World Interfaith Harmony Week: Connecting faith communities
Baku, February 2, AZERTAC
Building on international efforts within the United Nations agenda on a culture of peace and interreligious and intercultural dialogue, World Interfaith Harmony Week, observed annually during the first week of February, provides an international framework for dialogue and cooperation among religious communities, according to the Universal Peace Federation.
The week was established by the United Nations General Assembly through resolution 65/5 of October 20, 2010, following a proposal introduced at the General Assembly by King Abdullah II of Jordan, whose initiative provided a decisive diplomatic impetus for elevating interreligious harmony to the level of a global United Nations observance. It provides a focused period when faith communities can carry out joint initiatives in conflict prevention, reconciliation, social inclusion, and public awareness of existing interfaith initiatives.
This global observance emerged in parallel with broader efforts to integrate interreligious engagement into international cooperation. Over several decades, states, international organizations, and civil society have developed policy frameworks that recognize the contribution of religious communities to peacebuilding and social stability. Within this wider context, they proposed concrete mechanisms for structured interreligious engagement within the United Nations framework. Among these contributions was the proposal advanced by the founders of the Universal Peace Federation, Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han, to establish an interfaith council within the United Nations system as a complementary body to existing intergovernmental mechanisms.
World Interfaith Harmony Week reflects the cumulative outcome of these parallel and intersecting efforts, as reflected in General Assembly resolution 53/243 on the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, resolution 64/81 on the promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, and resolution 65/5 establishing World Interfaith Harmony Week. In this context, particular recognition is due to the A Common Word initiative, launched in 2007, which provided a sustained theological and ethical foundation for Muslim Christian dialogue and helped normalize faith-based cooperation around shared moral principles. Together, these resolutions affirm interreligious and intercultural dialogue as an integral component of a broader culture of peace.
In this context, recent initiatives undertaken by the Universal Peace Federation, including its global “100 Days of Harmony and Hope” campaign, serve as a practical extension of interreligious values. The campaign ran from October 24, 2025, United Nations Day, and concludes on February 1, 2026, coinciding with the opening of World Interfaith Harmony Week. On this occasion, UPF expresses its appreciation to its Ambassadors for Peace, partner associations, national chapters, and dedicated activists whose sustained effort and commitment made this global initiative possible.
Since the establishment of World Interfaith Harmony Week, UPF and its partners have carried out numerous interfaith initiatives across all regions of the world. Among the most notable of these efforts, in Asia, UPF-Indonesia co-hosted an international interfaith conference with the Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Jakarta, bringing together religious leaders, academics, and government representatives for dialogue and joint prayer. In Africa, the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD-Africa) organized the "Africa Day of Spirituality" in Johannesburg, South Africa, a large-scale gathering of thousands of believers from diverse faiths, both in person and online. In Europe, UPF-Austria convened a conference at the Vienna International Centre to mark the UN World Interfaith Harmony Week, welcoming around 200 participants for discussions on the contribution of faith to peacebuilding. In Latin America, UPF-Argentina held an interreligious forum in La Rioja, dedicated to the defense of religious freedom and dialogue on its contemporary challenges.
Particular appreciation is extended to the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development for its consistent leadership in convening interreligious prayers and reflections. Interfaith prayers were carried out with notable intensity in the United States. Launched in April 2020, the Interfaith Prayer for the Nation and the World became a sustained national and international space for moral reflection and spiritual solidarity, continuing uninterrupted for 300 consecutive weeks until January 1, 2026.
On the occasion of World Interfaith Harmony Week, the Universal Peace Federation calls on religious leaders, institutions, and interfaith councils to deepen sustained dialogue, coordinate practical cooperation, and invest in long-term partnerships that can outlast political cycles. Mutual understanding among faiths requires consistent responsibility and commitment, grounded in the recognition of humanity as One Family under God.
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