URI Europe is an international non-profit organisation that supports and connects the interfaith member organisations of the United Religion Initiative (URI). Europe is one of the eight URI regions, alongside Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Multiregional Region, North American, South-East Asia and the Pacific (SEAP). URI has over 1.000 member organisations globally in more than half of the world.

In the European region there are almost 70 URI interfaith groups, active in nearly 30 countries. URI Europe ivzw is registered under Belgian law, hence based in Belgium, under Enterprise number: 0474.500.145.

URI Europe serves URI’s grassroots interfaith network in Europe by convening its interfaith member groups face-to-face through European Assemblies in various countries; collecting and sharing interfaith good practices, stories and learnings – both digitally and in publications -; giving visibility to the fantastic interfaith work on the ground; offering trainings, capacity exchanges and expert knowledge; providing learning opportunities; building communities of practice.

URI Europe as a legal association was created by an international team in Belgium in 2000 and officially registered in 2001. Belgium was deliberately chosen as the seat of the association, because it is home to the European Union (EU) and therefore to many international associations.

URI Europe consists of the URIE board members, the elected trustees on URI’s global board (Global Council) and the URI Europe Coordinator.  Two Liaison Officers are also part of the team. – You can find an introduction of all team members on the URI Europe website.

URI Europe is active in several European institutions. It represents URI to the Council of Europe, the European Union and other European Institutions. It works in partnership with numerous like-minded organisations. As a grassroots organisation URI Europe encourages and supports the grassroots work of the European member organisations.

Participatory status in: 2022

Geographical Representation:

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Spain, Tajikistan, Turkey, United Kingdom, Ukraine.

Accreditations: Council of Europe. URI has got ECOSOC status with the United Nations.

The purpose of URI Europe CC aligns with URI Global purpose:

• to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation
• to end religiously motivated violence
• and to create cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living beings