Bawa Jain

Secretary General, The World Council of Religious Leaders

Founder and President, The Centre for Responsible Leadership

Inspired by and dedicated to my Guru - Spiritual Father H.H. Acharya Sushil Kumarr ji Maharaj.

Bawa Jain is a visionary leader in the interfaith movement and a pioneer of religious diplomacy. After working closely on the Millennium World Peace Summit with the office of the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Jain committed his life to finding ways that the worldwide religious and spiritual communities can work together as interfaith allies with the United Nations on specific peace, poverty and environmental initiatives.

Mr. Jain traveled extensively for two years on behalf of the creation of The World Council of Religious Leaders, a direct outcome of the Millennium World Peace Summit. The World Council was successfully launched at the United Nations in Bangkok on June 12, 2002 and, at the request of the preeminent world spiritual leaders who were present, Mr. Jain continues to serve as the Secretary-General of The World Council. The Council is charged with being a strong resource for and a collaborator with the United Nations and other international and national organizations whose purposes include promoting peace, harmony, tolerance, and mutual respect among human beings and the evolution of world, social and economic justice.

In 2001, Bawa Jain was asked by The World Economic Forum to help integrate a religious dimension into the Forum’s activities by bringing a delegation of religious leaders to their meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The strategic partnership that was formed between The World Economic Forum and The Millennium World Peace Summit resulted in the launching of the Forum’s Religious Initiative. Mr. Jain, who assisted the religious leaders’ participation in the Forum’s 2002 meeting, continues to develop an integrated framework for world religions, business, and government communities to address world problems collectively.

In addition to these activities, Bawa Jain’s contribution to the betterment of humanity is found in three on-going programs that he inaugurated. As founder of The World Movement for Nonviolence, he conceived of The Gandhi-King Award, which fosters the practices and principles of non-violence in daily life. Past recipients include UN General Secretary Kofi-Annan, Nelson Mandela, and Dr. Jane Goodall. As Co-Director of the Season for Nonviolence from 1998-2000, Mr. Jain helped create the second on-going activity—nonviolence youth programs. These programs are now operating in 115 cities in the United States and 15 countries. Finally, as Vice President of the Interfaith Center of New York from 1997 to 2000, Mr. Jain organized an annual Interfaith Service that continues to mark the opening of the United Nations General Assembly.

Committed to the global interfaith movement, Mr. Jain services as a Trustee of the Council for the Parliament of the World’s Religions. He is active in the United Religions Initiative, where he convened an Indo-Pakistani Dialogue Forum in 1998.

Mr. Jain continues to counsel governmental, business and religious organizations on deeper involvement in interfaith activities and global initiatives. He also serves on the Earth Charter Initiative International Resource Team, the Advisory Board of the Center for Religion and Diplomacy, and the Advisory Board of the Earth Council’s Collaborative on National Councils of Sustainable Development. Mr. Jain co-founded the Global Commission for the Preservation of Sacred Sites.

In response to the requests of UN Agencies and governments, Bawa Jain travels around the world to speak on religious diplomacy, spirituality, religion, and peace.