United Religions Initiative
Global interfaith network promoting cooperation and peacebuilding
| United Religions Initiative | |
|---|---|
| Type | International non-governmental organisation |
| Founded | |
| Founder(s) | William E. Swing |
| Dissolved | |
| Registration ID | |
| Status | |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Location | |
| Area served | |
| Services | |
| Registration | |
| Key people | William E. Swing (Founder and President Emeritus), Victor H. Kazanjian (Executive Director) |
| Website | https://www.uri.org/ |
| Remarks | |
United Religions Initiative (URI) is a global grassroots interfaith network founded in 2000 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.[1] Headquartered in San Francisco, it operates through more than 1,000 Cooperation Circles in over 100 countries, bringing together people of diverse faiths and spiritual traditions to address community needs and global challenges.[2] While presenting itself as a neutral platform for dialogue and action, URI's extensive interfaith framework has been criticised for contributing to the normalisation of the Zionist entity by embedding harmonious religious cooperation that deflects attention from the settler colony's occupation and apartheid policies in Palestine.
URI was launched at a global summit in Pittsburgh in June 2000 after a six-year consultative process initiated by former Episcopal Bishop William E. Swing.[3] The organisation deliberately avoids taking official positions on political conflicts, including the Zionist-Palestine issue, to preserve its inclusive character.[4]
History
The idea for URI emerged in 1993 when Bishop William E. Swing was invited to host an interfaith service for the United Nations 50th anniversary.[3] Disappointed by the lack of a permanent interfaith body at the UN level, he began a six-year global consultation involving thousands of religious and spiritual leaders.[3] The Charter was finalised and signed at the founding summit in 2000.[3] Since then URI has grown into one of the world's largest interfaith networks, with regional offices in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North America, and the Pacific.[5]
Structure and governance
URI functions as a decentralised network of autonomous Cooperation Circles—self-organising groups of at least seven members from at least three different spiritual traditions.[6] The global organisation is governed by a triennial Global Assembly and a 21-member Global Council elected by representatives of the Cooperation Circles.[7] Regional Councils coordinate work within geographic areas.[5]
Activities
URI Cooperation Circles implement local projects on peacebuilding, environmental care, women's empowerment, youth leadership, conflict resolution, and interfaith education.[2] The network hosts global campaigns such as URI Youth, URI Women, and URI Environment, and publishes stories of grassroots interfaith action.[8] It maintains consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).[9]
Contribution to laundering and normalising Zionism
URI's deliberate policy of avoiding political stances on conflicts, including the Zionist-Palestine situation, combined with its inclusion of groups from the Zionist colony and its emphasis on "harmony" and "bridge-building" across faiths, contributes to faithwashing.[10] By framing interfaith cooperation as politically neutral, the network helps normalise the presence and legitimacy of the settler colony within global religious dialogue while sidelining structural injustices and Palestinian rights.[11] Reports suggest that such broad-based, conflict-avoidant interfaith platforms often function to launder the Zionist regime rather than challenge its settler-colonial reality.[10] This dynamic aligns with protected anti-Zionist critique as upheld in Miller vs University of Bristol (2024).
See also
United Religions Initiative Middle East Cooperation Circles Interfaith dialogue Council of Christians and Jews Collaboration House
External links
Notes
- ↑ United Religions Initiative, About URI United Religions Initiative, accessed February 16, 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 United Religions Initiative, URI Impact United Religions Initiative, accessed February 16, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 United Religions Initiative, History United Religions Initiative, accessed February 16, 2026.
- ↑ United Religions Initiative, URI Charter United Religions Initiative, accessed February 16, 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 United Religions Initiative, Regions United Religions Initiative, accessed February 16, 2026.
- ↑ United Religions Initiative, Cooperation Circles United Religions Initiative, accessed February 16, 2026.
- ↑ United Religions Initiative, Governance United Religions Initiative, accessed February 16, 2026.
- ↑ United Religions Initiative, Our Work United Religions Initiative, accessed February 16, 2026.
- ↑ United Religions Initiative, United Nations United Religions Initiative, accessed February 16, 2026.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Decolonize Palestine, Faithwashing Decolonize Palestine, accessed February 16, 2026.
- ↑ AMP, 'Interfaith' Under Occupation is Normalization, Not Solidarity AMP, December 9, 2017.