We prevent & resolve identity-based conflicts that exceed the reach of traditional diplomacy by incorporating religion as part of the solution.

Since its inception in 1999, the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD) has been at the forefront of addressing identity-based conflicts in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Kashmir, Iran, and Sudan; exceeding the reach of traditional diplomacy by incorporating religion as part of the solution.


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Many ethnic, tribal and religious conflicts do not lend themselves to government-to-government intervention. To complement those efforts, ICRD employs its unique capabilities in the areas where it can have a value-added impact by:

1) decreasing religion’s role as a driver of conflict;
2) increasing the role of religious clergy and laity in peacemaking;
3) increasing the capacity of religious peacemakers;
4) increasing policy-makers’ awareness of and receptivity to the potential contributions of religious peacemakers.

Regardless of one’s spiritual persuasion, there are two compelling reasons why the Center’s work is important. First, the need for more effective preventive measures to minimize the occasions in which we are forced to send our sons and daughters in harm’s way. Second, the need for a stable global environment to support the kind of economic growth that can benefit an expanding percentage of the world’s population. By linking religious reconciliation with official or unofficial diplomacy, ICRD has created a new synergy for peacemaking that serves both of these needs.

ICRD seeks to fulfill its mission by: serving as a bridge between politics and religion in support of peacemaking; deploying multi-skilled, inter-religious action teams to address actual or incipient conflicts; training religious clergy and laity in the tasks of peacemaking; and providing feedback to theologians and clergy on interpretations of their teachings that are contributing to strife and misunderstanding. Through aggressive outreach and the use of advanced computer and telecommunications technology, ICRD is building a global network of peacemakers and partnering institutions that encompasses all of the major religions. It is from this network that the multi-skilled, inter-religious action teams will be drawn.