Discover inspiring interfaith peacebuilding initiatives worldwide. Get connected, find resources, and take action for a more peaceful world.

by Taylor O’Connor | 13 November 2024

“There will be no peace among the nations without peace among the religions. There will be no peace among the religions without dialogue among the religions.” – Hans Küng

While never a religious person myself I’ve always been interested in understanding the role of religion in global conflict and in the power of faith leaders and groups to build peace. And in my years working as a peacebuilder I’ve found that faith groups and religious leaders are often involved in peacebuilding efforts.

Recently I’ve been exploring all the ways that faith-based groups, organizations and networks are working for peace worldwide. And there are a lot of them!

So I’ve had to break them down into multiple groups. I wrote a blog post mapping religious and faith-based peacebuilding organizations and networks that mobilize their faith communities for peace activities. And I wrote another mapping interfaith and intercultural dialogue initiatives. This is the last of this mini-series of blog posts. It is focused explicitly on interfaith peacebuilding organizations and networks.

I hope you find some inspiration, resources and ideas in this blog post. I encourage you to find one or more of these organizations that is most interesting to you. Get connected with them. Follow their social media networks and join their email list. Participate in their webinars, conferences and events. Volunteer to help them in their efforts. Open a chapter that carries out their work in your community (i.e. some of them have chapters and affiliates). Or maybe just use what you learn from them to inspire your own interfaith peacebuilding activities.

Lessons learned in mapping interfaith peacebuilding initiatives

Over the course of investigating and mapping these peacebuilding initiatives I learned a lot about the types of projects and activities they conduct, and the key approaches they take.

Types of projects and activities conducted by interfaith peace groups are listed below:

Interfaith and intercultural education programs, including resource creation and media initiatives
Dialogue sessions, public forums, and events fostering interfaith understanding
Community service and social action projects uniting diverse faith groups to address social issues
Workshops and training sessions on interfaith skills
Activism and projects focused on social justice, environmental protection, and economic empowerment through collaboration amongst faith groups

I also learned a lot about the key approaches of many interfaith peacebuilding initiatives. Below are some of my key observations:

A lot of these groups have an explicit link between peace and justice, and some have explicit ways that they apply social justice perspectives and approaches
Most focus on interfaith issues; some also address intra-faith issues (i.e. issues within faith groups and denominations)
A lot have a youth focus, or work on specific issues like women’s empowerment, environmental justice, etc.
Most tend to focus on both personal and social transformation, generally linking the two

Interfaith peacebuilding organizations

In this section I have listed 14 interfaith peacebuilding organizations and provided descriptions about each organization that include a mapping of key activities. All organizations listed here have established websites with resources on interfaith peacebuilding and/or provide a great example of interfaith peacebuilding.

Recognizing that interfaith peacebuilding organizations tend to focus their efforts on one of two areas, I have organized them into two categories:

Interfaith education, learning and encounters
Interfaith networks focused on service and social action

What is included and what is not included

This is not a comprehensive list of every interfaith peacebuilding organization in the world, but a collection of key organizations that are great resources for anyone interested in interfaith peacebuilding.

Recall from the links above that interfaith dialogue initiatives and faith-based peacebuilding initiatives are covered in separate blog posts. See links above to find those. Additionally, the following interfaith peacebuilding organizations are not included:

Local or city-based interfaith peacebuilding initiatives without a well-established website (only Facebook presence or no online presence)
University Peace and Conflict Studies programs that focus on interfaith issues
Peacebuilding organizations for whom interfaith peacebuilding is only one of many activities
Interfaith groups that don’t work for peace or justice
Interfaith groups focused explicitly on freedom of religion and belief
Interfaith efforts of religious leaders

Interfaith education, learning and encounters

Organizations listed below focus their energy on education for interfaith tolerance and understanding. Many manage interfaith and intercultural education programs. Some also produce educational resources or media to amplify their stories of cooperation amongst diverse faith groups. Their activities often include dialogue sessions, public forums, community service projects, workshops and interfaith skills training for a range of stakeholders. Some host dialogues and other events.

Arigatou International

Arigatou International is an organization dedicated to building a better world for children through interfaith and intercultural collaboration. They work to advance children’s rights and well-being by promoting values-based education. Their flagship program, called Ethics Education for Children, supports holistic development and empowers children to be agents of positive change. As part of this program they develop some super amazing curriculum guides called Learning to Live Together which focus on promoting interfaith and intercultural education for children. Using their curriculum guides and teaching approaches they carry out interfaith/intercultural education programs in over 80 countries, collaborating with religious leaders, NGOs, and communities.

Muslims 4 Peace

Muslims 4 Peace is dedicated to fostering understanding and tolerance among people of different religious and ethnic backgrounds. They promote peace by highlighting Islam’s values of non-violence, compassion, and justice, creating a bridge across faiths through. Since their founding in 2001 they have lead a range of activities, including interfaith education activities, community service projects, seminars, discussions, and community events. A big focus of their activities is to bridge divides by bringing individuals from diverse backgrounds together for learning and community service.

Interfaith Center of New York

The Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) engages New York City’s religious and civic leaders to work together and find collaborative solutions to violence, discrimination and associated social issues in the New York area. The ICNY includes individuals from various faith backgrounds like Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Afro Caribbean, and Native American. They conduct religious diversity education programming for teachers, law enforcement and civic leaders. They also host retreats, lead interfaith dialogue actovotoes and lead interfaith discussions on topics ranging from mental health and public safety to religious freedom and immigration.

Salam Institute for Peace and Justice

The Salam Institute for Peace and Justice (Salam Institute) promotes peace, non-violence, and human rights through an Islamic and interfaith perspective. Focused on conflict resolution and sustainable development worldwide, They lead research and conduct trainings on conflict resolution, interfaith understanding, and sustainable development. They also host interfaith and intra-faith dialogues, and support relief efforts in conflict-affected areas. The Institute also produces educational resources on Islamic dialogue, leadership, and conflict resolution, and works to advance curricula on nonviolence and peace from an Islamic perspective to use in Islamic educational settings. They have run a bunch of programs promoting interfaith understanding, particularly in Muslim countries where there is tension or conflict amongst faith groups.

Temple of Understanding

The Temple of Understanding promotes religious pluralism at the United Nations and within UN agencies and initiatives. Founded in 1960, it fosters global citizenship and peaceful coexistence among diverse religions and spiritual traditions through educational programs, youth internships, interfaith dialogues, and cultural events. They host an annual interfaith forum on climate and eco-justice that includes global experts and faith leaders at the UN.

Interfaith Peace Working Group

The Interfaith Peace Working Group (IPWG) is a US-based coalition of faith-based advocates committed to promoting justice, peace, and environmental care through nonviolence. Its main activities include educating the public on nonviolent principles, advocating for reduced U.S. military spending, and collaborating with like-minded organizations on peace-related issues. IPWG also provides resources and information through a quarterly newsletter, organizes speaker events, and sends alerts on urgent peace actions.

Interfaith America (formerly Interfaith Youth Corps)

Interfaith America promotes the cultural value of religious diversity as a unifying strength for America. They train, support and connect leaders of all kinds across the country to promote cooperation amongst diverse faith groups. The organization was founded in 2002 by Eboo Patel. I’ve followed his work since the early days when the group was called Interfaith Youth Corps and worked primarily in Universities around the country. They have since expanded and their work is super inspiring. Now, they work not only at universities, but also at the corporate level, in civic spaces, and even in the healthcare. They publish a great magazine called Interfaith America Magazine and have a podcast called Voices of Interfaith America, each amplifying stories of cooperation amongst diverse faith groups, and promoting their efforts to foster understanding and build bridges across American society.

Interfaith networks focused on service and social action

The organizations listed in this section are mostly focused on collaborative service and/or social action projects. They may include some educational component, but the focus is on action to promote interfaith tolerance in the world around them. The approach tends to be to bring together diverse faith groups and individuals to work together to address a social issue or carry out a service project. Some are more activist or social justice oriented while others conduct activities related to topics like environmental protection, economic empowerment, public health or other topics.

Church of Conscious Objection

Church of Conscious Objection is an interfaith community rooted in religious humanism, committed to peace, social justice, and conscientious objection to war and militarism. Their website hosts a national conscientious objection registry to support individuals who wish to document their opposition to war. They provide support to faith-driven conscientious objectors through local chapters and affiliates, and host online gatherings for spiritual inspiration and practical guidance on conscientious objection.

Faith to Action Network

Faith to Action Network is a global interfaith organization dedicated to promoting family health, women’s rights, and peaceful, inclusive communities through collaboration among diverse religious groups, including Baháʼí, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, and African Traditional faiths. They advocate for social change by amplifying faith-based voices, facilitating interfaith dialogue, and fostering mutual learning across sectors.

Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice

Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice (ICPJ) is a collaborative network dedicated to empowering communities in Michigan, USA to create systemic change for peace centered on racial, economic, and environmental justice. They focus on activities that foster co-learning, healing, conflict resolution, and collaboration to address root causes of violence like poverty, oppression, and environmental degradation. They conduct a range of trainings to provide community members with the tools to make social change, have programs for youth and young people, and have advocacy efforts for local immigration and environmental justice issues. They have a big focus on building inclusive, peaceful communities that emphasize equity and justice for all.

World Faith

World Faith mobilizes youth from diverse religious backgrounds to lead community development projects, fostering mutual understanding through collaborative service projects. They have coordinated projects with over 5,000 volunteers to promote women’s empowerment, public health, and early childhood education in communities worldwide. Key initiatives include literacy and livelihood programs for women, childhood education in disadvantaged communities, and health initiatives that tackle critical public health challenges.

United Religions Initiative

The United Religions Initiative (URI) is a global interfaith network dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and healing by fostering cooperation among diverse religious and cultural communities. Through its local and global initiatives, URI’s member groups, called Cooperation Circles, work on projects focused on one of their 14 action areas including conflict resolution, community building, human rights, interfaith and intercultural dialogue, peacebuilding and conflict transformation, and environmental sustainability among others.

Initiatives of Change International

Initiatives of Change (IofC) began as a spiritual and social movement more than 80 years ago, drawing on the ideas that by applying guiding spiritual values anyone can help create a better society. It has evolved into a global network committed to societal transformation through personal change, with a focus on building trust across the world’s divides. Its programs focus on trustbuilding, ethical leadership, and sustainable living, engaging individuals to foster peace in their lives and empowering them to build peace in the world around them.

Interfaith League Against Poverty (I-LAP)

The Interfaith League Against Poverty (I-LAP), based in Islamabad, Pakistan, is dedicated to promoting religious tolerance, peace, and interfaith harmony to empower marginalized communities across the country. They have tons of programming, all centered around collaboration to promote economic empowerment, education, legal advocacy, emergency relief and address other social issues. I-LAP supports underserved populations regardless of faith or creed, working across 40 districts in Pakistan’s four provinces. They work to foster a peaceful, inclusive society and a vision of creating a new generation of peacebuilders in Pakistan.

Use these resources to take action for peace

I encourage you to dive into these inspiring initiatives and find an interfaith peacebuilding organization that resonates with you. Whether you choose to connect through social media, join an event, volunteer, or even consider starting a local chapter, there are countless ways to get involved and support these efforts. Let this map of organizations be a resource and inspiration as you explore how to contribute to building peace and understanding across faiths in your own community.

If you found this article helpful and want to find more blog posts like this mapping organizations that build peace across a wide array of themes be sure to check out our Resources page!

And if there are any great organizations that are missing on this list and you think it should be added, please submit it at the link HERE. I periodically update my resource posts and use these inputs to help me. Thanks in advance!

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