Cities around the world are providing living examples of how interreligious encounter and dialogue can weave together the fabric of human community in new and enduring ways. There is the need to foster and enhance a rich and vibrant local grassroots interreligious movement, in order to promote harmonious and cooperative relationships between these communities, and to support their efforts in working with other sectors of their community in creating a more just, peaceful, and sustainable city. CPWR created its Partner Cities Network to support this need and foster social cohesion and harmony.

• The Partner Cities Network is a new program developed by CPWR that seeks to build and connect the interrelgious movement worldwide
• The inaugural Partner Cities will be announced at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne, December 2009
• Interested cities must complete a Profile in order to be considered for the Partner Cities Network

Partner Cities Network workshops and informational networking sessions will be held at the Melbourne Parliament. More details to come soon and posted to the website. All interested cities are invited to attend and participate. We will be accepting Profiles submissions from Applicant Cities beginning the week of December 3-9, 2009 at the Parliament of Religions-Melbourne 2009. On an on-going basis, CPWR will select interested communities for inclusion in the Partner Cities Network. These cities will be encouraged to take action to bring the efforts, goodwill, and wisdom of religious and spiritual communities around the world to bear on local and cross-regional issues and concerns. Ultimately, each participating community enriches and informs a growing body of stories and methodologies in service to the grassroots interreligious movement worldwide. The Partner Cities Network creates a dynamic that will bind cities together and form a network that facilitates the sharing of best practices and inspires opportunities for cooperative action between cities.

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The Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions is proud to announce that the San Jose has been selected as the Inaugural City for the Partner City Network. San Jose joins the ranks of legacy Partner Cities Chicago, Cape Town, Barcelona, Monterrey, and Melbourne who have each hosted or will host the Parliament of Religions. To learn more about the Partner Cities Network, click here.