- 1907-11-26 —
The first national Bahá'í conference was held in America. [BFA2:XVI; BW10:179]
- At the invitation of the House of Spirituality of Chicago, nine Bahá'ís from various communities joined some ten from the Chicago area at a one-day conference to foster national cooperation on the Temple project and to choose a suitable site for the Temple. [BFA2:280; CT78; GPB262, 349]
- M. Momen posits that this was probably the first Bahá'í convention. [BAHAISM xi. Bahai Conventions]
- 1920-12-27 — The first All-India Bahá'í Convention was held in Bombay with 175 in attendance. [AB446; BBRSM194; 115]
- 1926-08-02 — Two Bahá'í Esperanto conventions were held in conjunction with the Eighteenth Universal Esperanto Congress in Scotland. [BW2:266]
- 1930-12-00 — The first Asian Women's Conference was held in India. [BW17:180]
- 1946-01-20 —
- 1947-00-00 — The first Chilean Teaching Conference was held in Santiago.
- 1948-05-22 —
The first Bahá'í European Conference was held in Geneva. [BW11:51]
- Among those who attended were Edna True, the chairperson of the European Teaching Committee, Mildred Mottahedeh, and Laura Clifford Dreyfus Barney. [BQYM201-204]
- For details of the conference see BW11:51–2.
- 1949-08-05 — The second European Teaching Conference was held in Brussels. [BW11:52]
- 1950-07-24 —
The third European Teaching Conference was held in Copenhagen. [BW12:49; SBBR14p243]
- 177 Bahá'ís from 22 countries attended.
- 1953-02-12 —
The first Intercontinental Teaching Conference was convened by the British National Spiritual Assembly in Kampala, Uganda. [BW12:121, MBW135-140; BN No 267 May 1953 p5-7]
- For Shoghi Effendi's message to the conference see BW12:121–4.
- For a report of the conference see BW12:124–30.
- It was attended by ten Hands of the Cause, Bahá'ís from 19 countries and representatives of over 30 tribes. [PP413]
- Over a hundred new African believers attended as personal guests of the Guardian. [PP413]
- With this conference the Ten Year World Crusade was launched. [BBRSM158–9; BW12:253; MBW41]
- Picture. [BW12p118]
- See some candid video footage taken by Ted Cardell.
- 1953-05-03 —
The All-America Intercontinental Teaching Conference was held in Chicago. [BW12:133]
- For the texts of Shoghi Effendi's messages to the conference see BW12:133–41 and MBW142–6.
- Twelve Hands of the Cause were present. The Guardian was represented by Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum. [BW12:143; CBN No 82 November, 1956 p3]
- At the conference, five members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States resigned from that body in order to go pioneering: Elsie Austin, Dorothy Baker, Matthew Bullock, Mamie Seto and Dr William Kenneth Christian. [ZK102]
- Extract from the second message to All-American Intercontinental Conference from Shoghi Effendi... [MBW150]
.....the lands contributed in Latin America for a similar purpose approximate one-half of a million square meters, ninety thousand of which have been set aside near Santiago, Chile, for the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of South America. .
- 1953-07-21 —
The European Intercontinental Teaching Conference was held in Stockholm. [BW12:167; CBN No 46 November, 1953 p4; CBN No 47 December 1953 p6; CBN No 49 February 1954 p3]
- For Shoghi Effendi's message to the conference see BW12:167–71.
In it he called for "the opening of the following thirty virgin territories and islands: Albania, Crete, Estonia, Finno-Karelia, Frisian Islands, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia, Rumania, White Russia, (Belarus) assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Germany and Austria; Channel Islands, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Hebrides Islands, Malta, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the British Isles; Andorra, Azores, Balearic Islands, Lofoten Islands, Spitzbergen, Ukraine, assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States of America; Liechtenstein, Monaco, Rhodes, 160 San Marino, Sardinia, Sicily, assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Italy and Switzerland". [MBW157]
- For a report of the conference see BW12:171–8.
- Fourteen Hands of the Cause were present. [BW12:171]
- 374 Bahá'ís from 30 countries attended, of these 110 come from the ten goal countries. [BW12:171]
- 1953-10-08 —
The Asian Intercontinental Teaching Conference was held in New Delhi. [BW12:178; CBN No 50 Mar 1953 p6-7]
- For Shoghi Effendi's message to the conference see BW12:178–81.
- At the request of our beloved Guardian
a memorial service was held for
our dearly loved Hand of the Cause,
Mr. Sutherland Maxwell. Loving tributes
were paid to his memory by Mr. Remey
and Mr. Giachery. [CBN No 50 Mar 1953 p6]
- For a report of the conference see BW12:181–8.
- This was the first international Bahá'í gathering ever to be held in the East. [BW12:181; SBR171]
- It was attended by 489 Bahá'ís representing 31 countries. [BW 12:181]
- The design for the International Bahá'í Archives was revealed to the Bahá'ís of the world for the first time at this conference. [DH168]
- Following the New Delhi conference the
Hands of the Cause and other visiting
Bahá'ís travelled the length and the
breadth of the country speaking in universities, teachers' training colleges, agricultural
schools, theatres, hotels, Y.M.C.A.'s, at service clubs, and theosophical
societies. Prominent citizens representative
of the Hindu, Moslem and Christian
faiths were chairmen at many of these
meetings. There were numerous press
conferences and wide-spread newspaper
publicity. The Hands of the Cause were
able to present Bahá'í books to world famous
Indian scholars, to the family of
the Maharaja of Indore and to representatives of the press. Perhaps never since
Abdu'l·Bahá visited America has the
Faith been presented in such a variety
of places in so short a time. Dorothy Baker was one of the Hands who participated in this post-conference proclamation. [CBN No54 Jul 1954 p5]
- 1955-09-23 — International Teaching Conference was held in Nikko, Japan. [Japan Will Turn Ablaze p87, 97]
- 1956-11-11 — First All-Taiwan Teaching Conference was held in Tainan, Taiwan. The conference was attended by then Auxiliary Board Member Agnes Alexander from Japan. She would visit Taiwan two more times, in 1958 and 1962-as a Hand of the Cause. [The Taiwan Bahá'í Chronicle by Barbara R. Sims p17]
- 1957-10-03 —
- 1958-01-23 —
The first Intercontinental Conference held at the mid-point of the Crusade convened in Kampala, Uganda. [BW13:317]
- Hand of the Cause Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, who had been designated by the Guardian as his representative, attended, accompanied by Dr Lutfu'lláh Hakím.
- For the message of the Custodians to the conference see MC56–60.
- For a report of the conference see BW13:317.
- 1958-03-21 —
The second Intercontinental Conference was held at the mid-point of the Crusade convenes in Sydney, Australia. [BW13:319]
- Hand of the Cause Charles Mason Remey, who had been designated by the Guardian as his representative and who was the architect of the Mother Temple of Australasia, attended, accompanied by four other Hands of the Cause. [BW13:317]
- For the message of the Custodians to the conference see MC72–5.
- For a report of the conference see BW13:319–21.
- 1958-05-02 —
The third Intercontinental Conference was held at the mid-point of the Crusade convened in Wilmette, Illinois. [BW13:323]
- Hand of the Cause Dr Ugo Giachery, who had been designated by the Guardian as his representative, attended, accompanied by four other Hands of the Cause. [BW13:323]
- For the message of the Custodians to the conference see MC90–8.
- For a report of the conference see BW13:323–5.
- See Notes by Emma Maxie Jones and Anonymous.
- 1958-07-25 —
The fourth Intercontinental Conference was held at the mid-point of the Crusade and convened in Frankfurt, Germany. [BW13:327]
- Amelia Collins, who had been designated by the Guardian as his representative, attended, accompanied by ten other Hands of the Cause. [BW13:327]
- For the message of the Custodians to the conference see MC102–6.
- For a report of the conference see BW13:327–9.
- 1958-09-14 —
A week before the fifth Intercontinental conference is due to convene in Djakarta, Indonesia, the government withdrew the permit to hold the conference. [BW13:331]
- For the story of why the permit was revoked see DM83–5.
- The cancellation of the conference in Djakarta began a period of severe repression of the Faith in Indonesia which eventually led to the Faith being banned in 1962. [DM85, 88]
- 1958-09-27 —
The fifth Intercontinental Conference was held at the mid-point of the Crusade and convened in Singapore. [BW13:331]
- Hand of the Cause Leroy Ioas, who had been designated by the Guardian as his representative, attended, accompanied by eight other Hands of the Cause. [BW13:331–2]
- For the message of the Custodians to the conference see MC111–6.
- For a report of the conference see BW13:331–2.
- 1963-04-28 —
The first Bahá'í World Congress, the 'Most Great Jubilee', was held in London to celebrate the centenary of the declaration of Bahá'u'lláh. The beloved Guardian had wanted this long-planned gathering to take place in Baghdad, but the situation did not allow the gathering to take place there. In 1961, the Hands of the Cause of God residing at the Holy Land decided to hold the Congress in London, which would also enable the participants to visit the resting place of the Guardian. [BW14:57]
- For a detailed account and many pictures see BW14:57–80.
- For the programme of speakers see BW14:60–1.
- Some 6,000 Bahá'ís attend.
- The closing talk at the Bahá'í world congress by Hand of the cause Abu'l-Qasim Faizi.
- 1967-10-05 —
Six Intercontinental Conferences were held simultaneously in Panama City, Wilmette, Sydney, Kampala, Frankfurt and New Delhi to celebrate the centenary of the proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh to the kings and rulers of the world in September/October of 1867. [BW 14:221]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice to the conferences see BW14:221–2.
- For descriptions of each conference see BW14:223–58.
- See CG68-69 for a brief description of the Intercontinental Conference in Kampala.
- The six Hands of the Cause representing the Universal House of Justice at the conferences travelled to Adrianople to visit the House of Bahá'u'lláh before dispersing to the conferences. [BW14:236, 458; VV2]
- 1968-06-22 —
The first National Youth Conference of the Bahá'ís of the United States opened in Wilmette, Illinois. [BW15:327 8]
- For picture see BW15:325.
- 1968-07-27 — The first National Youth Conference of Honduras opened in Santa Rosa de Copán. [BW15:328–9]
- 1969-04-03 — The first European Youth Conference opened in Madrid, Spain. [BW15:329]
- 1969-04-04 —
The first National Youth Conference of Australia opened at Bolton Place summer School. [BW15:329]
- For picture see BW15:328.
- 1969-05-24 — The first Bahá'í Youth Conference of Japan opened on Jogashima Island. [BW15:329]
- 1969-12-29 —
The First Pacific Area Bahá'í Youth Conference took place in Apia, Western Samoa. [BW15:329–30]
- For picture see BW15:330.
- 1970-00-00 — A Bahá'í International Youth Conference was held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
- 1970-00-00 — Botswana held its first National Youth School. [BW15:329]
- 1970-02-20 — First American National Baha'i Education Conference in America was held in Wilmette. [USBN April 1970]
- 1970-06-19 — Rúhíyyih Khánum interrupted her African teaching safari to meet with more than 2,000 youth at the National Youth Conference in the United States. [BW15:331; VV10]
- 1970-12-25 —
The First International Bahá'í Youth Winter School took place in Salzburg, Austria, attended by 600 people from 25 countries. [BW15:332]
- For picture see BW15:332.
- 1971-04-00 —
The International Bahá'í Youth Conference took place at Oteppe-Namur, Belgium, launching a two-year youth campaign for Europe. [BW15:333–4]
- For picture see BW15:334.
- 1971-07-31 —
The European Youth Conference took place in Fiesch, Switzerland, attended by 1,200 youth from 50 countries. [BW15:336–8]
- About 200 people enrolled in the Bahá'í Faith during the conference. [BW15:336]
- For pictures see BW15:337.
- 1971-08-27 —
The first Bahá'í Youth Conference for Western Asia took place in New Delhi. [BW15:335]
- Two thousand people enrolled during the conference and the week following. [BW15:335]
- 1971-11-01 — The first Bahá'í Youth Conference of the Antilles took place in the Dominican Republic. [BW 15:217]
- 1972-04-28 —
An international teaching conference was held in conjunction with the dedication of the Mother Temple of Latin America in Panama. [BW15:633–42]
- For pictures see BW15:632–49.
- Some 3,000 Bahá'ís attend. [TG191]
- 1972-05-01 —
The international teaching conference in Panama held in conjunction with the dedication of the House of Worship opened. [BW15:635]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW15:635–7.
- 1972-12-01 — The first International Youth Conference of Surinam took places in Paramaribo. [BW15:341]
- 1972-12-29 — The first West African Bahá'í Youth conference was held in The Gambia.
The Continental Board of Counsellors sponsored the first West African Bahá'í Youth Conference in conjunction with the National Spiritual Assembly of Upper West Africa. The Conference was held in The Gambia on the campus of Yundum College some fifteen miles from the capital city of Bathurst. Youth representing nine countries in this zone attended: Nigeria, Upper Volta, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania, plus pioneers originating from the United States, Mauritius, Malaysia, Iran, and friiq. A young Bahá'í from Sweden was able to greet the friends during a brief stop on a boat cruise. Counsellors Mr. H. R. Ardikani and Dr. William Maxwell Jr., were present as well as six of their Auxiliary Board members, Mr. Amos Agwu, Mr. Muhammad Al-Salihi, Mrs. H. Vera Edwards, Mr. Friday Ekpe, Mr. Shidan Kouchekzadeh and Dr. B. Sadiqzadeh. A total of fifty-six persons attended. [Bahá'í News 504]
- 1973-00-00 — The first International Youth Conference of Mexico took place in Puebla City, was attended by 200 youth from five countries. [BW15:343]
- 1973-11-00 — The first youth conference of Papua New Guinea took place in Sogeri with 40 youth and visitors. [BW16:276]
- 1974-00-00 — The National Spiritual Assembly of the Leeward and Virgin Islands held its first annual National Teaching Conference. [BW16:187]
- 1974-00-00 — The first International Bahá'í Youth Conference to be held in Botswana took place in Mahalapye. [BW16:150]
- 1974-03-21 — In its Naw-Rúz Message the Universal House of Justice announced that there would be eight International Teaching Conferences will be held during the middle part of the Five Year Plan; two for the Arctic, one in Anchorage and one in Helsinki during July 1976, one in Paris in August 1976, one in Nairobi in October 1976, one in Hong Kong in November 1976, one in Auckland and one in Bahia, Brazil in January 1977 and one in Mérida, Mexico in February 1977. The theme of these conferences was the urgent need for the Bahá'ís to ARISE to teach the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh. (Arise-Reach-Individual-Souls-Everywhere). 14,500 Bahá'ís attended.
[Naw-Rúz 1974.]
- 1974-05-00 — The first National Youth Conference of Burma took place during the visit of Hand of the Cause Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum. [BW16:251]
- 1974-08-04 —
The first International Youth Conference, the largest conference ever held in Hawaii to date, took place in Hilo. [BW16:229]<
- For picture see BW16:232.
- 1974-08-11 — The first Teaching Conference of the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe took place in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands. [BW16:110]
The conference was seen as an historic one in that it was the first to which participants had come to order to discuss the whole area of the European Arctic and sub-Arctic stretching from Finland in the west in Greenland in the east, from Svalbard in the extreme north to the Scottish islands in the south.
Iceland is the only country in Europe that has planned and systematically carried out, year by year, a program of proclamation (now in its fourth year) that has taken the Faith throughout the entire country, north, south, east and west. (Betty Reed, Continental Board of Counsellors for Europe)
[BN No 525 8 December 1974 p10-11]
- 1974-08-28 —
The conference held in St Louis, Missouri, to launch the Five Year Plan in the United States attracted some 10,000 Bahá'ís, the largest gathering of Bahá'ís to take place anywhere in the world to date. [BW16:203; VV40]
- See "From Badasht to Stain Louis; An Evaluation of the First Bahá'í Conference and the Largest" by Zikrullah Khadem, ZK266-278.
- 1975-00-00 —
The first all-Quechua Bahá'í Conference was held in Cusco, Peru, attended by Bahá'ís from Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. [BW16p445]
- This conference was attended by Rúhíyyih Khánum and some of her companions on the Green Light Expedition. [BW16p439]
- The supreme deity of the Incas, Ilya-Tiqsi Viracocha Pachayachachiq ("Ancient Foundation, Lord, Teacher"), was incarnated and dwelled among men as the Inca prophet of God. Viracocha promised to return one day and that hope has been realized. [Indigenous Messengers of God
by Christopher Buck and Kevin Locke p13; Native Messengers of God in Canada?: A Test Case for Bahá'í Universalism by Christopher Buck]
- 1975-02-00 — The first National Teaching Conference in Sierra Leone took place in Bo. [BW16:172]
- 1975-02-01 — The first Bahá'í Women's Conference of the Solomon Islands took place at Auki, Malaita Island, attended by more than 90 women. [BW16:282]
- 1975-03-29 — The first Bahá'í Youth Conference of the Canary Islands was held in Santa Cruz. [BW16:313]
- 1975-07-09 — The first International Bahá'í Youth Conference of Iceland took place in Njardvik with youth from nine countries. [BW16:301]
- 1975-12-00 — The first International Youth School to be held in Rhodesia took place near Bulawayo. [BW16:155]
- 1975-12-00 — The first National Teaching Conference to be held in Senegal took place in Dakar. [BW16:175]
- 1976-03-24 — The first Continental Youth Conference of Western Asia took place in Karachi, Pakistan. [BW16:265]
- 1976-07-05 —
An International Teaching Conference was held in Helsinki, Finland, attended by some 950 Bahá'ís. [BW17:81; VV33]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW17:129–30.
- For pictures see BW17:109, 112, 114–15.
- 1976-07-09 — An International Youth Conference was held in Ivory Coast, attended by nearly 200 Bahá'ís. [BW17:150, 153]
- 1976-07-23 —
An International Teaching Conference was held in Anchorage, Alaska, attended by 1,005 Bahá'ís. [BW17:81]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW17:130–1.
- For pictures see BW17:110, 113, 116–17.
- 1976-08-03 —
An International Teaching Conference was held in Paris, attended by some 5,700 Bahá'ís. [BW17:81; DM416; VV33]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW17:131–2.
- For the message of Kurt Waldheim, Secretary-General of the United Nations, see BW17:140.
- For pictures see BW17:109, 117–19.
- 1976-10-15 —
An International Teaching Conference was held in Nairobi, Kenya, attended by 1,363 Bahá'ís. [BW17:81; VV33]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW17:133–4.
- For pictures see BW17:110, 119–21.
- 1976-11-27 —
An International Teaching Conference was held in Hong Kong, attended by 506 Bahá'ís. [BW17:81; VV33]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW17:135–6.
- For pictures see BW17:110, 111, 121–2.
- 1977-01-19 —
An International Teaching Conference was held in Auckland, New Zealand, attended by 1,195 Bahá'ís. [BW17:81; VV33]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW17:136–7.
- For pictures see BW17:111, 122–4.
- 1977-01-27 —
An International Teaching Conference was held in Bahia, Brazil, attended by 1,300 Bahá'ís, the largest such gathering of Bahá'ís to date in Brazil. [BW17:81; VV33]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW17:137–8.
- For pictures see BW17:110, 124–5.
- 1977-02-04 —
An International Teaching Conference was held in Mérida, Mexico, attended by more than 2,000 Bahá'ís. [BW17:81; VV33]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW17:139.
- Three Hands of the Cause were present – Paul Haney, Rahmatu'lláh Muhájir, and Enoch Olinga, as well as Counsellor Florence Mayberry who had been on the first national assembly of Mexico.
- For pictures see BW17:112, 126–7.
- VV33 says this was 2–6 Feb.
- 1977-04-01 — The first National Bahá'í Children's Conference of Samoa took place. [BW17:211]
- 1977-05-01 — The Himalayan Conference was held in Gangtok, Sikkim. [BW17:180–2]
- 1977-06-01 — At the behest of the Universal House of Justice, two conferences were held for Persian-speaking Bahá'ís resident in Europe, one in Germany and one in London. [BW17:194]
- 1977-08-12 — An International Bahá'í Youth Conference was held in Enugu, Nigeria, attended by over 250 Bahá'ís from 19 countries. [BW17:150, 153]
- 1977-10-13 —
The Asian Bahá'í Women's Conference was held in New Delhi, attended by more than a thousand women from across Asia. 1,200 women from 36 countries were in attendance. [BW17:180]
- For picture see BW17:212.
- 1977-10-17 — At the end of the Asian Bahá'í Women's Conference Hand of the Cause Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum laid the foundation stone of the Mother Temple of the Indian Subcontinent. [BW17:85, 180, 368–70; VV35]
- 1977-12-02 —
The first International Conference of Bahá'í Women in South America was held in Lima, Peru, attended by 200 women from 12 countries. [BW17:172]
- For picture see BW17:211.
- 1977-12-15 — The Hemispheric Bahá'í Radio and Television Conference was held in Panama, with 125 participants from 24 countries. [BW17:219; Mess63-86]
- 1978-01-15 — The first National Bahá'í Women's Conference of Niger took place.
- 1978-08-01 — An International Bahá'í Youth Conference was held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, attended by some 380 Bahá'ís from 19 countries. [BW17:150, 153]
- 1978-12-28 —
The West African Bahá'í Women's Conference was held in Monrovia, Liberia with the theme, "Spiritual Education of Women-The Foundation of a New Human Society". [BW17:154]
- Delegates from sixteen countries attended. It was attended by 150 women and 50 men. Keynote speaker was Dr. Jane Faily, Consultant to the Bahá'í International Community's representative to the United Nations and a clinical psychologist associated with the University of Ottawa. [BN 136 April, 1979 pg10-15]
- 1980-05-03 — The first Bahá'í International Conference on Health and Healing was held in Ottawa, Canada, under the sponsorship of the Association for Bahá'í Studies. [BW 18:201]
- 1982-06-25 —
A Bahá'í International Conference to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf was held in Dublin, Ireland, attended by some 1,900 Bahá'ís from 60 countries. [BW18:100; VV61]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW18:156–7.
- For a pictorial report see BW18:138–40.
- 1982-08-06 —
A Bahá'í International Conference to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf was held in Quito, Ecuador, attended by some 1,450 Bahá'ís from 43 countries. [BW18:100; VV61]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW18:157–8.
- For a pictorial report see BW18:141–3.
- 1982-08-19 —
A Bahá'í International Conference to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf was held in Lagos, Nigeria, attended by some 1,110 Bahá'ís from 46 countries representing some 90 ethnic groups. [BW18:100; VV61]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW18:158–9 In the message the Universal House of Justice reported that in a little more than three decades there were 37 National Spiritual Assemblies, 4,490 Local Assemblies, 29,000 localities with believers drawn from 1,152 tribes.
- For a pictorial report see BW18:144–6.
- 1982-09-02 —
A Bahá'í International Conference to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf was held in Montreal, Canada, attended by 9,400 Bahá'ís from 101 countries. [BW18:100; VV61]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW18:161–2.
- For a pictorial report see BW18:151–4.
- 1982-09-03 —
A Bahá'í International Conference to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf was held in Canberra, Australia, attended by some 2,400 Bahá'ís, twice as many as were expected, from 45 countries. [BW18:100; VV61]
This conference was originally scheduled to be held in Manila, in the Philippines. [Message from the Universal House of Justice dated March 1981]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW18:159–60.
- For a pictorial report see BW18:147–50.
- 1983-08-05 — The first Los Angeles Bahá'í History Conference was held at the University of California at Los Angeles. [BW19:369–70]
- 1984-08-30 —
An International Teaching Conference was held to coincide with the dedication of the House of Worship at Apia, Western Samoa. [BW19:548–54; VV64]
- For a report of the conference see BW19:548–54.
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW19:555–6.
- For pictures see BW19:475, 547–57 and VV64.
- 1984-12-24 — The first National Bahá'í Youth Conference to be held in Greece took place in Athens. [BW19:319]
- 1985-04-05 — An International Youth Conference to support the United Nations International Youth Year was held in Bophuthatswana, attended by 198 people. [BW19:300]
- 1985-04-30 — The first annual conference of the Association for Bahá'í Studies, Brazil, took place in Saõ Paulo. [BW19:358]
- 1985-07-03 — An International Youth Conference to support the United Nations International Youth Year was held in Columbus, Ohio, United States attended by more than 3,200 youth from 42 nations. [BW19:300]
- 1985-07-26 —
The European Bahá'í Youth Conference was held in Antwerp, Belgium, in July 1985, and was attended by some 1,450 youth from 45 nations. The youth addressed the European Parliament and the Council of Europe in letters which told of their resolve to put into action the International Youth Year themes of 'Participation, Development and Peace'. The youth spoke of programs in which Bahá'ís were supporting the themes, including human rights education and social and economic development projects. [BW19:301]
- For picture see BW19:315.
- 1985-08-00 —
An International Youth Conference to support the United Nations International Youth Year was held in Molepolole, Botswana, attended by 119 youth from six countries. [BW19:300]
- For picture see BW19:320.
- 1985-08-00 — An International Youth Conference to support the United Nations International Youth Year was held in New Delhi, India, attended by more than 550 youth from 24 countries. [BW19:300]
- 1985-08-01 — An International Youth Conference to support the United Nations International Youth Year was held in Port Dickson, Malaysia, attended by 1,300 youth from 15 countries, the largest gathering of Bahá'ís ever held in Malaysia. [BW19:301]
- 1985-08-02 —
An International Youth Conference to support the United Nations International Youth Year was held in Lima, Peru, attended by 500 youth from 18 countries and representing four native tribes. [BW19:300]<
- For picture see BW19:322.
- 1985-08-08 —
An International Youth Conference to support the United Nations International Youth Year was held in Kauai, Hawaii, attended by 300 youth from nine Pacific countries. [BW19:301]
- For picture see BW19:321.
- 1985-09-00 — The first Bahá'í Studies conference in Hawaii took place at the national Bahá'í centre. [BW19:360]
- 1985-10-00 — The first National Bahá'í Youth Conference in Nepal took place, attended by 120 Bahá'ís, the largest Bahá'í gathering ever held in the country. [VV74]
- 1985-12-27 —
The Universal House of Justice convened a Counsellors' Conference at the Bahá'í World Centre. [AWH39; BW19:29; VV122]
- The Universal House of Justice announcing that for the first time the Counselors would be helping National Spiritual Assemblies to form their own goals, rather than goals being assigned to communities from the World Centre, at the close of the conference. [2 January 1986]
- The gathering, held in the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, consulted on the opportunities and challenges facing the Bahá'í world community. It was attended by 64 Counsellors from the five continents. [BW19:29]
- See BW19:494, 504 for pictures.
- 1986-12-23 — International Teaching Conference was held in New Delhi in conjunction with the opening of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár. It was attended by 8,000 Bahá'ís from 114 countries. [BW20p731-753]
- 1987-01-16 — The first Youth Conference of the Bahamas was held with representation from three islands. [BINS173:9]
- 1987-12-00 — The first Children's Conference of Uganda was held in Kikaaya, Kampala. [BINS173:7]
- 1988-00-00 — The first Caribbean Bahá'í Women's conference took place in Antigua.
- 1988-07-14 — The Bahá'í Association for Arts (BAFA) helds its first arts festival at the Bahá'í conference centre De Poort, Netherlands. [BINS180:4]
- 1988-07-15 — The first International Women's Conference of Paraguay opened, attended by 130 women from seven countries. [BINS180:5]
- 1988-08-03 — The first Iberian Youth Conference was held in Lisbon, attended by 120 Bahá'ís from nine European countries. [BINS181:6]
- 1988-09-25 — The first annual Bahá'í Studies Conference of Spain was held in Barcelona. [BINS192:5]
- 1988-12-24 — The first National Youth Conference of Côte d'Ivoire took place. [BINS196:9]
- 1989-03-23 — The First National Women's Conference of Spain was held in Madrid. [BINS201:6]
- 1989-07-01 — Five European Regional 'Peace Moves' Youth Conferences were held in different parts of the continent.
- 1989-07-02 — The first European Bahá'í Women's Conference was held at De Poort Conference Centre, the Netherlands. [BINS203:2]
- 1989-12-18 — During the Youth Winter School in Traben-Trarback participants from 12 countries including East Germany, Romania, Hungary and the Soviet Union gathered for the first time since the Second World War. [BINS215:2]
- 1990-01-24 — The first All-Union Bahá'í Conference was held in Moscow with 250 people gathered from all over the Soviet Union and from 17 other countries. This was the first national Bahá'í conference held in the USSR in about 60 years. [BINS224:8; VV112]
- 1990-03-31 — The first Bahá'í International Chinese Symposium was held in San Francisco, California; it was attended by 362 Bahá'ís from eight countries. [BINS222:6]
- 1990-05-18 — The first of seven European women's conferences sponsored by the Continental Board of Counsellors was held in Iskenderun, Turkey. [BINS230:1]
- 1990-06-10 — The Paraguay International Chinese Teaching Symposium, the first of its kind in South America, was held in Asuncion, attended by 80 people from 10 countries. [BINS226:4]
- 1990-07-00 — The first youth conference of Estonia was held in Kabli, near Parnu, attended by some 113 participants from all parts of Europe
- 1990-10-20 — The first National Children's Conference of Nicaragua was held in Retiro, Aurora, Managua, attended by more than 40 children. [BINS243:8]
- 1990-11-22 — The First European Bahá'í Youth Encounter was held in the Canary Islands, attended by over 150 people from eight countries. [BINS239:1]
- 1990-11-30 — The First National Teaching Conference of the Bahá'ís of Romania was held near Poiana Brasov, in the Carpathian mountains. [CBN Feb 91p14]
- 1990-12-08 — The first All-Union Bahá'í Consultative Conference was held in Moscow attended by Bahá'ís from every part of the Soviet Union, members of three Continental Boards of Counsellors and representatives of all those National Spiritual Assemblies having responsibility for the work of the Faith in that area. [BINS 238:6] [CBN Mar91Vol3no8] [VV112]
- 1991-01-27 — The first National Teaching Conference of Yugoslavia was held in Belgrade. [BINS243:3]
- 1991-07-16 —
The first European Bahá'í Youth Conference of Romania was held in Neptune. [BINS253:9; VV74]
- For picture see VV74.
- 1991-10-25 — The first National Teaching Conference of Bulgaria was held in Plovdiv. [BINS258:2–3]
- 1992-01-01 — The first teaching conference of Southern Yugoslavia was held, attended by 40 Bahá'ís representing 12 nationalities. [BINS264:8]
- 1992-01-02 —
The first European Conference on Bahá'í Activities in Universities was held in Brno, Czechoslovakia. [BINS263:2]
- BINS290:2 gives a second report of this event, incorrectly implying it was held in January 1993.
- 1992-01-10 — The first teaching conference of Croatia and Slovenia was held in Kranj. [BINS263:1–2]
- 1992-02-03 — The Association of Bahá'í Publishers and Distributors was established at a Bahá'í Publishers' Conference in Oakham, England, with its headquarters in the Netherlands. [BINS273:4-5; VV71]
- 1992-04-04 — The first Children's Festival and Family Conference of Turkey was held in Cankaya, Ankara. [BINS269:5–6]
- 1992-09-25 — The first Bahá'í Youth Conference of Lithuania took places in Kaunas, attended by 32 Bahá'ís. [BINS281:1]
- 1992-11-23 —
The Second World Congress was held in New York City to commemorate the centenary of the passing of Bahá'u'lláh and the completion of the Six Year Plan. It was attended by some 28,000 Bahá'ís from some 180 countries. [BBD240; VV136-141; BW92-93p95-102, 136]
- Nine auxiliary conferences were held in Buenos Aires, Sydney, New Delhi, Nairobi, Panama City, Bucharest, Moscow, Apia and Singapore. [BINS283:3-4]
- For pictures see [BINS283:9-10], [BW92-3p100] and [VV136-141]
- "New York will become a blessed spot from which the call to steadfastness in the Covenant and Testament of God will go forth to every part of the world." - 'Abdu'l-Bahá [AWH77-8 90-1 105-6]
- On the 25th of November a concert was held in Carnegie Hall as a birthday tribute to Dizzy Gillespie called "Celebrating the Bahá'í Vision of World Peace". [VV141]
- On the 26th of November Bahá'ís around the world were linked together by a live satellite broadcast serving the second Bahá'í World Congress, the nine auxiliary conferences and the Bahá'í World Centre and it was received by those with access to satellite dish antennas. [BINS283:1–5, 8; BINS286:10; BINS287:4]
- For the message of the Universal House of Justice read on the satellite link see BW92–3:37–4.
- For accounts of personal experiences by some of the attendees see In the Eyes of His Beloved Servants: The Second Bahá'í World Congress and Holy Year by J. Michael Kafes.
- The film, 'Abdu'l-Bahá: Mission to America, made by Elizabeth Martin, was prepared for the World Congress program and also used in the Theme Pavilion. [HNWE45]
- 1993-01-29 — The first Latin American Bahá'í Social and Economic Development Seminar took place in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. [BINS308:2; BW92–3:139]
- 1993-02-20 — The first National Youth Conference of Hungary was held in Debrecen, attended by 60 youth. [BINS289:3]
- 1993-08-00 — The first International Bahá'í Youth Conference of Belarus was held, attended by 164 people from 16 countries. [BINS299:8; BINS306:7; BW93–4:123]
- 1993-10-02 — The first European Bahá'í Medical Conference was held in De Poort, Netherlands, attended by people from 26 countries. [BW93–4:104–5]
- 1993-10-29 — The founding conference of the Association for Bahá'í Studies in Russia was held in St Petersburg. [BINS305:5]
- 1994-05-19 — The first National Bahá'í Conference of Armenia was held in Yerevan. [BINS318:5–6]
- 1994-05-22 — The first Bahá'í Children and Youth Conference of Martinique was held in Fort-de-France, attended by 22 people. [BINS318:4–5]
- 1994-07-20 — The European Bahá'í Youth Council sponsored five regional 'Shaping Europe' conferences, in Berlin, Bucharest, St Petersburg, Barcelona and Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. [BINS323:3–5; BW94–5:177–8, 189]
- 1994-09-09 —
The first National Youth Conference of Liberia was held, attended by 75 youth. [BW94–5:188–9]
- For picture see BW94–5:189.
- 1994-10-00 — The Bahá'í Health Association for Central and Eastern Europe and the European Bahá'í Dental Association were formed at the second Bahá'í Health Conference held at De Poort, Netherlands. [BW94–5:116]
- 1995-01-00 — The first National Teaching Conference of Cambodia was held in Phnom Penh, attended by more than 50 Bahá'ís. [BINS334:2]
- 1995-05-30 — The first International Medical/Surgical Conference of Tirana was held under the auspices of Health for Humanity and the University of Tirana, attended by more than 400 Albanian physicians. [BINS343:2–3]
- 1995-06-08 — The First European Baha'i Conference on Law and International Order was held in De Poort, the Netherlands. The Dr Àziz Navidi Memorial Lecture, The Theme of Service in the Evolving World Order of Bahá'u'lláh was delivered 9 June by Kiser Barnes.
For the proceedings see Law and International Order: Proceedings of the First European Bahá'í Conference on Law and International Order and for a review of the book by Joshua Lincoln see Bahá'í Library Online. - 1995-12-28 — The first teaching conference of Lithuania was held in Vilnius, attended by Bahá'ís from five countries. [BINS355:1]
- 1996-03-23 — The first National Women's Seminar of Bulgaria was held in Sofia, organized by the European Task Force for Women. [BINS365:8]
- 1997-10-24 —
The International Environment Forum was launched at the first International Bahá'í Environment Conference in de Poort, Netherlands, with participants from nine countries, who were joined electronically by people from 21 countries participating in the e-mail version of the conference.
- A Bahá'í Perspective on the Environment and Sustainable Development was presented by Michael Richards of the Overseas Development Institute in London.
- At the conference, the objectives, activities and structure of the Forum were agreed and statutes adopted, and a governing board of five people was elected.
- It is a Bahá'í-inspired non-governmental organization that linked together Bahá'ís and others interested in the fields of environment and sustainable development. Development of the Forum had been encouraged and guided by the Bahá'í International Community, although it had no formal link with the Bahá'í administration.
- 1998-11-06 — The 2nd International Conference of the Environment Forum was held in the Netherlands with wide electronic participation on the themes of sustainable consumption and the Earth Charter. The first theme of the conference, sustainable consumption, was introduced by a keynote address on "Sustainable Consumption and True Prosperity" by Arthur Dahl. [IEF 2nd Annual Conference ]
- 1999-08-15 —
A conference was held Sidcot, Avon, United Kingdom, hosted jointly by the International Environmental Forum with the Bahá'í Agency for Social and Economic Development - UK. It brought together 44 participants from 13 countries on 5 continents, as well as internet connection with an additional 70 "electronic" conference participants in 29 countries, for a total of 114 participants from 38 countries, including 8 in Africa. [International Environment Forum web site]
- See the website for a list of papers presented.
- 2000-12-12 — The 4th Annual Conference of the International Environment Forum (IEF) was held in Orlando, Florida. The theme was Applying the Bahá'í Teachings to the Environmental Challenges Facing the World. (IEF Web Site)
- 2005-12-27 — The gathering, at the Bahá'í World Centre, the members of the Continental Boards of Counsellors [BWNS418]
- 2010-12-28 —
The conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors was held at the World Centre attended by 79 of the world's 81 Counsellors, from some 58 countries. [BWNS804]
- See the message from the Universal House of Justice to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors dated 28 December, 2010.
- As of this date there were 170 Regional Councils in 45 countries.
- 2013-07-00 —
The holding of 114 Youth Conferences around the world at the request of the Universal House of Justice. The purpose of the gatherings were to explore such themes as the characteristics inherent to the period of youth, the historical contribution of young people to the transformation of society, the responsibilities of the present generation of youth, the society-building power of the Bahá'í Teachings, and the importance of faith and tenacity to a life of service. [List of places and dates for Youth Conferences]
- See The Five Year Plan 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning pg46-43.
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