Marking World Interfaith Harmony Week

Ballarat will mark 2022 World Interfaith Harmony Week with a flag-raising event at St Peter’s Anglican Church at 11am today. 

The event celebrates the United Nation’s World Interfaith Harmony Week, which is organised by the Ballarat Interfaith Network (BIN). 

The Ballarat Interfaith Network was founded in 2003 with a clear objective to build bridges of respect and understanding between people of all faiths and spiritual persuasions, and those of no particular faith at all, within the Ballarat region.   

The United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week was inaugurated in 2011. That same year, the Ballarat Interfaith Network first celebrated the week with their own purpose-designed and created Interfaith Flag. 

World Interfaith Harmony Week provides a platform where all interfaith groups and other groups of goodwill can show the world what a powerful movement togetherness of tolerance and understanding can be.  

The week will see thousands of events organised across the world promoting the values of the World Interfaith Harmony Week. 

City of Ballarat Councillor Belinda Coates said it’s important to recognise and celebrate Ballarat’s increasingly diverse and intercultural community as part of World Interfaith Harmony Week. 

“Ballarat is a growing, multicultural city. It is an exciting time as our multicultural communities grow and bring new skills, new cultures, new creativity, and inspiration to our city,” she said. 

“Without such diverseness we would surely be a lesser place instead of the vibrant, enriched and very talented community we have become. 

“The City of Ballarat Council Plan 2021-2025 identifies the building of a healthy, connected and inclusive community as a key goal. This Ballarat Interfaith Network flag-raising event is the perfect representation of how we can achieve that.”   

The flag-raising event will also include representatives of the Catholic Diocese Ballarat, Ballarat African Association, Ballarat Indian Association, Islamic Society Ballarat, Evira Spiritual Centre, Cafs and our local Sikh community.