United Nations Relations
As an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the Universal Peace Federation promotes interfaith understanding, sustainable development, strengthening of marriage and family, mediation of conflict, the empowerment of women and the revitalization of the UN. UPF supports the goals of the UN with programs on occasions such as:
- World Interfaith Harmony Week (first week of February)
- International Women's Day (March 8)
- International Day of Families (May 15)
- Global Day of Parents (June 1)
- International Day of Peace (September 21)
- Written by: Dr. Trevor Edward Jones
Peru—More than 300 participants joined the broadcast of the UN 2022 World Interfaith Harmony Week.
- Written by: Miguel Werner, President, UPF-Argentina
Argentina—Twelve representatives of different religions offered messages for World Interfaith Harmony Week.
- Written by: Konstantin Krylov, secretary general, UPF Eastern Europe
Moscow, Russia—UPF-Russia invited old and new friends to a meeting titled "Harmony-Prayer-Dialogue of Traditions."
- Written by: Franco Ravaglioli, secretary general, UPF-Italy
Rome, Italy—An audience of over 100 participated in an online commemoration of World Interfaith Harmony Week.
- Written by: Dr. Juraj Lajda, president, UPF Czech Republic
Prague, Czech Republic—UPF co-sponsored an interfaith commemoration of World Interfaith Harmony Week.
- Written by: Maria Nazarova, president, UPF-Russia
Moscow, Russia—Spiritual principles that promote unity among nationalities and faiths were emphasized.
- Written by: UPF-Japan
Tokyo, Japan—World Interfaith Harmony Week 2021 was commemorated in Japan at the 113th Inter-Religious Forum, hosted virtually by UPF and the IAPD.
- Written by: Franco Ravaglioli, secretary general, UPF-Italy
Rome, Italy—Building bridges between faith traditions was the theme of a webinar co-sponsored by UPF.
- Written by: Dr. Juraj Lajda, president, UPF-Czech Republic
Prague, Czech Republic—For World Interfaith Harmony Week, the Czech and Slovak UPF chapters held a webinar together.
- Written by: Dmitry Samko, chairman, UPF-Moscow
Moscow, Russia—UPF co-sponsored an international conference on the occasion of World Interfaith Harmony Week.
- Written by: UPF-Nepal
Kathmandu, Nepal—World Interfaith Harmony Week 2021 and the inaugural International Day of Human Fraternity were celebrated in Nepal with a forum.
- Written by: Matías Sayavedra, UPF-Argentina
Paraná, Argentina—Under the theme “Building Bridges Across Borders,” UPF-Argentina planted a tree at the Martin Fierro Park.
- Written by: UPF-USA
United States—IAPD-USA hosted its 2021 UN World Interfaith Harmony Week program on the theme “Building Bridges Across Boundaries.”
- Written by: UPF-Peru
Peru—On February 12, 2021, Peru’s chapter of the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD) celebrated UN World Interfaith Harmony Week 2021, with the main theme “Building Bridges Across Boundaries.”
- Written by: UPF-Brazil
Brazil—The International Association for Peace and Development in Brazil held the program “World Interfaith Harmony Week: Building Bridges Beyond the Frontiers, looking to a unified world of peace under God.
- Written by: Mykhailo Ilin, secretary general, UPF-Ukraine
Kyiv, Ukraine—UPF-Ukraine co-sponsored an international webinar titled "Interreligious and Cultural Harmony."
- Written by: Edina Zsolcsak-Dimitrova, president, FFWPU-Bulgaria
Sofia, Bulgaria—The UN observance was commemorated with a daily online reading of the UPF founder’s words.
- Written by: Aidan Walsh, UPF-International
New York, United States—A UPF webinar commemorated two United Nations observances.
- Written by: Gregor Sattler, UPF-Germany
Bonn, Germany—About 80 participants commemorated the UN observance at a UPF webinar.
- Written by: Vitaly Maksimov, chairman, UPF-Belarus
Minsk, Belarus—UPF representatives took part in two interfaith prayer meetings to mark the United Nations’ observance.
- Written by: Peter Haider, President, UPF-Austria
Vienna, Austria—UPF-Austria held a webinar titled “Interfaith Cooperation as a Basis for Social Cohesion.”
- Written by: UPF-New Zealand
Auckland, New Zealand—UPF-New Zealand commemorated World Interfaith Harmony Week 2021 with a dinner event, whose theme was “Building Bridges Across Boundaries.”
- Written by: Jean-François Moulinet, vice president of UPF-France
Paris, France—An interreligious conference was held online under the theme “Hospitality of Abraham.”
- Written by: Lilly Gundacker, UPF-Austria
Vienna, Austria—UPF co-sponsored a webinar that examined faith-based organizations’ role in bringing peace and preventing crime.