PRESS RELEASE
URI-Africa & AFSC signed a cooperation agreement to work in partnership to promote a culture of peace, security and inter-religious harmony in Africa.
Believing strongly in the need for partnership and cooperative spirit between and among the various organizations in Africa to promote a culture of peace, shared security and harmony among followers of different religions, cultures and ethnicities groups, United Religions Initiative (URI) -Africa and American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) formalized the cooperation between the two organizations through a Memorandum of Understanding.
Through this Memorandum of Understanding, URI-Africa and AFSC committed to working together to advance peace, reconciliation, compassion, unity and non-violence, to counter violent extremism, hate speech, radicalization and to promote inter-religious harmony and to lobby for peace policy to be introduced across Africa. The two organizations also agreed to enhance their working partnership to inspire young people to be agent of positive change and to actively engage them in the peacebuilding effort in Africa.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Nairobi, Kenya on February 8, 2016 by Ambassador Mussie Hailu, Regional Director of URI-Africa and Mr. Kennedy S. Akolo, Regional Director of the AFSC-Africa office.
URI is an NGO with Consultative Status with United Nations Economic and Social Council and it is working to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings. The vision of URI-Africa is to see united, prosperous, and peaceful Africa where there is no religious strife and followers of different religions live together in harmony.
URI has 180 member organizations in 31 African countries and it has working partnership with African Union Commission, IGAD, African Media Initiative, Regional Center against Small Arms and Light weapons and other regional organizations.
AFSC, founded in 1917, is an international nonprofit organization whose mission and achievements won worldwide recognition in 1947 when it accepted the Nobel Peace Prize.
AFSC is a Quaker organization that promotes lasting peace with justice as practical expression of faith in action. AFSC started working in Africa in the late 1950s and 60s and today the organization works in Burundi, Kenya, Somalia, and Zimbabwe.
MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH
