Mohamed Sahnoun, then President of Initiatives of Change International, was the keynote speaker on 1 October 2008 for a national ‘prayer lunch’ in the Swiss Federal Capital, Bern, presided over by the Swiss President, Pascal Couchepin.

The lunchtime event, on the theme of ‘Faith – a creative source of peace’, was attended by some one hundred parliamentarians and staff. The organizers, who call their group ‘A vision for Switzerland’, wrote in their invitation: ‘Humanity suffers more and more from divisions and ever-increasing polarization. A major current challenge is to build trust. What contribution can people with a personal faith commitment make to the building of the needed bridges?’

Mohamed Sahnoun closed his talk by calling for the creation of a global synergy. ‘Humanity cannot avoid change, a change that must start with each one of us, and which implies challenging ourselves, an apprenticeship in listening, and a faith that is constantly nurtured.’ He invited all the participants to join him in the Caux Forum for Human Security, in creating and promoting such a synergy.

• Mohamed Sahnoun’s speech