| The United Religions
Initiative (URI) is a growing global community
of individuals, organizations, and associations
working to build cultures of peace and justice
for the benefit of the entire Earth Community.
Care for the Earth is central to URI’s vision
and values, which are clearly expressed in its
Charter, the foundation and guide for all URI activities.
Among other stated commitments to diversity, inclusivity,
and nonviolence are the following: “We unite
to heal and protect the earth” (Preamble); “The
purpose of [URI] is . . . to create cultures of
peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all
living beings” (Purpose); and “We act
from sound ecological practices to protect and
preserve the Earth for both present and future
generations” (Principles). Members from different
traditions and locations around the world are continuously
creating the URI through their shared vision, partnerships,
and projects. Although its global coordinating
office is located in San Francisco, URI is a decentralized,
non-hierarchical, and inclusive organization with
regional staffing in seven geographic areas (Africa,
Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean,
the Middle East, North America, and the Pacific).
Self-organizing Cooperation Circles, which operate
locally and are connected globally, form the core
of URI. To qualify as a Cooperation Circle, a group
must have at least seven members from at least
three different religious, spiritual, or indigenous
traditions. Through locally initiated actions,
people from diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds
draw upon their resourcefulness, creativity, and
religious values to deepen their understanding
of other faiths and contribute to positive change
in their communities. Circles take on cooperative
projects of various kinds, some of which focus
specifically on environmental concerns. In India,
for example, Cooperation Circle initiatives include:
tree planting, water and waste management, environmental
programs for youth, and restoration of cremation
grounds. Circles in the United States, such as
Spiritual Alliance for the Earth (SAFE) in the
San Francisco Bay Area and Faith in Place in Chicago,
also focus on environmental issues. In addition
to the Cooperation Circles, which form the heart
of the Initiative, URI is supported by its Affiliates:
individuals and organizations that share its values
and participate in some of its global projects.
At present, there are more than 200 Cooperation
Circles with more than 15,000 members in fourty-seven
different countries.
Together, they represent more than eighty-eight
religious, spiritual, and indigenous traditions
and consist
of women
and men, elders and youth, and people from different
cultures and nations who share a common vision
and commitment to the URI Charter. |
| Inter-religious: Hinduism |
| International |
| 1993–Present |
| The origins of the United Religions
Initiative (URI) date back to an inter-religious
service commemorating the fiftieth anniversary
of the United Nations in San Francisco held in
1995.
When first asked to host the event in 1993, Bishop
William Swing of the Episcopal Diocese of California
decided to launch a worldwide initiative to build
an enduring global organization dedicated to creating
cultures of peace and justice for the entire Earth
Community. URI held the first of five Global Summits
in 1996, the last of which was the URI Charter
Signing in 2000. In addition to its global summits,
URI has sponsored numerous regional summits and
gatherings around the world. Since its founding,
over a million people have participated in URI
events. The Initiative has organized inter-religious
projects in more than sixty countries and generated
a global, inter-religious community of Cooperation
Circles
and Affiliates. |
| “The purpose of the United
Religions Initiative is to promote enduring, daily
interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated
violence and to create cultures of peace, justice,
and healing for the Earth and all living beings.” |
The Chaordic Alliance
Council for
the Parliament of the World’s Religions
Habitat for Humanity
International Interfaith
Organization
Social Innovations in Global Management
United Nations
World Peace Prayer Society |
| None Listed |
| None Listed |
| None Listed |
The
United Religions Initiative
P.O. Box 29242
San Francisco, CA 94129
Ph: 415.561.2300
Fax: 415.561.2313
Email: office@uri.org |
