About Harmony Circle
The Racial and Religious Harmony Circles (Harmony Circle) is a platform to promote racial and religious harmony in Singapore, with a presence in every constituency.
We see ourselves as a bridge between religious, ethnic and community groups. By being part of the Harmony Circle network, leaders from these various groups can come together to build friendship and trust.
We also seek to deepen Singaporeans’ understanding of various faiths, beliefs and practices. For example, through inter-faith and inter-ethnic activities, such as heritage trails, dialogues, visits to places of worship, ethnic and religious celebrations, which are open to the community.
Our milestones
| Year | Milestone | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong announced the establishment of an Inter-Racial Confidence Circle (IRCC) in each local constituency. The first IRCC comprising leaders from racial, religious, social, educational, business groups and organisations was formed in Joo Chiat on 3 March 2002. | |
| 2006 | The Community Engagement Programme (CEP) was launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to bridge different communities in Singapore and strengthen social harmony. IRCC introduced the programme to religious organisations with the aim of deepening inter-religious understanding and harmony. | |
| 2007 | IRCC was renamed from “Inter-Racial Confidence Circle” to “Inter-Racial & Religious Confidence Circle”. | |
| 2008 | The IRCC logo was launched to reflect values of trust, respect, harmony and cooperation among different races and religions in Singapore. Accompanying the logo, the tagline “Different Races. Many Beliefs. One Nation” was selected from 23,000 entries after a six-week nationwide competition. | |
| 2009 | The IRCC Vision, Mission and Core Value statements were unveiled. IRCC Cares Programme was launched to lead initiatives that support vulnerable groups in the community. | |
| 2010 | The first National IRCC Workshop was held to bring together members and stakeholders to discuss and deliberate plans to deepen social cohesion in the community. | |
| 2012 | To mark the 10th anniversary of IRCC, an exhibition titled “IRCC Journey Exhibition Series” was produced to capture the highlights and accomplishments of IRCC through the years. | |
| 2018 | President Halimah Yacob attended the first National IRCC Convention that brought together more than 600 participants to foster communal bonds through dialogue with activists, academics and private sector experts. | |
| 2022 | IRCC was renamed from “Inter-Racial & Religious Confidence Circle” to “Racial & Religious Harmony Circles”. |