Program Guide
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120 minute intersectional mainstage sessions for all attendees on the Main Stage.
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120 minute high level breakouts that feature major speakers in the Main Stage.
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Panels, observances, performances, and other on-site programs.
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Documentaries and short films sharing diverse stories.
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60-90 minute interactive & skill-building programming.
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Art and immersive exhibitions from diverse artists.
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Offsite programs offered by community partners.
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Offsite community service projects exclusive to Parliament attendees.
Track Guide
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Faith and Democracy
With steadily growing disaffection and marginalization in democracies worldwide coinciding with a proliferation of political campaigns funded by religiously partisan or antidemocratic political action and corporate interests, the Faith and Democracy track highlights the voices of officials and organizers working at the intersection of faith and democracy in a track that examines and offers practical insights for people of faith and goodwill to defend freedom, human rights, and enhance equity in the political process.
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The City of Chicago
The Parliament of the World’s Religions is returning home to the City of Chicago and featuring organizers, artists, and leaders from religious, municipal, educational, and intersectional social movements committed to showcasing how Chicagoans leverage interfaith cooperation, defend freedom and human rights, celebrate diverse interreligious achievements in peace and justice and stand with our planet.
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Faith & Interfaith Understanding
With steadily growing disaffection and marginalization in democracies worldwide coinciding with a proliferation of political campaigns funded by religiously partisan or antidemocratic political action and corporate interests, the Faith and Democracy track highlights the voices of officials and organizers working at the intersection of faith and democracy in a track that examines and offers practical insights for people of faith and goodwill to defend freedom, human rights, and enhance equity in the political process.
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Climate Action
“The right to a healthy environment,” “Faith for Earth” and more banners, titles, and calls to action characterize the mission of environmental justice undertaken by scholars, leaders, and presenters of all faiths throughout the past 30 years of convenings. The Climate Action track features programming highlighting critical actions to be advanced in communities worldwide, led by voices of faith in the global mission of saving our planet.
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The Global Ethic
The ethical directives outlined by the Parliament’s foundational document, Towards a Global Ethic, are as timely today as they were in 1993 when religious and spiritual leaders endorsed the critical commitments to a culture of non-violence and respect for life, solidarity and a just economic order, tolerance and a life of truthfulness, equal rights and partnership between men and women, and sustainability and care for the Earth. The track features scholars, organizers, and community leaders working to advance the Global Ethic as a foundational document.
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Peace & Justice
Recognizing the necessity for being rigorously engaged in overcoming differences that obstruct the achievement of peace and justice, the track features thinkers and doers working constructively beyond talk of injustice, through concrete action, working in projects that offer insights and training on peace and justice.
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Indigenous Peoples
From cross-cultural dialogue among youth to activism led by Indigenous Elders and Wisdom Keepers, the Indigenous Peoples’ track features ritual, workshops, artistic expression, sacred observances, and panels led by Indigenous Peoples from around the world on urgent issues including the protection of sacred Indigenous sites and all of life itself; as well democracy, freedom, and human rights.
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The Next Generation
The Next Generation track features programming with spiritually and geographically diverse youth, young adult changemakers, and intergenerational cohorts that are working towards interfaith cooperation in their communities and are tackling critical issues on defending democracy, freedom and human rights, climate action, peace & justice, the dignity of women & girls, and Indigenous Peoples.
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Women and Girls
The Women’s Dignity track features voices from across the global spectrum of religious and spiritual communities, civic institutions, and intersectional social movements enabling collective and individual action to promote the dignity and human rights of women and girls, to stop religiously justified violence against women and girls, and to promote women’s leadership and equal participation in religious and spiritual communities.
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Sacred Stories for Our Time
The stories we tell shape our future, but our current dominant narratives are contributing to loneliness, conflict, and unsustainable consumption. What are the sacred stories we need to tell to create a different future? This track features religious practitioners, spiritual leaders, academics, and activists who are helping to tell the sacred stories the human family needs to flourish.
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Science & Religion
How can science and religion work together to address some of the most critical issues of our time? The Science & Religion track fosters dialogue and scientific understanding to address major challenges facing the planet and beyond.
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The Charter for Compassion
The Charter for Compassion and its partners are offering a series of sessions on the role that compassion plays in city initiatives, education and in spirituality. Unique to the Parliament will be two experiential sessions, a four-part series on ProSocial Spirituality and a combination of three parts on-line pre-Parliament sessions on Crossing Borders with a culmination interactive session at the Parliament. In addition the Charter for Compassion will celebrate its six Annual Karen Amstrong Humanitarian Award banquet at the Parliament on August 16th.
