Founded by Rabbi Arthur Schneier in 1965, the Appeal of Conscience Foundation is an interfaith partnership of corporate and spiritual leaders from all faiths who come together to promote "peace, tolerance and ethnic conflict resolution."

Mission

The Appeal's philosophy is that freedom, democracy and human rights are basic principles, and if they are granted, nations of the world have their best hope for “peace, security and shared prosperity.” "A crime committed in the name of religion is the greatest crime against religion,” is the organization's mantra. Following the act of September 11th, the ACF has rallied religious leaders worldwide to take a stand against terrorism and to use their influence to halt violence and promote tolerance. The true motivation of the Appeal has been called into question following the honoring of Indonesian president Yudhoyono despite controversy within Indonesia and the ongoing genocide Yudhoyono's government is overseeing in West Papua.

Activities

Delegations from the group meet and have met with religious and government leaders throughout the world promoting peace and democracy. Some of its work has been in conducted in

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, the

Vatican City Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, Slovak Republic,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the former

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. The Foundation frequently hosts diplomatic and clerical groups from abroad to acquaint them with the religious life in America society.

World Statesman of the Year

The 2022 recipient was Italy's Prime Minister, Mario Draghi. The 2021 recipient was Former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe. The 2019 recipient was Prime Minister of Singapore,

Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong (born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former military officer who served as the third Prime Minister of Singapore, prime minister of Singapore from 2004 to 2024, thereafter serving as a Senior Minister of S ...

. The 2016 recipient was French President,

François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...

. The 2015 recipient was British Prime Minister,

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...

. The 2014 recipient was Mexican President, Enrique Peña Nieto. The 2013 recipient was Indonesian President

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (born 9 September 1949), commonly referred to as SBY, is an Indonesian politician and retired Indonesian Army, army general who served as the sixth president of Indonesia from 2004 to 2014 and the second president of Ind ...

. The 2012 recipient was Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. Complete List: Sep 20, 2011 Address by President Lee Myung-bak President Lee Myung-bak of The Republic of Korea, recipient of the 2009 World Statesman Award. May 12, 2011 Address by Francois Delattre of France On behalf of President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Ambassador Francois Delattre presented Rabbi Arthur Schneier with the Legion of Honor in recognition of his tireless efforts to promote and support religious freedom, human rights and interfaith tolerance all over the world Sep 23, 2010 Address by Bill Burns, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in absence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, recipient of the 2010 World Statesman Award. Sep 22, 2009 Address by Ivan Lewis on behalf of PM Gordon Brown The Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom received the 2009 World Statesman Award Sep 22, 2009 Address by Muhtar Kent Muhtar Kent, Chairman & CEO, The Coca-Cola Company received the 2009 Appeal of Conscience Award Sep 22, 2009 Address by Bernard J. Arnault Bernard J. Arnault, Chairman & CEO, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton received the 2009 Appeal of Conscience Award Sep 23, 2008 Address by Jeffrey R. Immelt, President & CEO, GE Jeffrey Immelt received the 2008 Appeal of Conscience Award Sep 23, 2008 Address by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg Mayor Bloomberg delivers speech accepting the 2008 Appeal of Conscience Foundation Public Service Award Sep 23, 2008 Remarks by Deputy Secretary John D. Negroponte Deputy Secretary highlights honorees at the 2008 ACF Annual Awards Dinner Sep 23, 2008 Address by Nicolas Sarkozy President of the French Republic is recipient of the 2008 Appeal of Conscience World Statesman Award Sep 23, 2008 Address by Henry A. Kissinger Henry Kissinger gives address on behalf of Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic, at the ACF 2008 Annual Awards Dinner Sep 21, 2005 Foreign Minister Alexander Downer Acceptance of the World Statesman Award on behalf of the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, at the 40th anniversary dinner of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation Sep 21, 2005 Jorma Ollila, Chairman and CEO, Nokia Acceptance of the Appeal of Conscience Award Jorma Ollila, Chairman and CEO, Nokia Appeal of Conscience Foundation 40th Annual Awards Dinner New York September 21, 2005 Sep 21, 2005 Peter G. Peterson, Chairman, Blackstone Group Honorable Peter G. Peterson, Chairman, Council on Foreign Relations, at the Appeal of Conscience Foundation 40th Anniversary Dinner September 21, 2005 Sep 20, 2004 Sir John Bond, HSBC Chairman, 2004 Dinner Sir John Bond, HSBC Chairman, APPEAL OF CONSCIENCE FOUNDATION DINNER Oct 14, 2003 Address by José Mará Aznar President of the Government of Spain, recipient of the 2003 Appeal of Conscience World Statesman Award Oct 14, 2003 Address by Dr. Josef Ackermann Chairman Group Executive Committee and Spokesman of the Board of Managing Directors, Deutsche Bank Recipient of the 2003 Appeal of Conscience Award Oct 01, 2002 Address by Rabbi Arthur Schneier Appeal of Conscience Annual Awards Dinner Honoring Jean Chrétien and Carleton S. Fiorina Oct 01, 2002 Address by Carly Fiorina Chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Company - receipt of the Appeal of Conscience Award Appeal of Conscience Foundation Annual Awards Dinner Oct 01, 2002 Address by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien 2002 Appeal of Conscience Annual Award Dinner

Controversy

The 2013 'World Statesman of the Year' was highly controversial since Indonesian President

has failed to protect religious minorities in the world's largest Muslim-majority country, and overseen what has been determined to be a genocide in West Papua Instead of promoting tolerance, President Yudhoyono has overseen a sharp increase in acts of intolerance to Ahmadiyah Muslims, Shi'ite Muslims, and Christians, leading to widespread public criticism from human rights activists, academics, and persecuted minority groups. Petitions to Rabbi Schneier to withdraw the award garnered over 10,000 signatures from around the globe. Instead of heeding the concerns of persecuted minorities, Rabbi Schneier granted the award and helped President Yudhoyono to, "whitewash his legacy." Human rights activists eventually concluded that the Appeal of Conscience Foundation was little more than a vehicle for publicity-seeking and influence-peddling.

Listing of The Appeal of Conscience Actions

* April 29, 2019 - Cooperation Agreement signed between the Appeal of Conscience Foundation and the Muslim World League to unite efforts to protect religious sites around the world. *November 9, 2005 - Declaration of the Peace and Tolerance II Conference: Dialogue and Understanding in Southeast Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia * July 28, 2005 - Call for Action on Darfur * December 1, 2000 - A Call to Stop Desecration of Holy Sites by a delegation to the United Nations * March 18, 1999 -

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

Peace and Tolerance Vienna Declaration (With former U.S. Congress member Joe DioGuardi of the Albanian American Civic League) * May 21, 1998 - Joint Declaration of the Delegation of Religious Leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Appeal of Conscience Foundation * March 30, 1995 - The Vienna Declaration Signed at the Appeal of Conscience Conflict Resolution Conference * February 9, 1994 -

Bosphorus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

Declaration was signed at the Appeal of Conscience Conference on Peace and Tolerance * November 26, 1992 – The

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

Declaration for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina

References

External links

John D. Negroponte, Deputy Secretary of State’s Remarks to Appeal of Conscience Foundation, March 27, 2007

Appeal of Conscience Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Appeal of Conscience Foundation, The Religious organizations based in the United States Interfaith organizations Organizations based in New York City 1965 establishments in the United States