URI is excited to welcome Eric Roux, as the Fifth Global Council Chair.
– The Right Rev. William E. Swing
Founding Trustee and President Emeritus
September 2024. United Religions Initiative (URI) is honored to welcome newly elected Eric Roux as Chair of the Global Council. His vision that religious diversity must include all beliefs, spiritual traditions, and Indigenous wisdom in positive collaboration reflects the core spirit of URI.
Eric Roux is a respected leader who will help carry forward URI’s important mission as well as continued implementation of its audacious and innovative organizational form...
– Preeta Bansal
Former URI Global Council Chair
Eric Roux is an interfaith activist, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) advocate, and religious leader. He brings years of experience and dedication to fostering global religious discussions and advancing URI purposes.
In 2013, Eric became an active member of URI, when he first joined as Chair of the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom (EIFRF), a URI Cooperation Circle. His passion and commitment to interfaith collaboration and human rights advocacy have been evident through his leadership in various roles within the organization.
In 2022, Eric Roux was elected as a Global Council Trustee from the URI Europe region. In the first two years of his term, he has served as Secretary of the CC Approval Committee, Chair of the Nominating Committee, and a member of the Executive Committee.
Beyond his role in URI, Eric dedicates his life to promoting freedom of religion or belief across the globe. As co-founder and Chair of EIFRF, he has been instrumental in advocating for religious freedom across Europe. Under his leadership, EIFRF has been a driving force in several Council of Europe’s Resolution seeking to protect the rights of parents and children belonging to religious minorities, or religious freedom in general. Roux was co-founder and co-chair of the FoRB Roundtable Brussels-EU and founded the Faith and Freedom Summit Coalition.
I look forward to a collaborative new chapter with Eric Roux and all Trustees incoming and ongoing.
– Jerry White
URI Executive Director
Eric Roux’s commitment to religious freedom, human rights, and interfaith cooperation is also deeply rooted in his spiritual work. He is an ordained minister of the Church of Scientology, where he has served in various roles since 1993, currently acting as Vice-President of the European Office of the Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights.
Eric has touched many lives through his commitment to promoting peace, unity, and religious tolerance. He is frequently invited to speak at international institutions such as the European Parliament, the OSCE, and the United Nations.
On a personal note, Eric Roux is an accomplished musician. He received his degree in law from the University of Paris I: Panthéon-Sorbonne.
Eric's election as Chair of URI’s Global Council signals a new era of inclusive leadership that promises to strengthen URI’s mission of promoting enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, ending religiously motivated violence, and creating cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living beings.
Congratulatory messages can be sent to [email protected]