On February 1, 2026, UPF Hungary Commemorated World Interfaith Harmony Week at the Peace Embassy in Budapest.’The Way to Peace: Interfaith Dialogue’.
In 2010, the UN designated the first week in February as World Interfaith Harmony Week. In obervation of this initiative, the Hungarian Universal Peace Federation held an event on February 1 2026 in the Peace Embassy in Budapest entitled The Way to Peace: Interfaith Dialogue. The programme attracted an audience of twenty-two, with a further two online.
Several faith groups were represented - the Messianic Jewish community, the "Dream Valley" meditation center, the Roman Eagle order, Greek Catholicism, Roman Catholicism, and FFWPU. (Family Federation for World Peace and Unification) - and we started by exploring the origin and significance of this UN week, as well as the proposal by the co-founders of the Universal Peace Federation, Rev Sun Myung Moon and his wife Hak Ja Han, to establish an Interfaith Council within the UN.
Representatives of each group presented the characteristics and ideological basis of their faith and stressed the need for interfaith cooperation and dialogue.
To create peace in a world beset by numerous ongoing conflicts and difficulties, love and service were identified as common tasks for religions, as well as urgent interreligious cooperation.
The representatives of each faith group participated in an interfaith "water of peace" ceremony, symbolizing the unity of religions and their movement in one direction, like rivers flowing into the ocean.
The event concluded with the establishment of the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD) as part of UPF Hungary, with the aim of strengthening interfaith cooperation for the common good.
We sincerely hope that this was the first step of a continuing journey.