A Region of Courage, Connection, and Quiet Transformation
Across Southeast Asia and the Pacific, URI SEAPAC is growing as a dynamic, relationship-driven network rooted in local realities and shared hope. In a region marked by religious diversity, political complexity, natural disasters, and social change, URI Cooperation Circles (CCs), Individual Members (IMs), and Community Liaisons are advancing peace not through headlines, but through trust, presence, and sustained interfaith action.
This year, SEAPAC demonstrated how intentional network growth, youth leadership, and community-based responses to conflict and crisis can translate URI’s global purpose into tangible local impact.
Network Growth and Vitality
SEAPAC experienced meaningful growth across several countries, reflecting both organic interest in URI’s mission and the strategic role of Community Liaisons in cultivating new relationships.
Programs and Community Action Highlights
Indonesia
Youth Leadership and Digital Peacebuilding
In Indonesia, URI partners delivered youth trainings focused on social media management and countering hate speech. These sessions equipped young people with practical tools to:
- Recognize and resist online misinformation
- Counter divisive narratives with constructive messaging
- Use digital platforms as instruments for peace rather than polarization
This work directly addresses one of the region’s fastest-growing drivers of conflict: online hate and disinformation.
Cambodia
Strengthening Cooperation Through URI
In Cambodia, CCs focused on deepening collaboration through URI, reinforcing trust among faith leaders, youth and community members. These efforts strengthened interfaith cooperation at the grassroots level, ensuring that URI’s presence is not merely symbolic but relational and action-oriented.
Philippines
Interfaith Confidence-Building for Peace
One of the region’s most significant milestones took place in the Philippines, where URI actors supported a confidence-building event involving the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
As part of the ongoing peace process, this engagement demonstrated URI’s unique value:
- Acting as a trusted bridge
- Creating space for dialogue between former adversaries
- Promoting peace through people-centered engagement
Myanmar
Solidarity Amid Crisis
In Myanmar, URI members came together to support communities affected by earthquakes and ongoing political unrest.
Through interfaith cooperation, CCs and IMs mobilized solidarity, compassion, and practical support, offering hope in a context where civic space is limited and fear is widespread.
This response reflects URI’s commitment to showing up in moments of crisis, regardless of political or religious divides.
The Strategic Role of Community Liaisons
Across SEAPAC, URI Community Liaisons played a pivotal role in advancing the region’s impact. Their work focused on:
- Intentional network growth
- Strengthening visibility and trust
- Convening outcome‑oriented activities
- Collaborating with strategic partners
By connecting grassroots actors to the wider URI network, Community Liaisons ensured that SEAPAC’s growth remained aligned with URI’s purpose while responding authentically to local needs.
Why SEAPAC Matters to URI’s Global Vision
SEAPAC is a region where religious diversity is lived daily and where the consequences of division are real. The work highlighted in this report shows how modest investments, trusted relationships, and locally led initiatives can:
- Prevent the escalation of religiously motivated violence
- Equip youth as peacebuilders in digital and physical spaces
- Support reconciliation processes and humanitarian response
For donors, SEAPAC represents high impact, cost-effective peacebuilding. For URI leadership, it reflects a region growing with integrity and purpose. And for communities on the ground, it is proof that interfaith cooperation is a lived practice.
Looking Ahead
With continued investment and accompaniment, SEAPAC is well-positioned to deepen its impact and contribute meaningfully to URI’s global mission of ending religiously motivated violence and cultivating cultures of peace.
Together, SEAPAC is proving that peace grows strongest where trust is nurtured, youth are empowered, and faith communities choose cooperation over division.
