World Peace Summit

The World Council of Religious Leaders - Building an Integrated Framework for Peace

"The World Council of Religious Leaders, an independent body, works to bring religious resources to support the work of the United Nations in our common quest for peace. WCRL is not an official part of the United Nations, nor does it have any status with the United Nations."

The formation of the World Council of Religious Leaders was one of the stated goals of the Millennium World Peace Summit. The objective of this Council is to serve as a resource to the United Nations and its agencies around the world, nation states and other international organizations, offering the collective wisdom and resources of the faith traditions toward the resolution of critical global problems.

The launching of the World Council took place in Bangkok on June 12th-14th, 2002, at Buddhamonthon and at UNESCAP. Participants adopted a Charter that outlines key areas in which religious leaders can play an active role in reducing conflict and addressing the critical needs of humankind.

The World Council of Religious Leaders aims to serve as a model and guide for the creation of a community of world religions. It seeks to inspire women and men of all faiths in the pursuit of peace and mutual understanding. It will undertake initiatives that will assist the United Nations and its agencies by providing the spiritual resources of the world's religious traditions in the prevention, resolution and healing of conflicts, and in addressing global social and environmental problems. By promoting the universal human values shared by all religious traditions and by uniting the human community for times of world prayer and meditation, the Council seeks to aid in the development of the inner qualities and external conditions needed for the creation of a more peaceful, just and sustainable world society.

The role of religious leaders has never been more important in helping to set a new direction for the human community. The World Council will encourage the religious traditions and the United Nations to work in closer cooperation in building a community of the world's religions to work for the benefit of the global family. In a fragile world that grows increasingly violent, we are coming together to further dialogue and to build a foundation of trust so that religious leaders can be an effective and powerful vehicle for peace.