The Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS) was established in 1994 in Amman, Jordan, under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal. RIIFS is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that provides a venue for the interdisciplinary study of intercultural and inter-religious issues with the aim of defusing tensions and promoting peace, regionally and globally. RIIFS focuses on promoting common human and ethical values that contribute to strengthening cooperation and interfaith relations, eliminating mutual misconceptions about the ‘other’ and ultimately expanding these shared commonalities in the hope of promoting peaceful coexistence. Since its inception in 1994, RIIFS has evolved from a centre for the study of Muslim-Christian relations in the Arab world to an interdisciplinary institution, covering all fields of the humanities and social sciences that deal with cultural and civilisational interaction. RIIFS is governed by a Board of Trustees, chaired by HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal, an internationally renowned advocate of interfaith dialogue since the 1970s.
• To build engaged communities and sustained regional and international partnerships among specialists including professionals and religious leaders.
• To foster socially resilient and anti-radicalised environments.
• To foster inter-religious and intercultural dialogue as an effective tool for countering intolerance, extremism and radicalism and for forging a culture of mutual respect and understanding.
• To encourage regional networking on religious and cultural issues through effective communications and interaction within academic and religious environments.
• Commitment: to maintain a level of responsibility to achieve mission and goals with enthusiasm, perseverance, hard work and dedication.
• Respect: to act and treat others with honesty, integrity, humility and empathy.
• Teamwork: to build and maintain trust among all staff, and commit to the well-being and success of team members.
• Diversity and inclusion: to seek diversity of backgrounds, approaches, and ideas; to recognise that the differences make the team stronger; and to respect and seek out inclusion of differences.
• Quality: to maintain rigorous standards for all of RIIFS work, whether research and academic work or the different activities.