The United Religions Initiative is a global grassroots interfaith network that cultivates peace and justice by engaging people to bridge religious and cultural differences and work together for the good of their communities and the world. URI implements its mission through self-organizing member groups called Cooperation Circles that engage in community action including conflict resolution and reconciliation, environmental sustainability, education, women’s and youth programs, and advocacy for human rights. The vision for URI was sparked in 1995 when the United Nations invited The Right Rev. William Swing, Founder and President Emeritus, to host an interfaith service commemorating the 50th anniversary of the UN Charter signing—bringing Bishop Swing “a sudden realization that religions, together, have a vocation to be a force for good in the world.” From 1996-2000, people around the world participated in writing URI’s Charter, signed in June 2000, which gives voice to the global community’s collective mission, vision, and values. The Charter’s Preamble, Purpose, and Principles (PPPs) provide a grassroots-based structure for action on behalf of the common good, connecting people across religions and cultures in service of peace and justice through URI’s decentralized network of Cooperation Circles.
Why it matters: URI demonstrates that sustainable peace emerges from grassroots communities bridging religious differences through cooperative action rather than institutional dialogue. Unlike organizations that convene religious leaders, URI’s decentralized Cooperation Circles empower ordinary people to translate shared values into tangible community work—proving that interfaith cooperation doesn’t require abandoning distinctive identities but engaging them as resources for the common good. The collectively written Charter creates a living framework where thousands of grassroots visionaries prove daily that when people of different faiths work together on local issues, they build the engaged, interconnected relationships necessary for a world sustained by respect for diversity and nonviolent resolution of conflict.
