Last Chance: EME Conference 2025 In-Person Registration Extended!
Great news for those of you who still wish to join us in person! We have extended the registration deadline for in-person attendance at the EME Conference 2025 to September 11th. This is your final opportunity to secure a spot and experience the event in Offenbach and Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
The conference, themed “Limits of Religious Freedom and Tolerance,” runs from September 11-14, 2025, and features a keynote address from the inspiring Seyran Ateş, a distinguished author and women’s rights activist.
Don’t miss out on engaging discussions, valuable workshops, and the chance to connect with fellow members. If you can’t make it in person, remember that online participation is also available.
Don’t Forget the Pre-Conference Tour!
Interested in exploring the roots of the free religious movement? Consider arriving early for the optional Pre-Conference Tour (Sept 9-11), visiting historic congregations and significant sites in Ingelheim, Mainz, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, and Frankfurt, including the Paulskirche and the Jewish Museum.
EME Conference 2025: Register now!
For the first time, this EME conference will be hybrid, allowing members and friends from around the world to join us either in person or online.
This year’s theme, “Limits of Religious Freedom and Tolerance,” promises thoughtful discussion and exploration. We’ll delve into how liberal religious perspectives engage with contemporary challenges to freedom of thought, conscience, and belief. Our hosts, the Frei-religiöse Gemeinde Offenbach and the Unitarische Freie Religionsgemeinde Frankfurt, are both celebrating their 180th anniversaries, adding a layer of historical depth to our meeting.
Keynote Speaker Spotlight
We are particularly pleased to welcome Seyran Ateş as our opening keynote speaker. A prominent author, women’s rights activist, and founder of the liberal Ibn-Rushd-Goethe Mosque, she will share insights on “Limits of Tolerance and Liberal Religion”.
Wikipedia Bio
Mosque (Wiki)
Mosque Website
Beyond the keynote, look forward to engaging sessions, including a panel discussion on Free Religion featuring Pascal Schilling and George Williams, parallel workshops exploring topics like Liberal Theology’s contribution to religious freedom (led by Dr. Kurt Bangert) and the historical evolution of these freedoms (with Rev. Norbert Rácz), plus valuable Circle Group discussions for deeper connection. Enjoy networking during dinners and coffee breaks, and experience a special Jazz and Blues Organ Concert by the acclaimed Barbara Dennerlein. The conference concludes with an Interfaith Service hosted by our Frankfurt congregation.
Interested in exploring the roots of the free religious movement? Consider arriving early for the optional Pre-Conference Tour (Sept 9-11), visiting historic congregations and significant sites in Ingelheim, Mainz, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, and Frankfurt, including the Paulskirche and the Jewish Museum.
Find Key Information Quickly:
About the Conference
Meet the Hosts
Registration Details
Conference Programme
Pre-Conference Tour
Accommodation Info
Ready to join the conversation?
Head over to the official conference page for the full schedule, speaker bios, registration options (including online participation and the pre-tour), and travel advice. Sign up now to secure your place!
Visit Conference Page & Register
We’re looking forward to seeing you in Germany for what promises to be an insightful and connecting conference!
Global Citizens Pursuing a Just, Peaceable, Inclusive and Sustainable Future: An ICCGC-CoNGO Collaborative Conference
The CoNGO-ICCGC Global Futures Conference, scheduled for August 26 and 27, 2024, at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York, marks a significant assembly at the nexus of religion and civil society, dedicated to charting pathways toward a globally harmonious, just, peaceable, and sustainable future for people and their communities, the planet, and the entire ecological system.
The New York Conference partners with the Interfaith Coalition Conference for Global Citizens (ICCGC) and the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO) to collectively pursue peace, human security, dignity, and planetary sustainability. This collaboration emphasizes local and global cooperation and solidarity across cultures and religions, while remaining mindful of diverse and uneven economic, social, and political conditions.
This conference aims to ignite transformative dialogues and initiatives on a range of issues that are pressing both locally and globally. (Excerpt from Concept Note prepared by ICCGC)
This conference is hosted by Interfaith Coalition Conference for Global Citizens (ICCGC), Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO), and Won Buddhism. There are five sessions:
- Session 1. Global Ethics & Global Citizens
- Session 2. Towards a Global Peace
- Session 3. Dialogue between Religions and Civil Society
- Session 4. Youth for Climate Action
- Session 5. Global Citizenship Education for Future Generation
The moderator of Session 5. Global Citizenship Education for Future Generation is Kathy R. Matsui, one of the New York UN representatives of IARF. Global citizenship education (GCED) is needed to face the challenges of the 21st Century and the challenges of the VUCA world, which is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Global Citizenship education encourages global citizens to be independent, to develop global perspectives, to build harmony among people from other countries and ethnic groups, to understand diversity through cross-cultural education, to respect the Earth and all living beings, and to promote global well-being while enriching their lives.
Global citizenship education offers opportunities for youth and adults to learn to create imaginative solutions to world problems, to help solve diverse global issues, and to become active citizens to make changes in society for the good of everyone. In this session, panelists will discuss the following: how global citizenship is practiced in real life, what GCED is to the individual panelists, how GCED is implemented in their specific role and environment, and what message each panelist has for the youth and our future leaders.
The speakers of this session are:
- Panelist 1: Dr. Roberto Catalano (Professor, Sophia University Institute, Italy)
- Panelist 2: Dr. Janet Gerson (Education Director, International Institute on Peace Education)
- Panelist 3: Dr. Russell Pearce (Professor, Fordham University)
- Panelist 4: Rev. James Lynch (Representative for Rissho Kosei Kai to United Nations)
Limits of Religious Freedom and Tolerance: IARF EME Conference 2025
The International Association for Religious Freedom is pleased to announce that its Europe and Middle East (EME) region will hold its quadrennial conference in September 2025 in Frankfurt and Offenbach am Main, Germany. The conference will be hosted by several German IARF member groups, led by the Frei-religiöse Gemeinde Offenbach, which will be celebrating its 180th anniversary during this time.
Building upon the success and lessons learned from the 2023 IARF Congress, the 2025 EME Regional Conference will be the first hybrid conference, allowing members from all regions to participate and contribute. The event will consist of a Pre-Conference Tour on 9-11 September 2025, followed by the main programme on 11-14 September (please note that arrival and departure dates are one day earlier or later, respectively).
The theme for the conference, “Limits of Religious Freedom and Tolerance,” was selected through a participatory process involving all EME members. The Organising Committee is diligently working on the programme details and logistics, with registration set to open soon. Interested participants are encouraged to subscribe to the IARF newsletter for updates and to check the official website for more information as it becomes available. The committee also welcomes volunteers who wish to contribute their expertise and enthusiasm in shaping an exceptional conference program.
The upcoming conference follows in the footsteps of previous successful EME conferences, such as the 2021 online conference Does Religion set you Free?, the 2016 conference in Tetovo, Northern Macedonia, titled Religion and Conflict Prevention, and the 2012 conference in Elspeet, the Netherlands.
For those interested in contributing to the conference preparations, please contact Rev. Pascal Schilling at [email protected] or IARF Secretary Luke Liniewicz at [email protected]. The EME region looks forward to promoting growth, connection, and mutual understanding through this conference while putting liberal religion in the spotlight.
The Date
Pre-Conference Tour:
9-11 September 2025
(Arrival date: 8 September)
Conference:
11-14 September 2025
(Arrival date: 10 September
Departure date: 14 in the afternoon or 15 September)
The Hosts
A coalition of German Member Groups of the IARF led by the Frei-religiöse Gemeinde Offenbach and the EME. The congregation is founded on the principles of freedom of religion and the inherent worth of every individual. It advocates for a free belief system that embraces scientific knowledge while acknowledging the human capacity to unite reason and emotion in the religious experience. Central to its philosophy is the idea that religion fosters a sense of moral responsibility, serving as the spiritual and emotional foundation for the religious individual. The Frei-religiöse Gemeinde Offenbach welcomes all interested individuals to engage with the congregation and explore the principles of free religion.
IALRW’s Congress to Follow the IARF Congress on 7-9 September 2023
The International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) is delighted to announce that our member organisation, the International Association of Liberal Religious Women (IALRW), will be hosting their World Congress in Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvár) from the 7th to the 8th of September, 2023. This congress comes directly after the IARF World Congress, presenting a unique opportunity to attend both events in succession.
The congress will be held under the theme “Religion in Action: From Reconciliation to Inclusive Diversity”, reflecting the IALRW’s ongoing dedication to fostering dialogue and understanding among women of diverse faith traditions. Although the speakers for the event have not yet been confirmed, we assure you that the lineup will consist of some of the most insightful voices in the field. We will be publishing the program shortly, so please keep an eye on our website for updates.
The World Congress will be graciously hosted by the Hungarian Unitarian Church at the House of Religious Freedom, a historic 15th-century townhouse located in Cluj-Napoca. Known as one of the oldest and most significant townhouses in the city, the House of Religious Freedom has been lovingly restored by the Hungarian Unitarian Church and is dedicated to promoting the ideals of religious freedom and tolerance.
IALRW’s history is rooted in the IARF, and its focus on women’s issues in religious communities and interfaith cooperation remains a cornerstone of its mission. The organisation welcomes women from liberal faith communities around the world, fostering an environment of mutual support in the search for spiritual enrichment and identity. We are confident that this upcoming World Congress will be a testament to this mission, offering attendees the chance to engage in enriching dialogue and meaningful action.
For further information about the World Congress, please contact Dr. Esther Suter at [email protected]. You can also visit the IALRW website at https://www.ialrw.org/ to learn more about their ongoing projects, recent research, and member organisations.
The IARF and IALRW look forward to welcoming you in Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvár) for these back-to-back congresses. Please mark your calendars and join us in fostering interfaith dialogue and inclusive diversity.
Winner of the Dana McLean Greeley Award for young adult interfaith work
After carefully considering the 12 applications we received this year, each well-prepared and outlining a valuable project we would love to support, the Greeley Award Committee, tasked with this difficult duty, decided to award the project submitted by The Sanctuaries: Interfaith Arts Education.
This is how The Sanctuaries elaborate on their mission to ignite the sacred power of the arts for social change:
The Sanctuaries is the first interfaith arts community in the United States. Founded in Washington, DC, by a group of twenty young adults in 2013, we use the arts to transform two of the most divisive global issues of our time – race and religion – into forces for personal growth and social change. We fulfil this mission in two ways. First, through our multicultural community of over 150 artists, we deepen interfaith understanding by hosting regular events, retreats, and multimedia arts showcases. These programs are often the only structured opportunities in the city for young adults of different religious backgrounds to build lasting relationships of mutual care and support. Second, through our Art for Social Impact training program, we educate interfaith artists how to be leaders in their local communities. Participants in this highly selective program gain first-hand experience working on the front lines of grass-roots justice campaigns to address the systems that keep us divided in the first place.
What distinguishes our approach:
– It centers young adults. Too often, programs are created for young people, not by them. This project positions young adults as valuable teachers of this work for audiences of all ages. In the process, it builds trust and understanding across lines of social and generational division.
– It builds collective capacity. Too often, programs perpetuate dependency on an outside expert. This project equips teachers to share frameworks and skills that enable communities to move this work forward on their own. In the process, it builds long-term capacity, not clients.
– It scales by invitation. Too often, programs grow for numbers rather than for needs. This project relies on individuals and communities inviting teachers into their context to advance this work. In the process, it builds a replicable and respectful model of collaboration. As Dana McLean Greeley once exhorted: “Let us find something worthwhile to love, and something worthwhile to do, and give ourselves away, and we shall find ourselves again.” At the heart of our approach is this spirit of embodiment. This work is something that’s not just done, but lived.
You can learn more about the project and the organization on its website, thesanctuaries.org, and its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SanctuariesDC/
The Background of the Dana McLean Greeley Award
In 1969, Rev. Greeley [was] a pivotal force in giving the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) the name it still carries, and new, committed leadership from both Shinto and Buddhist traditions in Japan. He loved IARF’s heritage, and boldly moved it into its future. The Award was created by the IARF to respond to the intention of the Dana McLean Greeley Foundation for Peace and Justice to honor Rev. Greeley’s memory and life achievements for peace through the gift of a $50,000 endowment to the IARF, announced at a service and celebration held in Concord, MA, on November 5, 2006.
The Founding Purpose: The historical Mission of the Award has been to celebrate the achievements of young adults within a religious and/or interfaith community with a strong commitment to human rights, justice, and peace. The award supports an ongoing or new project of a group, featuring the collaborative engagement of young adults with their community, providing the group with material support. In turn, the group is committed to work with young adults, to develop leaders within the next generation, and to expand understanding of human rights, justice, and interfaith dialog within the context of religious freedom.
Goals of the Award: The primary goals of the award are to support organizations of young adults, and the communities within which they are engaged, to conduct programs of leadership development, human rights education, and engagement in understanding one another’s beliefs within the context of commitment to religious freedom.
The Award (or awards) will be presented at each IARF Congress, currently held at 4-year intervals. They will be celebrated and promoted at a special ceremony, and through publicity within and beyond the IARF.
Registration and call for programme suggestions for the 35th Congress open: early registration discounts!
Registration is now open for the Conference “Reimagining Interfaith Cooperation”, which will be held on 29 July – 1 August 2018 in Washington DC and incorporate the 35th World Congress of the IARF. Please fill in this form to register. You will benefit from early registration: there is a significant discount for those who register before 15 December! Should you experience any difficulties, contact our Administrator at luke[at]iarf.net. Below, as well as on the registration form, you will find more details concerning registration rates and our cancellation and refund policy:
Early Registration Deadline: 
Early General Registration is $295. Rate increases to $365 on 31 January. Rate increases to $400 on April 1.
Registration Closes:
Monday, June 25
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Cancellation before December 31, 2017: 75% Refund
Cancellation before March 31, 2018: 50% Refund
Cancellation after March 31, 2018: 25% Refund
There will be no refunds after June 25th.
Programme Tracks (more about these here) will be curated by a team of people with passion and expertise in each subject area. The teams are open to your ideas and suggestions for presentations, trainings and other skill-building events to take place within the program track they are developing. All program suggestions should be submitted by January 15, 2018 to the co-chairs of the Program Committee: Sari Heidenreich (sari[at]uri.org) and Megan Weiss (maweiss[at]csbsju.edu).
Congress 2018: programme outline, venue and accommodation
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Save the Date: The 35th World Congress: August 2018, Washington DC
We are pleased to announce the Interfaith Conference that will incorporate the 35th World Congress of the IARF: Reimagining Interfaith Cooperation.
The Conference, to be held on 29 July – 1 August 2018 in Washington DC, USA, is a joint project of the IARF, the Unitarian Universalist Association, our member group, and our partners: the United Religions Initiative, the United Church of Christ and Religions for Peace. We’re very excited to be working with so many fantastic partners and hope to meet you all in Washington next year.
The venue of the Conference, one of local Universities, will be announced in October, which is also when registration will open. The registration fee is 325 USD per person and 100 USD for young adults (under 35), and includes meals as well as local transportation and conference kit. Updates, including names of speakers, detailed programme and helpful practical information, will be posted on the Conference’s website, www.reimagineinterfaith.org, as well as on our website – both will be regularly updated. You can pre-register to receive notifications here or follow us on Facebook for the latest news.
You may read more about our Congresses here.
Please contact IARF Administrator with any questions at luke[at]iarf.net.
EME Regional Conference 2016: Programme and Registration
The quadrennial conference of the EME, IARF’s Europe and Middle East region, will be held on 22-25 August 2016 in Tetovo, FYR Macedonia. It will be hosted by the Bektashi Community and the Evropa Centre for Human Rights.
The theme will be Religion and Conflict Prevention.
You will find the programme and other details here. You can register online here or fill in this form and submit it to our Administrator at [email protected].