__Mission__
The mission of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions is to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its other guiding institutions in order to achieve a peaceful, just, and sustainable world.
__Vision__
The vision of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions is of a just, peaceful and sustainable world in which:
* The Earth and all life are cherished, protected, healed and restored
* Religious and cultural fears and hatreds are replaced with understanding and respect
* People everywhere come to know and care for their neighbors
* The richness of human and religious diversity is woven into the fabric of communal, civil, societal and global life
* The world's most powerful and influential institutions move beyond narrow self-interest to realize the common good
* Religious and spiritual communities live in harmony and contribute to a better world from their riches of wisdom and compassion
* All people commit to living out their highest values and aspirations
__History__
1893 Parliament, Chicago, USA
The Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions (CPWR) officially dates from 1988 when two monks from the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago suggsted organizing a centennial celebration of the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago in conjunction with the Columbian Exposition.
The 1893 Parliament had marked the first formal gathering of representatives of eastern and western spiritual traditions. Today it is recognized as the occasion of the birth of formal interreligious dialogue worldwide.
1993 Parliament of the World's Religions, Chicago, U.S.A.
In 1993, the Parliament of the World's Religions was convened in Chicago, with 8,000 people from all over the world coming together to celebrate diversity and harmony and to explore religious and spiritual responses to the critical issues which confront us all.
At the 1993 Parliament, an assembly of religious and spiritual leaders gave its assent to a groundbreaking document, Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration. The declaration is a powerful statement of the ethical common ground shared by the world's religious and spiritual traditions.
In 1996 CPWR began the "Creating Community Vision" program in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, to foster stronger relationships between diverse religious and spiritual communities.
This program, based on a methodology of encounter, dialogue, and cooperation, has become the process by which CPWR has successfully organized and engaged religious and spiritual communities across the world. Through the years, the individuals participating in "Creating Community Vision" have joined together to address issues that affect their entire neighborhood. They have come together to support each other in times of tragedy and celebration. In this way they have formed a vital framework for ongoing cooperation for the purpose of creating a stronger, more cohesive neighborhood.
In 2001, CPWR began a similar community building program in the town of Skokie, Illinois.
1999 Parliament of the World's Religions, Cape Town, South Africa
In cooperation with its partners in South Africa, CPWR hosted the second modern day Parliament of the World's Religions in Cape Town, South Africa in December 1999.
The religious and spiritual communities of South Africa were integral to ending the system of Apartheid that prevailed throughout their country. These same communities continue to play a key role in the movement of reconciliation. Holding the 1999 Parliament in Cape Town provided thousands of people with the opportunity to witness first-hand the role that religion and spirituality played in creating a new South African nation.
The 1999 Parliament attracted 7,000 individuals from over 80 countries. Participants were invited to attend any of the 860 workshops, performances, lectures, panel discussions, and meditation sessions. Participants were also encouraged to attend evening plenary sessions led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, and other religious, civic, governmental, and educational activists.
At the 1999 Parliament, CPWR presented a new document, A Call to Our Guiding Institutions - addressed to religion, government, business, education, and media - to invite these institutions to reflect on and transform their roles at the threshold of the next century.
In 2001, Board of Trustees adopted a five-year strategic plan to integrate the local and global dimensions of its work. In short, the Council is committed to:
* Convening periodic international Parliaments of the World's Religions roughly every five years
* Fostering an international network of religous and spiritual leaders and members of the world's other sectors, such as media, government, medicine, and education, to address issues of peace, justice, and sustainability at the global level
* Create a network of grassroots-based Partner Cities around the world whose actions in the interreligious movement affect positive change both locally and globally
* Nurture and broaden the interreligious movement in Chicago
__External Links__
Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions website
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