Join us for the Bellwether International Bridging Religious Divides Annual Symposium in partnership with Utah Global Diplomacy.

Genocide can be prevented when different faith traditions unite to promote understanding, respect, and shared humanity. Many genocides throughout history have been fueled by dehumanization, fear, and the manipulation of religious or cultural differences. When religious communities come together, they can counteract these forces by fostering dialogue, encouraging empathy, and highlighting common moral principles such as compassion, justice, and the sanctity of life. Interfaith collaboration can help dismantle harmful stereotypes and challenge narratives that divide people along religious or ethnic lines. By building strong relationships across faiths, communities create networks of solidarity that can resist hate and violence before it escalates.

Educational programs, joint service projects, and public statements of unity from religious leaders can serve as powerful tools to combat prejudice and promote peace. When people of different faiths listen to one another and work together, they model a vision of society rooted in mutual respect, making it more difficult for extremist ideologies to take hold. In this way, interfaith cooperation becomes not only a spiritual act but a practical strategy for preventing atrocities and building a more just and peaceful world. This convening equips leaders, students, and community members with practical approaches to disrupting the conditions that enable mass violence: dehumanization, fear-based narratives, social fragmentation, and institutional inaction. The program is designed to strengthen community resilience through respectful dialogue, relationship-building across differences, and actionable prevention frameworks.

Third Annual Bridging Religious Divides Symposium: Disrupting the Cycle of Genocide

How Bridging Divides Can Build Genocide Resistance hosted by Utah Global Diplomacy and Bellwether International