Karen Judd Smith

The ball is now rolling. "Interfaith dialogue" is now "accepted talk" and more people are recognizing it has a significant role in peace. This started when the vision of the founder was passed on by IIFWP as a "mission" to the Speaker and expanded to the Foreign Ministry and the Philippine Mission. Now it is part of the Republic of the Philippine's foreign policy, and it will keep moving forward for now it has expanded to many other nations and the NGO community at the UN also.

Leadership Convocation
April 2005

Transforming a world of conflict into a world of peace is an ambitious but necessary task. Today’s culture of conflict is evident in rising divorce rates, domestic violence, racial and ethnic tensions, and regional wars that perpetuate grievances and sow bitterness for later generations.

Many factors will contribute to establishing lasting peace, but none is more critical than effective leadership. Accordingly, an international leadership convocation, Leadership for Global Transformation: Exploring the Vision, Methodology, and Best Practices Necessary for a New Era of Lasting Peace, was convened in Washington DC on April 10-14, 2005 by the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace to address the crucial role of leadership in establishing a culture of peace.