News Alert |

Ballarat has marked 2020 World Interfaith Harmony Week with a flag-raising event at Victoria Square. 

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

World Interfaith Harmony Week, first established in 2011, is traditionally celebrated in the first week of February.   

It began after the United Nations endorsed a proposal from King Abdullah II of Jordan, which aimed to bring Christians and Muslims into closer dialogue. It now extends to encourage harmonious dialogue between people of all religions.  

Ballarat Interfaith Network’s flag will be raised in support of the world-wide message and intent of this special week – to call on all people to respect each other’s differences and personal beliefs.  

The City of Ballarat and the Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council (BRMC) are partnering with BIN to celebrate this declaration of the need for interfaith respect and harmony.   

The event will also include representatives of the Catholic Diocese Ballarat, Ballarat Central Uniting Church and the Ballarat Malayalee Association. 

City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Ben Taylor says as residents of an increasingly diverse and intercultural community, it’s important we all take the time to understand, respect and accommodate the differences between each other. 

“Ballarat is an inclusive community. We welcome those of other faiths and those from other cultures,” he says.  

“It’s vital we stand up for the rights of people in our community to live their own faith peaceably.” 

The City of Ballarat is committed to building a culturally tolerant and socially cohesive community through a range of initiatives, such as Harmony Fest, the Intercultural Ambassador Program, the development of the Intercultural City Strategic Plan 2018-21 and by declaring Ballarat as a Refugee Welcome Zone.