The 2021 Parliament of the World’s Religions will be the eighth convening and the first time that it will be hosted virtually.  Recognized as the birthplace of the modern interfaith movement, the 1893 Parliament made history with its groundbreaking interreligious dialogues among leaders of Eastern and Western religious traditions, fostering understanding, cooperation and social harmony. URI will be hosting various sessions throughout the gathering.

Please note, there is an associated cost of $90 USD to attend.

8:00am PDT | 11:00am EDT |
3:00pm GMT

The Covid-19 pandemic, in a multitude of ways, has shown us how interconnected we are. The Living System is our water and oceans, the air and jet streams, the rainforest and topsoil. It is also our daily choices and the impacts we make, positively and negatively, as we strive to live well. What does “living well” in the Living System mean? As people endeavoring to live justly and with spiritual health and wholeness in mind, the United Religions Initiative (URI) is responding to the climate crisis with global and local action. This panel features voices from URI’s global leadership and members of URI’s Cooperation Circles who practice Earth restoration at the grassroots level.

Sponsored by: URI at the Parliament of the World's Religions.

7:00am PDT | 10:00am EDT |
2:00pm GMT

From Bosnia to Kenya to Mexico and India, in this session, participants meet grassroots peacebuilders who are working to build a world of compassion, peace, and justice. United Religions Initiative is a global network that exists to bridge differences between people of all beliefs, create community, and solve local and global challenges. From Uganda, participants hear from the URI Regional Coordinator of Great Lakes, Despina Namwembe, about the ways that religious leaders and communities are supporting women who have been victims of domestic violence.

Sponsored by: URI at the Parliament of the World's Religions.

11:00am PDT | 2:00pm EDT |
6:00pm GMT

This workshop, moderated by Paul Chaffee, is an unabashed tribute to the interfaith movement at the local level as well as an opportunity to identify important challenges ahead through the eyes of four seasoned activists: Aziza Hassan, Heng Sure, Perri ‘P.K.’ McCary, and Ruth Broyde Sharone. Each of them has been deeply involved with interfaith work for more than 30 years. The workshop begins by briefly surveying how interfaith culture has evolved over the past quarter-century. The balance of time focuses on looking forward to how the global interfaith community, starting at the grassroots, can help heal a troubled world. Take the journey with us!

Sponsored by: URI, The Interfaith Observer, and Religions for Peace at the Parliament of the World's Religions.

7:00am PDT | 10:00pm EDT |
3:00pm GMT

Join this session for an interfaith journey through Europe and meet some ordinary people doing extraordinary work in their communities, always with an interfaith component. The journey starts in Bulgaria, flies over to Albania, on to Bosnia and Herzegovina, continues to the Netherlands, and finally reaches Germany. Your travel companions, the panelists, are part of the United Religions Initiative and give insights on how they gain value from the global connections in this network.

Sponsored by: URI Europe at the Parliament of the World's Religions.

6:00pm PDT | 9:00pm EDT |
1:00am GMT

During these tough times,  over a million people have discovered a remarkable resource for hope, connection and illumination. Join us for an inspirational virtual variety show that showcases the brightest leaders and wayshowers of our time. Featuring world-class luminaries, brilliant musicians, light-hearted comedians, and inspirational performers, this super fun show brings both warmth and wisdom during so much uncertainty.

Sponsored by: UNIFY, a URI partner.

JOTA-JOTI (Jamboree-on-the-Air-Jamboree-on-the-Internet) is the world’s largest digital Scout event taking place on the Internet and over the airwaves. Held every year in October, the event connects millions of young people around the world for a full weekend of online activities that promote friendship and global citizenship. URI will be presenting a webinar as part of the programme. This webinar features the stories of two members of Cooperation Circles; Enxhi Lipa from Udhetim i Lire-Liberi di Viaggiare, Albania and Udvas Bhattacharya from Helping Hands CC, India. 

Sponsored by: World Scouts, a URI partner.