A Year of Interfaith Harmony in Action: GPF’s Journey Toward Peace

Anu Lama

February 19, 2026

Three men in traditional and clerical attire, likely interfaith leaders, stand together indoors, smiling and holding hands, with red chairs and a framed picture in the background—a gesture promoting lasting peace.

Religious and traditional leaders reconnect, exchange pleasantries, and embrace one another with smiles and warmth, celebrating fellowship and renewed commitment to peace after a long time apart.

In commemoration of World Interfaith Harmony Week this February, we are highlighting the work of the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) over the past year. World Interfaith Harmony Week is a week designated by the United Nations to promote understanding, cooperation, and harmony among people of different faiths and beliefs.

In 2025, GPF embodied the spirit of the World Interfaith Harmony Week through its interfaith peacebuilding initiatives, especially in Nigeria. Through its efforts in interfaith dialogues, service projects, and community engagement, GPF projects served as a testament that peace, human connection, and social cohesion can be fostered despite differences through dialogue, shared values, and mutual respect.

At the very heart of GPF’s interfaith work is the conviction that faith leaders are essential partners to peacebuilding. This was evident in Nigeria, where in December 2025, 41 different faith leaders: Christian and Muslim leaders, traditional rulers, and influencers came together for interaction and dialogue. With the theme of Building Bridges of Home: Strengthening Religious Solidarity to End Targeted Violence in Nigeria, these faith leaders, including GPF directors and staff, convened to engage in meaningful dialogue on religious freedom and human security. The program emphasized collaboration over division and highlighted the moral responsibility of faith leaders to guide communities toward coexistence and mutual respect. Harmony begins when diverse leaders commit to dialogue and joint action, and with the program, GPF Nigeria helped lay the foundation for sustainable cooperation and understanding rooted in universal principles and values.

A group of men in traditional attire stand together as one man cuts a ceremonial ribbon at an outdoor Interfaith Service Project in Hayin Banki, Nigeria, with others observing and microphones present.

Abdul Ahmed, the senior program manager of GPF Nigeria, representing the Rev. John Joseph Hayab, the country director of GPF Nigeria, declared the Cemetery cleaning work open

Likewise, in September 2026, GPF Nigeria conducted a program, ‘Community Peace Forum and Interfaith Service Project’ in Hayin Banki, where community members from different faith backgrounds came together to address the local needs while engaging in dialogues centered on dignity, unity, and reconciliation. The program linked interfaith dialogue with collective action and service, demonstrating that when people work side by side, differences disappear and harmony arises. As Rev. Bulus Edon reflected, “For the first time, Muslims and Christians have come together not just to talk about peace but to act it out.”

GPF Nigeria exemplified how sustained interfaith relationships contribute to community resilience. Regular engagement among faith leaders and community members strengthened communities’ capacity to navigate challenges together rather than fragment along religious lines. Through consistent dialogue sessions and interfaith activities, the Nigerian chapter created spaces for Muslims and Christians to meet, exchange perspectives, and rediscover their shared humanity.

An elderly man in orange robes shakes hands with a man in a suit, symbolizing unity, while others look on in a room with tables and dishes in the background.

Diverse religious leaders gather for an interfaith conclave hosted by GPF India.

In GPF India’s Interfaith Conclave 2025, leaders, experts, dignitaries, and delegates came together to explore unity through shared values. Centered on the idea of oneness, the event was three days and explored topics on social cohesion, shared values, and compassion-driven leadership. The conclave highlighted how principles, service, and care for the community transcend religious differences and encouraged the cultivation of an environment of mutual learning and collaboration. It not only reinforced interfaith unity and strengthened interfaith collaboration but also encouraged youth-led interfaith initiatives through education, policy, and community engagement for impactful action.

As we reflect on GPF’s interfaith peacebuilding work in 2025, it is a reaffirmation of GPF’s values of shared identity as human beings and our commitment to community-driven peacebuilding. It truly was a year of interfaith harmony in action and as we move forward for 2026 and while commemorating the World Interfaith Harmony Week, GPF commits to continue its work in interfaith leadership, community engagement, and inclusive participation, advancing a vision of peace grounded in our shared humanity, one that extends far beyond a single week and shapes the future we build together.

Join us in our journey in interfaith peacebuilding journey.