Interfaith Gathering Celebrates Day of Peace in Oslo
Oslo, Norway – Six different faith communities participated in a celebration of the UN International Day of Peace in Oslo. The event took place at the city’s main library on October 19, 2026.
Speakers included Mr. Are Lövenörn Svendsen from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; Mr. Berat Hashani, imam at the Albanian Islamic Culture Center; Mr. Egil Lothe, former leader of the Norwegian Buddhist Federation; Ms. Japleen Kaur, leader of the Young Sikhs at Gurduara Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji; Ms. Mahsa Mahmoodzadeh of the Bahá'í community in Norway; and Ms. Maria Hugues, secretary general of Norwegian Youth Catholics. The speakers shared their perspectives on how each community can contribute to peace.
This year’s theme was "Invest in Peace – Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day." The event was a good opportunity to show that peace is not only politicians' responsibility, but something everyone can contribute to every day, through thoughts, words, attitudes and actions. The UN International Day of Peace encourages us all to be peacemakers, each in our own way.
The event included a peace ceremony in which each speaker poured a glass of water into a common bowl, symbolizing each community’s contribution to our shared society.
A young singer, Ms. Kamila Hemmat, performed a cultural piece with lyrics from a Baha’i prayer, which was much appreciated. She performed for 50,000 people in front of Oslo Town Hall after winning a song competition two years ago. It was a privilege to have her perform at the Peace Day program.
According to Peace Research Institute Oslo, the world is currently experiencing the highest level of conflicts since record-keeping began in 1946. In this context, peace meetings are more important than ever.
