Year in Review

BAHÁ’Í WORLD CENTRE — At a time when societies throughout the world are seeking new paths forward, the noise of division can feel louder than ever, pressing people to take sides and draw lines. Yet across diverse settings, countless stories of resilience and hope illuminate another possibility, one rooted in a growing recognition of our shared humanity. The Bahá’í World News Service looks back at some of the stories it covered in 2025, offering a glimpse of efforts, in countless settings, where new patterns of life are quietly emerging.

A new story takes shape

A new story is taking shape—quietly and patiently—through the efforts of people learning, in the midst of daily life, how to walk a path of service together.

Ken Bowers, a member of the Bahá’í National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, reflected on this observation: “You can’t know what to do unless you know what story you’re a part of… we are part of the story of the maturation of humanity.”

At a national forum in Mexico City came a related observation from about the need to “find different ways of relating to each other that do not feed into cycles of violence,” and to strengthen the “communal sense.”

These reflections point to a larger story, humanity’s long process of maturation, expressed, not in grand gestures, but in the steady movement from isolation to community, where people are learning to face difficulties together rather than as individuals, powerless before the problems around them.

In Spain, amid a period of crisis, Shirín Jiménez described how “material and emotional ruin” was accompanied by something luminous: the setting aside of habits of individualism and the discovery of a capacity for genuine mutual support. In the aftermath of the wildfires which ravaged the Los Angeles area, Kalim Chandler noted how easy it is to assume that disaster brings out self-interest, yet what was witnessed was the opposite: “Generosity was everywhere,” and it offered a profound source of hope.

Youth striving for coherence

What appears in times of trial is increasingly the same spirit of service taking root in daily life: the habit of learning to serve together. Young people who serve, reflect, and study are carrying that spirit into every space of life.

In the UK, some 60 young people from diverse faith backgrounds came together to explore the deeper dimensions of climate action. Participants at the workshop examined how young people, when empowered and viewed as active protagonists rather than passive recipients, can effectively promote social change. The UK's Office of Public Affairs highlighted the need to integrate moral and spiritual principles into conversations about climate action for lasting change to occur.

Around the world, youth are reconceptualizing their life’s purpose, where service to humanity becomes the central organizing principle that brings coherence to all aspects of life.

The Brussels Office of the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) observed how experience gained through community-building initiatives across Europe illustrates that both young people and their communities flourish when youth are recognized as capable of contributing to social betterment.

“What distinguishes youth from other stages of life is their courage, flexibility, and energy, along with their eagerness to create social change,” reflected Roeia Thabet, a member of the Office of Public Affairs in the UAE at the 2nd International Dialogue of Civilizations and Tolerance Conference held in Abu Dhabi.

500 youth from 22 countries in Eastern Europe gathered in Bucharest, Romania to explore how to intensify their efforts to contribute to the betterment of their societies. One participant described service to society and education as a means of fostering nobility, gentleness, empathy, and trust—becoming “practitioners of peace” through knowledge that transforms not only what one knows, but how one lives.

A conversation about the Canary Islands highlighted how coherence emerges when service, relationships, and values are placed at the center—allowing “our true nature” to come to life in practical choices and daily conduct.

This striving for coherence is also seen when young people begin to view their professions as fields of service—approaching science and religion as two harmonious ways of knowing and allowing that harmony to inform the questions they ask and the choices they make.

In a podcast episode about the Association for Bahá’í Studies in Canada, an attendee, Andrea Robinson, reflected that when we recognize the human being as both material and spiritual, we begin to see new ways of approaching professional challenges.

A continuous sense of belonging

Throughout the world, as the spirit of service takes root, a change becomes visible in how people respond to difficulty. When challenges arise, they no longer ask, “How can I get away from this?” but rather, “How can we face this together?”

From Australia came a telling observation: society often shapes people in an individualistic manner, yet in some places this culture is beginning to change. Hari Remala, who serves in a Bahá’í agency at the local level, said that “a lot can be achieved when people cooperate.”

Such experiences mark a new consciousness, a sense of community that travels with each person, wherever they go. As Hoda Mahmoudi, holder of the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace noted, “The more we turn outward and work with others, the better we grasp the meaning of our common humanity.”

A reimagining of family

These emerging expressions of belonging are also reshaping family life. Families, too, are being reimagined, not as solitary households, but as a supporting network serving side by side.

In Kiribati, Quddus Akura Terubentau, a member of the Office of External Affairs, described families learning to make decisions together and support one another equally, patterns that naturally influence life beyond the home.

A conversation among members of the Board of Counsellors in Asia was a vivid image of how such change is witnessed by neighbors when fathers are seen not only providing materially, but actively engaged, together with mothers, in the moral education of their children.

A new Bahai.org film titled “Expressions of Equality in the Family” explored the link between unity in the family and the wider society through the experiences of several families in New Delhi: “When there is unity in our family, we can form a community… only then can its light spread throughout the world,” said one young person.

A shared longing to build anew

What is taking shape in countless places throughout the world is more than cooperation. As labels begin to fade, what comes into view is a shared longing to build a better world.

In Ethiopia, reflections among youth on identity pointed to an awakening understanding: that beyond ethnicity, nationality, religion, or gender, people possess an inherently noble identity that transcends such limitations.

A new conversation in Uzbekistan saw officials, faith communities, and secular actors exploring shared values for a just and harmonious society. Tatyana Klemyonova, a member of the Office of Public Affairs in that country, reflected: “At the core of today’s divisions is a crisis of identity. The Bahá'í teachings offer another way—a spiritual identity that sees humanity as one family.”

This longing to build anew also finds expression in the renewal of humanity’s relationship with the natural world. In Colombia, a new documentary by FUNDAEC explored how one project inspired many people to reconnect with the land and rediscover the joy of planting.

Reconceptualizing leadership

In these efforts, the very notion of leadership itself is being reconceptualized as a sacred trust, an act of humble service.

In Kazakhstan, a question was raised at the 8th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, that challenges assumptions underlying many social arrangements: “We often think of competition as necessary for progress. But does it inspire us to help others prosper alongside us?” asked Alinur Sabit, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of that country.

A historic conference in Malaysia brought together Orang Asli traditional chiefs, known as tok batin, to reimagine leadership through service. Al-Shahin Deraoh, a tok batin of Chang Baru village, noted that the “forum is for us to profoundly consider and discuss the development of our villages, both spiritually and materially.”

The effort to establish a high school in Katuyola, a Zambian village, provided an example of what leadership as service can look like at the grassroots: women, keen to contribute, resolved to do all they could to establish a secondary school within their village—an instance of sustained initiative expressed through unity and purpose through collaboration among institutions, the community, and individuals.

Cultivating societal harmony

Wherever people gather to learn, to decide, and to build, they increasingly discover themselves as protagonists in a joint story of progress.

Through forums hosted by the Office of External Affairs in Brazil, diverse social actors have been transcending institutional viewpoints, nurturing hope through dialogue and the reimagining of the foundations of justice and social progress. A publication by the Bahá’ís of Chile examined how reconceptualizing human identity based on the oneness of humanity is essential for fundamental social progress. Members of Kazakhstan’s Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs discussed how collective exploration of spiritual principles over the years is fostering societal harmony.

Within international forums, the BIC’s contributions continued to emphasize that peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice and the recognition of humanity’s oneness. At the launch of a BIC publication, “In Full Partnership,” Bani Dugal noted that the Bahá’í community’s commitment to the equality of women and men is rooted in the belief that all human beings are created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization and that the equality of women and men is a prerequisite for peace. These ideas were further explored in a BIC statement to the 69th session of the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women.

In a podcast episode, BIC representatives explored oneness and interdependence in governance; a new statement of the BIC offered principles that it suggested could inform EU policies for combating the roots of societal divisions; the BIC delegation to the Second World Summit for Social Development highlighted the need to reimagine development through the lens of collective well-being. In a statement to African and European Heads of State and Government, the BIC emphasized the implications of interdependence grounded in the oneness of humanity, calling for an expanded notion of social progress that values every individual’s contribution and redefines development as a collective enterprise. A new statement by the BIC Addis Ababa Office explored how unified interfaith action can address Africa’s challenges and foster spiritual and material advancement.

Havens of peace

From such efforts emerge havens of peace, glimpses of new patterns of life that people are learning through collaboration.

This year the Universal House of Justice announced plans for a new national Bahá’í temple to be established in the Philippines. The construction of this new temple advances the vision of the purpose of Bahá’í Houses of Worship which radiate spiritual vitality and serve as the focal point of community life.

Artistic endeavors, too, reinforced conviction in the generosity of friends and strangers alike. Reflecting on an arts festival at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Langenhain, Germany, Karin Dimitriou, temple director, described an atmosphere that “fills you with hope.” She added: “Art has a great power to create connections among people.”

A remarkable story unfolds through the pages of a newly released volume of The Bahá’í World. It is an account of millions of people around the world learning to contribute to the spiritual and social advancement of their societies.

Efforts of Generations

Building these havens of peace will take the efforts of many generations, and this generational effort finds vivid expression in the land of the Bahá’í Faith’s birth.

Two podcast episodes (Part 1 and Part 2) explore how beginning in the late 19th century, the early Bahá’í community of Iran gradually developed new patterns of cooperation, decision-making, and service that contrasted sharply with the hierarchical norms of the time.

A symposium held by the Bahá’ís of the United States invited participants to examine together how narratives grounded in unity and justice might hold the country’s painful realities and shared aspirations in the same frame—expanding the sense of collective belonging while calling each person to a constructive role in the nation’s unfolding story.

A hopeful future

At the centennial of a historic building on Haparsim Street, neighbors, artists, faith leaders, and officials gathered together, creating what some called a glimpse of peace.

Over 13,000 people of diverse backgrounds experienced the illuminated terraces leading to the Shrine of the Báb on Mt. Carmel as part of the “Terraces by Night” event.

A gathering marking Ayyám-i-Há brought together 75 guests from diverse social and religious communities in the ‘Akká area, highlighting our common humanity. One visitor described returning again and again to a simple experience: “Every time I come here it’s just like being able to remember what it is to feel peace, joy, and love. It’s so easy to forget in this world, not because it does not exist, but because there’s so many things that are trying to make us forget.”

Champion of peace

In their efforts to foster more peaceful societies, many drew inspiration from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s life as a herald of peace. Now, as His Shrine rises, it stands as a gentle invitation to nurture spaces of belonging and shared purpose.

The project to construct ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Shrine provided a glimpse into the spirit of collaboration shaping this historic project. “We have Jews, Arab Muslims, Arab Christians, Druze, and all have come under the same roof, working harmoniously and creating an environment that not only empowers themselves in their relationships, but it has created a unified vision, which is the Shrine itself,” said Khosrow Rezai, the project manager.

The construction of the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reached a significant milestone with the commencement of marble installation in the central plaza. This important development marked the beginning of a process that has continued over several months, gradually shaping the edifice’s final form.

Another milestone was reached with the completion of the ‘Akká Visitors’ Centre.

A place of pilgrimage in the Holy Land underwent new landscaping work. In the vicinity of the Mansion of Mazra‘ih, quiet paths, orchards, and vistas were created that invite prayer and reflection, allowing visitors to experience the tranquil spirit long associated with this Holy Place.

Through these glimpses of efforts across the globe, the arc of the year comes into focus as it concludes: humanity’s story need not be one of decline, but of awakening, of maturing. Through every act of service and every gesture of understanding, the oneness of humankind comes more clearly into view.