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World Conference of
Religions for Peace
"Throughout history, religious differences have
divided men and women from their neighbors and have served as justification for
some of humankind's bloodiest conflicts. In the modern world, it has become
clear that people of all religions must bridge these differences and work
together, to ensure our survival and realize the vision of peace that all faiths
share."
(H.R.H. Prince El Hassan bin Talal, Moderator,
Religions for Peace)
The World Conference of Religions for Peace is the
largest international coalition of representatives from the world's great
religions who are dedicated to achieving peace. Respecting cultural differences
while celebrating our common humanity, Religions for Peace is active on every
continent and in some of the most troubled places on earth, creating
multi-religious partnerships that mobilize the moral and social resources of
religious people to address their shared problems.
Religious communities are, without question, the
largest and best-organized civil institutions in the world today, claiming the
allegiance of billions of believers and bridging the divides of race, class and
nationality. They are uniquely equipped to meet the challenges of our time:
resolving conflicts, caring for the sick and needy, promoting peaceful
co-existence among all peoples.
Religions for Peace helps these communities unleash
their enormous potential for common action. Some of Religions for Peace's recent
successes include mediating dialogue among warring factions in Sierra Leone;
building a new climate of reconciliation in Bosnia and Kosovo; organizing an
international network of religious women's organizations; and launching an
extraordinary program to assist the millions of children affected by Africa's
AIDS pandemic, the Hope for African Children Initiative.
The World Conference of Religions for Peace was
founded in 1970 to provide leaders of the world's many religions with a forum in
which they can share common concerns, address collective challenges, and express
their hopes for the future. Since then, Religions for Peace has done just that,
bringing together hundreds of key religious leaders every five years-most
recently in Amman, Jordan, in 1999-for World Assemblies in which people of many
faiths discuss the great issues of our time and affirm their shared commitment
to multi-religious cooperation and common living.
The goals and agendas developed during these truly
inspirational gatherings serve as a foundation for the everyday work of
Religions for Peace around the world. That work focuses on effecting change in
the following areas:
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