UN Forum Sees Interfaith Dialogue as Essential to Peace

October 8, 2006

Source: Baha'i World News Service

http://news.bahai.org/story.cfm?storyid=484

Last month some 33 governments sent delegations to a special conference here on how religions and governments can work together for peace.

"The High-Level Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace" was sponsored by a unique coalition of governments, United Nations agencies and religious non-governmental organizations, including Baha'i representatives.

Participants said the 21 September event drew a wide range of participation at the UN, reflecting rising concern about the spread of religious intolerance and the need to promote religious dialogue and tolerance as a remedy.

"What was most significant was that perhaps the best represented sector was governments, particularly from the developing world," said Jeffery Huffines, a member of the Committee of Religious Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) at the UN who served on the planning committee for the Conference.