URI Cooperation Circle & Affiliate Events
Escuela de Amor CC and Of the Indigenous People of Argentina CC, Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 13 and 30
Escuela de Amor CC and Of the Indigenous People of Argentina CC organized visits of two schools to celebrate International Day of Peace. On Tuesday, September 13th, representatives of different faith traditions visited high school students at Michael Ham Memorial College and on Friday, September 30th, they visited Saint George’s School to talk about peace with children ages 6-11 years old.
Women's Interfaith Network of the URI CC, Muir Woods, California, USA September 15
WIN URI CC held a Women’s Peace Walk in Muir Woods on Thursday, September 15 at 10 am to support the efforts of Palestinian and Israeli women currently struggling to build their oasis of peace in the midst of violent conflict raging around us.
The Global Clergy Association Vancouver, BC Cooperation Circle, Vancouver, British Columbia, September 17
The Global Clergy Association Vancouver, BC Cooperation Circle and Northwood United Church held an international peace conference on the theme of “Multifaith Movement Fosters Global Peace,”which included recitation of peace prayers by spiritual leaders, presentations by guest speakers and a group discussion on peace. Click here to read more.
Peace Forum 2011: Pathways to Peace, Berkeley, California, USA September 17
The United Religions Initiative, United Nations Association-East Bay and the Graduate Theological Union organized Peace Forum 2011: Pathways to Peace in conjuction with 11 Days of Global Unity at the Pacific School of Religion. The program featured speakers Charles Gibbs, Executive Director of URI, Maha ElGenaidi from Islamic Networks Group, and Mark Wilson from University of California, Berkeley, and included an interactive discussion.
Youth Society for Peace CC and the Shanti Sewa Ashram, Nepal, September 19-23
Youth Society for Peace CC and the Shanti Sewa Ashram organized five consecutive events in collaboration with local schools, colleges, and places of worship.
- On September 19, a Song, Poem, and Art competition at several local schools.
- On September 20, Society for Value Education, a wing of the Ashram organized a youth conference for 150 students from different schools and colleges of Kathmandu, Lalitupr and Bhaktapur districts on the theme “Make Your Voice Heard.”
- On September 21, a peace prayer and peace lamp lighting was held in three different local temples.
- On September 22, Youth Society for Peace (YSP), a URI CC, hosted talk programs on contemporary issues such as ethic education, environment and spirituality at different schools and colleges on the topic of “Youth for Peace Society.”
- On September 23, the Shanti Sewa Ashram held a Special Satsang (Interfaith Prayers)in the Peace Service Center.
Interfaith Circle of Love, Seattle, Washington, USA September 21
Interfaith Community Church and URI CC Interfaith Circle of Love, in collaboration with Red Cedar Circle hosted a gathering to listen and share stories of peacemakers and peacemaking and sing songs, followed by a potluck in the tradition of northwest coastal First Peoples.
URI-Great Lakes, Uganda, September 17-21
The URI–Great Lakes office together with Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative CC, Youth Interfaith Partnership CC, Latter Glory of Religions in Busoga CC and Youth Interfaith Mission Uganda CC participated in the IDP National celebrations in Gulu district in northern Uganda. Read more
Volunteering for Peace CC, Bethlehem, Palestine, September 21
Volunteering for Peace CC organized an interfaith gathering which included a candle lighting ceremony and march for peace in Bethlehem, Palestine. Click here for a report.
Fundación Proyecto 3er Milenio CC and Misiones Unidas CC, Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 21
Fundación Proyecto 3er Milenio CC and Misiones Unidas CC and other local peace organizations in Buenos Aires met to ring bells for peace and plant trees together in a square in Belgrano.
URI of Mid-Hudson Valley CC, New York, USA, September 21
URI of Mid-Hudson Valley CC organized “IDP – A Tribute to Our Local Waterways” with co-sponsors The Lower Esopus Watershed Project and Catskill Mountainkeeper. The event was a multi-faith ceremony and environmental awareness event.
Just Vision CC, September 21
Budrus is an award-winning feature documentary film about a Palestinian community organizer, Ayed Morrar, who unites local Fatah and Hamas members along with Israeli supporters in an unarmed movement to save his village of Budrus from destruction by Israel’s Separation Barrier. The film was made available online for free for 24 hours on September 21, accessible by anyone living in the US at http://mubi.com/films/budrus.
COMMON CC (The Centre of Melbourne MultiFaith & Others Network), Melbourne, Australia, September 21
COMMON CC, hosted “Sharing our Environment,” a free evening of learning and sharing about the environment, with a vegetarian meal provided. Click here to see the flyer.
Interfaith Cooperation Circle of Central Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, September 21
Interfaith Cooperation Circle of Central Virginia hosted two peace day celebrations. The evening Peace Day celebration featured peace-related music and improvisational theatre. The events were co-sponsored by the Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice, the Senior Center, and other partners.
Bethak CC, Khanewal, Pakistan, September 21
Cick here for a report and photos.
Peacemakers CC, Muslim-Christian Youth for Peace and Development CC and URI-SEAPac, Quezon City, Philippines, September 21
A celebration by The Peacemakers Circle CC, Muslim-Christian Youth for Peace and Development CC and URI Southeast Asia and the Pacific included interfaith prayers, exhibits, and games for the hundreds of youth that participated. The event "aimed to raise awareness on the IDP, enlist public support for the Peace Process in the Philippines and also to ask for ceasefire in the conflict areas." Click here for a post by the Peacemakers CC. Click here for a report from URI-SEAPac.
re:Generation CC (fka Salaam Shalom Educational Foundation), Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, September 21
re:Generation co-sponsored a picnic in the park that included a "BeThePeace" walk, peace dialogue and family art projects. Click here for details.
United Religions Initiative of Charlotte CC, Charlotte, NC, USA, September 21
URI of Charlotte held an evening event for people of different faiths at the Sam Lerner Center for Cultural Arts at Shalom Park.
Iris Women CC, Quested Peace CC and URI-MENA, Amman, Jordan September 24
URI-MENA members in Jordan celebrated IDP with 100 poor children from a village outside of Amman, bringing gifts and entertainment. Click here to read more.
Faith 2 Faith CC, Huddersfield, UK, September 21
Faith 2 Faith Coordinator Kiran Bali, Chair of the Huddersfield Interfaith Council, organized a peace ceremony at the local Hindu temple.
ABC4All Pakistan CC, Lahore, Pakistan, September 21, October 1 & October 2
ABC4All Pakistan CC organized a peace rally with the Global Healing Initiative Pakistan and other NGOs. Celebrations were also held with students at the ABC4All school and the IGM church.
Suchetena CC, Bankura, India, September 21
Suchetena CC organized a program with the Leprosy Mission International and Church of North India (CNI), including a quiz and student dance performance. Click here for photos and a report.
Bangalore South CC, Bangalore, India, September 21
Bangalore South CC held a program and essay competition at the Govt. First Grade College Jayanagar Bangalore. Read more.
Foro Espiritual de Santiago para la Paz CC, Santiago, Chile, September 21-25
Foro Espiritual de Santiago para la Paz CC has organized and promoted IDP events in Santiago since 2001, including an interfaith prayer ceremony with more than 300 people this year, peace prayers in the communities and IDP programming for schools. Read more.
URI Foundation Kenya and CC members, September 25, Nairobi, Kenya
URI Foundation Kenya organized an interfaith gathering for 100 diverse peeople at the Bahai Center with participation from the United Religions of Nairobi CC, Salaam CC, Prayer for Peace CC and the Single & Window/Widowers Association SAWA CC. Read more.
Iraqi Youth for Dialogue and Coexistence CC, Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 20-23
Iraqi Youth for Dialogue and Coexistence CC held a youth camp for 100 people with workshops and service projects. Read more.
Interfaith Peacebuilding Initiative CC and URI Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, September 21
IPI CC and URI Africa celebrated peace day with an event that drew over 1000 people, at which they presented their annual Africa Peace Award. Read more.
URI India-North Zone, Divya Sanskriti Pratisthathan CC and Harijan Sewak Sangh CC, September 21, India
Divya Sanskriti Pratisthathan CC, Harijan Sewak Sangh CC and the URI India-North Zone held a peace festival and candle light march. Read more
URI Korea CC, September 20-21, Seoul and Gyeongju, Korea
URI Korea helped organize a URI Peace Forum at Suunhoegwan in Seoul on the eve of IDP, and a Peace Concert and Peace Prayer Ceremony at Dongguk University campus in Gyeongju. 5000 people attended the events, and they were broadcast accross Korea by the news media.
Anando CC and Flower Exchange Initiative CC, September 21, Anando-Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh
Anando CC and Flower Exchange Initiative CC held a rally with more than 250 students and a discussion meeting with more than 200 people of different faiths and stations in an area that is still affected by a 22-year conflict between the indigenous community and the government, despite the signing of a peace treaty in 1997. Read more.
Youth Peace Revolution CC, Sialkot and Lahore, Pakistan, September 25 and 28
Youth Peace Revolution CC held two celebrations for IDP, one in Sialkot, where many of its members live, and another at its office in Lahore.
Golden Rule Award, Finland, September 21
The Finland Interfaith Dialogue Network (Forum of Religions and Convictions in Helsinki CC) issued its annual Golden Rule award to Father James Channan of Pakistan. Read more.
Global and Regional URI Events
United Nations Student Observance, New York, United States, September 15
United Religions Initiative is one of four NGOs that helps organize the International Day of Peace Student Observance, held annually. The morning began with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ringing the Peace Bell in the UN Garden, surrounded by 194 youth holding the flags of all the UN Member States. His address was followed by a panel discussion, and the event closed with a World Peace Flag Ceremony led by URI's Deborah Moldow. Click here to view a webcast.
The Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, New York, United States, September 21
The Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, headed by URI's UN representative Monica Willard, held a luncheon with a panel and group discussion at the UN's Church Center. In attendance were two leaders of the Pakistan Council for Social Welfare and Human Rights CC. Read the Pakistan Council's report.
11 Days of Global Unity, 11 Ways to Change the World, September 11-21
United Religions Initiative and We, The World, in consultation with Pathways to Peace and the World Peace Prayer Society launched a campaign to build an unprecedented coalition of organizations and other changes agents to take action in "11 Days - 11 Ways" for a peaceful, just and sustainable world.
The Week of Global Interreligious Dialogue September 15-21
During the week of September 15-21, individuals and organizations around the world are encouraged to share their religious, spiritual, and cultural values and traditions in celebration of the United Nations International Day of Peace: “…a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honor a cessation of hostilities.” Organizers include the Global Family for Love and Peace CC and the United Religions Intiative at the UN CC.
"Intolerance Ends With Me", September 1- November 16
On September 1, United Religions Initiative launched a global campaign, "Intolerance Ends with Me," inviting all of our friends around the world to pledge on-line to take action every day for a month to help end intolerance in their communities.
Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons CC, September 20
Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons, a URI CC organized a conference call on the theme "At the Moral Core of Nuclear Weapons." Peace, security, and disarmament leaders discussed the spiritual, financial, political and scientific urgency in mobilizing a coordinated response from people of faith to the threat of nuclear weapons. Click herefor more information.
1000Kalema Competition, September 21
The 1000Kalema Photographic Competition closed on the International Day of Peace on September 21st. It was open to individuals of all ages who are a part of, work with, organize and/or participate in peacemaking activities. Winners will be announced October 1.
URI Pakistan, September 21
The URI Pakistan celebration of IDP took place at the Peace Center in Lahore and included speeches and presentations of poems and songs by young artists. Co-organizers included National Council for Interreligious Dialogue and Minhajul Quran International. Click here to read more.
URI Korea, September 21
URI Korea hosted a Peace Forum in downtown Seoul and a peace prayer and concert at Dongguk University.
URI at the United Nations CC, Dublin, Ireland, August 2011
URI Member and UN co-chair for the UN International Day of Peace, Deborah Moldow gave a presentation on International Day of Peace in Dublin to an IDP team there. Click here to view her presentation.
URI-India South Zone, September 21
More than 400 people participated in an IDP Peace Procession, followed by a music concert, love feast and sramadan (voluntary work), in Kottarakkara, Kerala, India organized by the URI-South Zone office. Participating CCs included Cosmic Community Centre CC, International Centre for Study and Development CC, the Inter-Religious Council CC, Odanavattom, whose music group followed with patriotic songs and conducted the music concert after the procession, Kerala Kavya Kala Sahithy CC, Mata Ikya Vedi CC, Karickam International Public School CC, and Sahredaya Interfaith Forum, Mylom CC.
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Other Global Events
A Million Minutes for Peace, September 21
Odyssey Networks invites people around the world to join in a global prayer for peace at noon on September 21.
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