IRF Secretariat Convenes IRF Roundtable, Launches “The Roundtable Community”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – IRF Secretariat convened the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Roundtable on Monday July 21, 20215, in the historic Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill, joined by over 140 leaders from faith communities, civil society organizations, and government. Participants shared stories of religious discrimination, persecution, and genocide and coordinated multi-faith actions to protect religious freedom for everyone.
During the meeting, IRF Secretariat’s Founder and CEO, Greg Mitchell, who chairs the IRF Roundtable and serves as a member of the Article 18 Alliance Council of Experts, announced the official launch of The Roundtable Community, a new program designed to protect and defend people of all faiths and beliefs around the world.
“We’re excited about the establishment of The Roundtable Community, for it will build on the strong foundation that has been laid by participants of the IRF Roundtable and serve as the global infrastructure for multi-faith, multi-sector actions that will change the game,” said Mitchell. “By bringing ‘We the People’ and new sectors into this multi-faith, inclusive, equal citizenship community, we can scale what we’ve built in Washington to every community in America and to every region of the world where religious freedom is under constant threat—and where stronger civil society leadership is most urgently needed.”
The IRF Roundtable model—developed over 15 years ago in Washington, D.C.—is rooted in cooperative engagement. Roundtables are designed for people of all faiths and beliefs to engage each other—and governments—cooperatively and constructively across their deepest differences, with respect for each other’s human dignity, and take actions together, as equal citizens.
The Roundtable Community offers a tiered membership program that invites individuals and organizations to formally join the Roundtable movement and help build peace and prosperity from the ground up in communities around the globe. Nominal membership dues allow Members to receive digital and physical membership credentials, access exclusive virtual roundtables and monthly newsletters, participate in policy briefings and global events, and join in-person fly-ins and special programs in Washington, D.C. They can even start a Roundtable in their own community.
Participation in Roundtables remains free and open, consistent with the IRF Roundtable’s founding principles. In that spirit, some Roundtable participants may prefer to contribute as Sponsors to specific, opt-in opportunities, like underwriting costs of hosting an in-person Roundtable, while still receiving the benefits of membership.
The launch of The Roundtable Community parallels IRF Secretariat’s launch of The Founders Circle, an opportunity for individuals and couples to support Roundtable deliveries of true religious freedom + responsibility in action in significant ways, including through endowments. Founders Circle members become core partners in advancing IRF Secretariat’s global work through strategic initiatives such as Regional Secretariats, Multi-Faith Roundtables, and cross-sector engagement through IRF Secretariat’s Corporate and Academic Councils.
Under Mitchell’s leadership and with early support from Templeton Religion Trust, IRF Secretariat has facilitated locally customized replications of the Roundtable model in more than 20 countries, convening over 40 Roundtables that have empowered more than 1,200 faith communities and civil society groups globally. The launches of The Roundtable Community and The Founders Circle mark a significant next step in scaling these efforts.
“We’ve seen firsthand the transformative impact this model has when people of all faiths and beliefs come together and take actions together,” said Mitchell. “The practical results are mutual understanding, respect, trust, and reliance between religions, and The Roundtable Community will ensure this impact expands and endures for generations to come.”
Membership is now open to all interested individuals and organizations at www.irfsecretariat.org/community. For more information about upcoming programs, global partnerships, and how to get involved, please visit www.irfsecretariat.org and www.irfroundtable.org.
For further information, please contact:
Kaylee Fisher, Global Operations Director or Sharyn Runyon, Public Relations
