In 2010, the United Nations adapted the Resolution 6515 to promote in the world the WIHW saying:
Recognizing the imperative need for dialogue among different faiths and religions to enhance mutual understanding, harmony and cooperation among people,
Recalling with appreciation various global, regional and sub regional initiatives on mutual understanding and interfaith harmony, including the Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace, and the initiative “A Common Word”,
Recognizing that the moral imperatives of all religions, convictions and beliefs call for peace, tolerance and mutual understanding,
- Reaffirms that mutual understanding and interreligious dialogue constitute important dimensions of a culture of peace;
- Proclaims the first week of February every year the World Interfaith Harmony Week between all religions, faiths and beliefs;
- Encourages all States to support, on a voluntary basis, the spread of the message of interfaith harmony and goodwill in the world’s churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and other places of worship during that week, based on love of God and love of one’s neighbor or on love of the good and love of one’s neighbor, each according to their own religious traditions or convictions;
- Requests the Secretary-General to keep the General Assembly informed of the implementation of the present resolution.
This inspired the Silsilah Dialogue Movement to celebrate the World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) every first week of February because this initiative promotes the Love of God, the Love of Neighbor and the Love for the common good, a vision close to the vision and mission of Silsilah and, we believe, to the essential mission of dialogue to move together toward the “Human Fraternity.” The groundbreaking celebration of the WIHW in Zamboanga City started in February 2012 and was participated in by different partners and groups.
The success of the 2012 celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) in Zamboanga City was overwhelming and motivating for the groups involved to continue to work together in carrying out future celebrations. The groups in Zamboanga City decided to form a loose association among themselves which they named United Nations Interfaith-Harmony Partners-Zamboanga (UNI-HP-Z).
Moreover, Zamboanga City’s 1st District Congressional Representative Maria Isabelle “Beng” Climaco–Salazar (now the Mayor of Zamboanga City) sponsored a bill in the House enjoining the celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week in the Philippines as encouraged by the UN Resolution. Senator Loren Legarda sponsored a similar version for the Senate.
Both bills passed the respective houses and became a law of the land upon signing by President Benigno S. Aquino III, the Republic Act No. 10525:
“An Act declaring the First Week of February of every year as World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) in the entire country and mandating its observance by the different Government Agencies.”
The experience of working together for the 2012 celebration brought the same groups in Zamboanga City to carry out the celebration every year up to now.
The Silsilah Forum Davao in 2013 was recognized by the international organizers of the WIHW after reporting the activities done and was given honorable mention by the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought. The news of this award was relayed to the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines.
The WIHW 2014 celebration brought the Zamboanga Partners led by Silsilah to win the First International Prize in the World Interfaith Harmony Week. H.M. King Abdullah II of Jordan sponsored the annual WIHW Prize.
Silsilah soon became the convener of this celebration for many up to Manila and in 2016, the UNI-HARMONY Partners of Manila formed by many groups, received the Second Prize in the World Interfaith Harmony Week International of His Majesty, King Abdullah II of Jordan.
The celebration of the special year of Ecumenism, Interreligious Dialogue and Indigenous Peoples in 2020 promoted by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is now an occasion to bring this celebration to the national level. Thanks to the encouragement of the CBCP to bring the WIHW celebration on the national level now, February has been chosen as the special month of interreligious dialogue in the Philippines.
The great challenge that we are called to face in the spirit of the WIHW is to reflect on the importance of dialogue with people of different cultures and religions as a spiritual dimension to live and promote this dialogue:
We are called to overcome the wrong perception that dialogue is needed only in situations and places of conflict, and consider dialogue as a spiritual dimension based on the “Love of God, Love of Neighbor and the Love for the common good.”
With this spirit we are moving, inviting all in the Philippines during the special year 2020 to celebrate the WIHW guided by the theme proposed for this year’s celebration that is “Celebrating Dialogue towards Harmony”.