| Millennium Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders | |
|---|---|
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| Host country | United States of America |
| Date | August 28–31, 2000 |
| Venue(s) | United Nations Headquarters & Waldorf Astoria Hotel |
| Cities | New York City |
| Website | The World Council of Religious Leaders: Millennium World Peace Summit |
The Millennium Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders was held in New York City between August 28–31, 2000. The meeting recognized the importance of religion to world peace and faith leaders’ commitment to peacekeeping, poverty relief, and environmental conservation. It preceded the Millennium Summit, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the United Nations (UN).
The Summit consisted of 1.5 days of plenary sessions at the UN Headquarters during which religious and spiritual leaders representing the major faith traditions addressed the entire Summit followed by 2.5 days of meetings and workshops at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel focused on conflict resolution and poverty relief efforts.
The Summit was planned with the support of various organizations, including Harvard Divinity School, the Ford Foundation, and the Turner Foundation. Around 2,000 individuals participated, including 800–1,000 religious leaders representing Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and other traditions. Due to opposition by the Chinese government, the 14th Dalai Lama was not initially invited, leading to international criticism of the event. He was later invited to deliver the closing keynote address but declined.
Summit outcomes included several initiatives such as the Religious Initiative of the World Economic Forum in January 2001, Global Commission for the Preservation of Sacred Sites in November 2001, World Conference of Women Religious and Spiritual Leaders in October 2002, and the UNESCO/UNITWIN Network on Interreligious Dialogue for Intercultural Understanding in 2006.