2010 - UN International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures

2010 - General Assembly Resolution at the close of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, 2001-2010

2009 - Secretary-General's report on Developments at the UN in Interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace

2009 - UN International Year of Reconciliation

2008 - World Conference on Dialogue in Madrid proposed that the UN create an interreligious council

2007 & 2008 - High-Level Dialogues on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace including opportunities for civil-society participation (Reports: 2007 and 2008)

2007 - Focal Point created in ECOSOC for interreligious, intercultural and intercivilizational dialogue and cooperation efforts

2006 - Proposal for a Decade of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding and Cooperation for Peace

2006 - Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace begins hosting joint meetings of UN missions, UN offices, and NGOs)

2005 - Committee of Religious NGOs formed at the UN

2004 - UN NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns began hosting a Week of Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns every fall at the UN in New York

General Assembly Resolutions

Promotion of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding, and Cooperation for Peace, GA 64/81, adopted 7 December 2009

Promotion of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding, and Cooperation for Peace, GA 60/10, adopted 3 November 2005

Promotion of Interreligious Dialogue, GA 59/23, adopted 11 November 2004

Promotion of Religious and Cultural Understanding, Harmony, and Cooperation, GA 58/128, adopted 19 December 2003

References to religion and spirituality

In early UN documents
By UN Secretaries-General

UPF's Proposal

Call for an interreligious council at the United Nations

The world has great expectations for the United Nations as an organization embodying humanity's aspiration for peace. World peace can be fully accomplished only when the wisdom and efforts of the world's religious leaders, who represent the internal concerns of the mind and conscience, work cooperatively and respectfully with national leaders who have much practical wisdom and worldly experience.

• PowerPoint overview of the proposal
• Developments to date

High-level consultations: Summer 2010

National UPF chapters are convening high-level consultations to suggest ways to advance the proposal:

Reports from Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, and the UK
Additional consultations:

• Israel (August 23)

Please send essays and reports to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Statements of support:

• elder statesmen
• senior diplomats
  members of parliament and government officials
• NGO leaders
• religious thinkers
• scholars

Examples of interreligious cooperation across national boundaries