UPF chapters: Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Canada, Georgia, Ghana, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Russia, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, the UK, and the US.

Statements of support:

• elder statesmen
• senior diplomats
  members of parliament and government officials
• NGO leaders
• religious thinkers
• scholars

Sample readings and prayers for use during the World Interfaith Harmony Week, the first week of February each year.

We invite contributions on this topic to the UPF journal Dialogue & Alliance. For more information email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .