I.M.A.M. Participates in 11th Annual UN Symposium on Religion and International Affairs

April 3, 2025

On April 3, 2025, the representative of I.M.A.M. to the United Nations participated in the 11th Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-Based Organizations in International Affairs, held in the Church Center for the United Nations (UN Plaza, New York). This year’s theme was “The Future is Upon Us: What Now? Amplifying the Role of Faith and Civil Society Actors in Multilateral Solutions.”

Initiated by faith-based partners in 2016, the symposium has become a vital platform for dialogue among UN agencies, member states, religious organizations, and civil society groups addressing urgent global challenges through the lens of faith and sustainable development.

During discussions with fellow participants, the I.M.A.M. representative emphasized that multilateralism — a hard-won achievement of international law advocates and reformers — is now under serious threat, if not collapse. “The danger is not on the horizon—it is already here,” he warned, citing the rise of exclusivism, supremacy, and new forms of colonialism that jeopardize international cooperation and human solidarity.

With only five years left to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the representative criticized certain national policies that actively reverse global progress. He called upon faith-based organizations and civil society actors to increase their commitment, mutual support, and, where needed, personal sacrifice in defense of shared human values — values that find their strongest expression and resilience within multilateral frameworks.

He also cautioned against the misuse of religion to justify violence, terror, genocide, the abuse of women and children, authoritarianism, colonialism, or modern-day slavery.

He reminded attendees that sacred texts have long upheld the principle of cooperation and multilateral dialogue — long before the founding of modern institutions like the United Nations. He cited the Quranic verse in which God commands Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hp) to say, “Say, O People of the Book! Come to a word common between us and you: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall not associate anything with Him, and none of us shall take others as lords apart from God” (3:64).

“These collaborations,” he stressed, “should not be viewed as symbolic or occasional. They are strategic, deeply rooted in our convictions and faith.”

In conclusion, I.M.A.M.’s representative asserted that religious leaders must adopt an intergenerational and eternal outlook, unlike politicians, who often think only in terms of the next election cycle. In a world where growing numbers of people — even in democratic societies — have lost faith in political leadership, religious and civil society actors must counter the spread of despair. “We must not let hopelessness dominate. We must not allow societies to sink into apathy. Our responsibility is to inspire, resist, and rebuild.”