INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF UNITARIANS AND UNIVERSALISTS ARE CREATED

Ready to Accept Individual Members as Well as Organizational and Congregational Ones

HARTFORD, CT, UNITED STATES, July 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- After five years without a global coordinating body for Unitarian and Universalist communities, the International Community of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU) has launched as an independent, globally governed nonprofit dedicated to strengthening Unitarian, Universalist, and other progressive religious communities across six continents. The organization’s new name distinguishes it from the former International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, which operated from 1995 until its dissolution in 2021.

A NEW NAME, A NEW MODEL
“Although both the new and former ICUU connected Unitarian and Universalist communities worldwide, the new ICUU is not a restoration of the previous
organization but a significant redesign for today’s world,” explains Rev. Ary Nugroho, ICUU Advisory Group member and President of the National Board of the Unitarian Christian Church of Indonesia. “The new ICUU can become our voice.”

Advisory Board member Gabor Kiss, a Hungarian American with decades of experience in international Unitarian circles, including work with Transylvanian
Unitarian churches, clarifies the shift in name and structure:

“This change is more than stylistic. Council historically conveyed a formal, delegate driven body built around institutional authority and parliamentary procedure. The former ICUU was an ‘institution of institutions,’ where individuals could not belong directly and where a few large bodies held disproportionate influence. Community, by contrast, signals a broader, more inclusive, relational global body — one designed for the 21st century. We will welcome not only established congregations, but emerging fellowships, diaspora UUs, and isolated seekers.”

LAUNCHING WITH WORLDWIDE REACH
The Advisory Group already includes Unitarians and UUs from North America, Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Among them is Raquel Guillen, a human rights and social justice advocate, whose children grew up in California’s UU community. She now divides her time between Lima, Peru and the Peruvian countryside. “One of the things I love about the new ICUU,” Guillen remarks, “is their willingness to get involved in social justices issues in Latin America .”

“The new ICUU’s efforts have already drawn support from former leaders of the UUA, the former ICUU, and organizations including ICUU-W and UUWYN (Unitarian Universalist Worldwide Youth Network),” confirms Bruce Knotts, International diplomat, activist and former head of the Unitarian Universalist-United Nations Office. “We look forward to working with the new ICUU in international Unitarian matters,” affirms Heidi vom Hagen, co-President of the URfG, a national German Unitarian organization. “We have seen what many of these leaders — who were involved in the creation of UUWYN — can do.”

LAUNCH DETAILS
The ICUU is now in its early launch phase. Membership is open at icuu.org.

ABOUT THE ICUU
The International Community of Unitarians and Universalists is a global, democratically governed nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening
Unitarian, Universalist, and liberal faith communities worldwide through leadership development, worship exchange, justice work, and community building.

MEDIA CONTACT
ICUU Launch Secretariat: Email: Linda@icuu.org Website: icuu.org

Linda Petersen
International Community of Unitarians and Universalists
+1 347-735-3599
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The ICUU: A New Global Faith Organization Comes Back to Life

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