Building Belonging, Resilience, and Peace Across a Diverse Continent
Across Europe, where histories, identities, and faith traditions intersect in complex ways, United Religions Initiative (URI) Europe continues to demonstrate that interfaith cooperation is not only possible, it is essential.
In 2025, URI Europe served as a vibrant connector of people and communities, strengthening resilience, amplifying youth leadership, and cultivating spaces where dialogue leads to action.
This year’s work reflects the heart of URI’s purpose: promoting enduring, daily interfaith cooperation; preventing religiously motivated violence; and creating cultures of peace, justice, and healing for all.
Europe at a Glance (2025)
This growth signals not only expansion, but trust—communities across Europe choosing URI as a home for collaboration, learning, and shared action.
Deepening Resilience in a Time of Uncertainty
The Resilience Series - a Cross-Regional Collaboration
In a year marked by social polarization, war, displacement, and collective fatigue, URI Europe invested deeply in resilience as a peacebuilding practice.
Through the Resilience Series, developed in partnership with URI Multiregion, URI Europe convened global conversations on mental health, personal peace practices, and community strength.
What began as workshops evolved into a widely shared Community Resilience Publication and, in 2025, into an innovative Resilience Mapping Initiative.
Impact highlights:
- 100+ participants from across the world joined online gatherings
- Over 1,500 views of the Community Resilience Publication
- 20+ Cooperation Circles and Individual Members directly contributed to content and mapping
These efforts equipped grassroots leaders with practical tools while reminding them they are not alone part of a global community learning and healing together.
Knowledge That Builds Bridges
ABC of Interfaith Dialogue Publication
URI Europe helped make interfaith dialogue more accessible through the publication ABC of Interfaith Dialogue, a practical, multilingual resource offering key definitions, histories, and concepts essential for understanding across faiths.
Produced through the KAICIID Fellows Programme and in collaboration with Religions for Peace Europe and Youth for Peace (Bosnia and Herzegovina), the publication is now available in Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian, English, and French.
Impact highlights:
- 4,000+ online views
- Widely used by NGOs, youth leaders, educators, and religious communities
- Translated and amplified by Cooperation Circle members themselves
This publication exemplifies URI Europe’s commitment to shared knowledge as a foundation for respectful dialogue and collective action.
Living Dialogue: The Pentecost Interfaith Conference
“Only Together Are We Strong” – Germany, June 2025
The 35th Pentecost Interfaith Conference brought together 31 participants from four countries, representing Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Humanist, Atheist, and Agnostic traditions during a rare calendar overlap of Pentecost and Eid al-Adha.
Over four days, participants explored migration, social movements, sacred texts, music, prayer, and lived experiences of displacement and hope. Among them were humanitarian workers, community leaders, and a former refugee whose story grounded dialogue in lived reality.
Why it mattered:
- Intergenerational participation, with ages ranging from 14 to 70+
- Shared spiritual practices, including Islamic Dhikr and ecumenical Christian worship
- Renewed commitment to interfaith cooperation amid growing polarization
For many, the conference was not just an event, but a healing space, one that affirmed dignity, belonging, and shared humanity.
Youth Leading the Flow of Peace
Interfaith Youth Camp: Rivers of Peace – Bulgaria
In August 2025, URI Europe, together with BRIDGES Cooperation Circle, hosted the Rivers of Peace interfaith youth camp in Ruse, Bulgaria. Inspired by the Danube River, connecting ten countries. The camp symbolized connection across borders, beliefs, and cultures.
Who participated:
- 30 youth (ages 15–17) from 7 countries
- 9 trained youth facilitators from 4 countries
- Representation from 5 Cooperation Circles
Over five days, participants engaged in dialogue, ecology, art, and peacebuilding, building friendships that crossed religious and national lines. The presence of URI Europe and URI Global leadership, alongside local government partners, affirmed youth as central to the future of peace.
A high-level meeting with the Municipality of Ruse resulted in commitments for continued collaboration, positioning the city as a model for youth-centered interfaith engagement in Europe.
Everyday Spaces of Connection
Chai with URI Europe and Regional Dialogues
From intimate online gatherings like Chai with URI Europe to public webinars on religious literacy, URI Europe continued to nurture spaces of listening and reflection. These forums, often drawing participants from across continents allowed ideas from global gatherings to take root locally, strengthening relationships and shared vision.
Human Stories at the Heart of Impact
My name is Sophia A. and I attended the Whitsun Conference for the first time this year. I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot about religions, especially about Sufism. I really enjoyed the Dhikr on Saturday evening with the chanting. But my highlight was the poem that Ahmed wrote about his childhood. It really moved me. The house and the surroundings were also really great: I liked our room with the idyllic view and I thought it was great that I could visit horses nearby and play the piano in the common room. All the people I spoke to were very nice and helpful. It was a shame that I couldn't do childcare, but maybe that will work out in the future. I would love to come back next year.
Sophia A., 14 years
It was just three days, but it felt like three hours. That’s how it is in moments of joy, time simply flies. The interfaith conference was deeply inspiring. The program was thoughtfully put together, with meaningful workshops, delicious food prepared with care, and the company of kind, like-minded people. Young and old, each person brought something special, enriching the lives of those around them.
I especially appreciated the prayer and meditation sessions. They felt healing — a kind of nourishment for the mind, body, and soul.
It was a wonderful chance to learn new things, meet new people, and grow through both.
My time at the conference was calm, and full of learning.
I’m deeply grateful to URI, the organizers, and the donors. It takes quiet strength, vision, and generosity to bring people together like this. None of it is easy. But they made it possible.
Ahmad S., 34 years
(Afghani refugee from Afghan CC, now in Germany)
These stories remind us that impact is not only measured in numbers, but in transformed lives—people who feel seen, valued, and empowered to act for peace.
Looking Ahead
As Europe faces continued social fragmentation and rising polarization, URI Europe is committed to:
- Expanding youth leadership pathways
- Deepening resilience and violence prevention work
- Strengthening partnerships with civil society and public institutions
- Supporting Cooperation Circles with shared tools, learning, and visibility
With a sustained donor partnership, URI Europe will continue to turn dialogue into durable peace rooted in communities, led by youth, and guided by shared values.
Together, Europe’s many voices are becoming one movement for peace.
