United Religions Initiative

08/14/2026

🌍 *Happy International Youth Day! Ready for the 2026 URI Youth Month Challenge?*

Join us for *4 weeks of action, creativity, connection and reflection* — and become a *URI Youth Champion!*

✨ Here’s what’s coming:

Each week, you’ll receive guiding instructions and resources for the new challenges on: Interfaith Cooperation, Ending Religiously Motivated Violence, Earth Restoration in Action, and Cultures of Peace, Justice, and Healing.

Complete all four and you’ll receive a certificate, an invitation to an exclusive online celebration, and opportunities to have your story and creative work shared by URI.

Ready to take on the challenge?

👉 Sign up here:
https://tinyurl.com/2026YouthChallenge

Contact [email protected] for more information

08/10/2026

🌿 Celebrating Indigenous Peoples and the Wisdom They Carry 🌍

Today, we join our colleagues and friends at URI East India in celebrating the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

Across generations, Indigenous communities have carried deep knowledge of our relationship with the Earth, with our forests, waters, biodiversity, communities, and one another.
Their wisdom reminds us that caring for our planet is not only about technology or innovation.
It is also about respect, responsibility, harmony and living in balance with nature.

URI celebrates the rich diversity of Indigenous traditions and the many ways Indigenous communities contribute to peacebuilding, environmental protection, community resilience and a more sustainable future.

Today, we are invited to:

🌱 Listen to Indigenous voices.
🤝 Learn from their wisdom and work across cultures, faiths and traditions.
🌍 Protect Indigenous lands, cultures and knowledge.
🕊️ Build a future rooted in peace, dignity, justice and care for our shared Earth.

Indigenous wisdom is not simply a memory of the past, it is a gift and a guide for our shared future.

Happy International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples! 💚

08/09/2026

URI Cooperation Circle News from North America

08/09/2026

URI Cooperatoon Circle News from Middle East

EcoPeace recently welcomed a new cohort to its Climate Diplomacy Young Professionals (CDYP) program.

Over the coming months, participants from across the region will explore the links between climate change, water security, environmental cooperation, and conflict resolution while building practical skills for their future careers.

Meanwhile, the previous cohort is preparing for the program’s final phase: an in-person regional exchange bringing together young professionals from Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. Through workshops, dialogue, and shared learning, participants will strengthen the relationships at the heart of regional cooperation.

08/09/2026

URI Cooperation Circle News from Horn of Africa

08/07/2026

Remember. Pray. Act. 🌍

On August 6, we paused to remember the lives forever changed by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But remembrance does not end in a single day.

From August 6–9, we are continuing to Remember, Pray and Act for a world free of nuclear weapons.
As Monica Willard reminds us, building a world free of nuclear weapons begins with each of us, with what we remember, what we pray for, and the actions we choose to take.

💭 Share a thought: What does peace mean to you?

🙏 Share a prayer: What are you holding in your heart for our world?

🌱 Share an action: What have you done, or what will you do, to help build a world where nuclear weapons have no place?

Maybe you lit a candle, gathered with others.
Maybe you prayed, learned something new.
Maybe you spoke up. Or perhaps your action is still waiting to begin.

There is no action too small when it is rooted in hope.

Share yours with us. Let us fill these days with voices, prayers, and actions for a safer, more peaceful world. 💙

Remember. Pray. Act.
Together, we can keep moving toward a world free of nuclear weapons.
Share with us in the comments!

08/06/2026

On August 6, people from around the world will gather to commemorate Nuclear Prayer Day, honoring the lives lost in Hiroshima and Nagasaki while reaffirming our shared commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons.
The program weaves together reflections, prayer, poetry, music, and inspiring stories of hope as voices from across the globe honor the lives lost in Hiroshima and Nagasaki while affirming the enduring promise of Never Again. Participants will experience the symbolic story of the Golden Ginkgo Leaf, hear the voices of those carrying forward the legacy of the Hibakusha, and celebrate the presentation of the 2026 Mikhail Gorbachev–George Shultz Youth Award to Joel Naoki Christoph, whose work exemplifies a new generation's commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons. As we remember the resilience symbolized by Hiroshima's Golden Ginkgo Tree, we are reminded that even after humanity's darkest moments, hope can take root, healing can begin, and peace can grow.

08/05/2026

El Fasher fell after 27 months of warnings. 18 months of siege and a week of atrocities.

Now El Obeid is trapped in the same cycle: half a million people, no power, no water, rising violence against women just for collecting water.

We know how to stop this. Karen Volker, URI Executive Director, writes on why faith and community leaders, credible voices trusted on the ground, are key to breaking cycles of violence before they repeat.

The pattern is predictable. So is the solution. Read More: https://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/04/08/2026/we-know-how-prevent-violence-we-should-apply-same-principles-stop-atrocities-sudan