Dialogue between diverse cultures and religious faiths served as the theme of KAICIID’s 2025 European Policy Dialogue Forum, held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 10 to 13 November.

The Brussels Office of the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) participated in the Forum’s sixth edition, “Social Cohesion in Changing Climates,” which focused on how interreligious and intercultural dialogue can address persistent social divisions and environmental challenges facing Europe today.

Throughout the Forum, religious actors, policymakers, and civil society representatives reflected on themes such as the need to identify shared ethical foundations for addressing collective challenges, the role of cities as hubs for transformative grassroots participation, and the economic impacts of existing inequalities in our societies.

Miguel Reis, representing the BIC Brussels Office, spoke during one of the Forum’s sessions and highlighted the fundamental need to foster strong patterns of community life at the local level. Creating a shared sense of community “has profound implications for strengthening social cohesion and addressing societal challenges, including climate change,” he said.

“This requires the cultivation of meaningful bonds between people in spaces where they can deeply interact with each other, rather than just living side by side,” he added. “This requires us to explore with religious leaders, institutions and organisations how to create a dialogue that goes beyond the notion of coexistence.”

The experience of a Bahá’í community in Vanuatu was shared, featuring youth around age 15 who, through their participation in community-building educational programs, identified a deteriorating coral reef and mobilized the community and institutions to find a solution. Through a consultative process, involving local leaders and government officials, the young people built consensus towards action, enabling a collective effort to restore the village’s marine environment.

Discussions on religious leadership also highlighted faith leaders’ ability to mobilize communities and individuals to address societal issues—as well as their important commitment to fostering unity among diverse groups of people.

“Religion nurtures the moral dimension of the individual and, consequently, of society,” Mr. Reis said. “If seen in this light, the role of religion can move beyond the margins of interreligious dialogue and be wholeheartedly acknowledged as a force to be harnessed for social good.”

“It has the power to recast with a new understanding all the relationships in how we ought to relate to each other, and with the planet.”