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Inter-religious call to climate action ahead of UN summit

On the eve of the 22 September United Nations Summit on Climate Change representatives of faith communities around the world called on world leaders and on "all people of Earth to accept the reality of the common danger we face, the imperative and responsibility for immediate and decisive action and the opportunity to change."

Christians and Muslims in Western Africa committed to peace

Christian and Muslim leaders from Western Africa have called on the followers of their two religions "to complement each others efforts for peace in society and peaceful co-existence" among the faith communities at a meeting organized by the Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa (PROCMURA) in Accra, Ghana, 24 July 2009.

Christians and Muslims consult on peace in the Horn of Africa

Participants in Christian-Muslim deliberations on conflict resolution in the Horn of Africa are "convinced… that religious leaders have a role and mandate in contributing towards [the] peace and reconciliation process in the region". They have called for "a wider regional peace conference for religious leaders from the Horn of Africa" to be convened by December 2009. Meanwhile, they ask for people of faith to join in prayer as well as in initiatives for spiritual renewal, humanitarian assistance and peace.

Religious leaders should facilitate peace building

Speaking at the Third Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana, Kazakhstan, 1 July, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia said that religious leaders should play a role in building a peaceful society as living models of dialogue and by encouraging youth initiatives.

Faith and values organizations form coalition to advance United Nations Decade for Inter-religious Cooperation for Peace

Some forty-five religious, interfaith, and value-based organizations from five continents agreed to form a coalition to advance a "United Nations Decade for Inter-religious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding, and Cooperation for Peace." Coalition members expressed the hope that the UN Sixty-Fourth General Assembly, which will begin its deliberations in September 2009, will approve a resolution establishing such a decade from 2011-2020.

In Tehran, a Christian-Muslim symposium affirms dialogue, criticizes media

Equal participation and shared responsibility in society are at the basis of a peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims, stated participants at an inter-religious symposium in Tehran, Iran last week. They highlighted the value of learning from each other's faith and criticized "irresponsible media".

World religious leaders commit to uphold human rights

WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia was one of ten world religious leaders who signed a statement entitled "Faith in Human Rights" at an International Inter-religious Conference in The Hague, Netherlands on Wednesday, 10 December.

Global food crisis has a spiritual dimension, says Kobia

For one billion of the world population, "living with constant hunger" is "a normal state". However, there is nothing normal about that fact, which is "a result of the ways our societies have chosen to produce, share, buy and sell food".

Food price crisis: What does it mean? What can we do about it?

The latest issue of the "Contact" magazine, jointly produced by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition (SCN), addresses the current food price crises from various angles. A wide range of authors provide a broad perspective on the causes of the crisis and ideas for advocacy and action to counter it.

Mental health is a community issue

Communities have an important role to play when it comes to mental disorders. This was the unanimous view of experts who spoke at Geneva's Ecumenical Centre on Mental Health Day.

Europe and China: relationship between religion and state is changing

The rapidly changing relationship between religion and state and the challenge of multiple identities were the foci of a lively dialogue between ten Chinese and nine European scholars and religious leaders representing Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and traditional Chinese religions held in Sweden, 3-6 October.