The United States government has praised the Philippines for its initiatives, particularly the Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton noted the Philippine government's promotion of interfiath dialogue during her speech at the launching of this year's US Stated Department's Report on International Religious Freedom last October 26.

She noted that the Philippines and Jordan "build on shared values and common concerns of faith communities to sow the seeds of lasting peace."

"The commendation serves as the validation of work being done by the Philippines in the promotion of interfaith dialogue as an engine for peace and development at the national, regional, and international levels," the DFA said in a statement.

The US State Department submitted to the US Congress the Annual Review of International Religious Freedoms in compliance with the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998.

The review serves as the basis for policy, conduct of diplomacy, assistance, training, and resource allocation of US government departments, agencies, bureaus, and offices.

The DFA noted that interfaith dialogue, which is part of a framework for the conduct of healing and reconciliation programs, has played an integral role in the quest for lasting peace in Mindanao.

The Philippines will host the Special Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development next year. The government postponed the hosting of the summit this December, following the pressing need to attend to its relief and rehabilitation efforts.

The Philippines led the passage of a resolution at the United Nations that seeks to promote inter-religious and intercultural dialogue among countries. The resolution was unanimously approved by the UN General  Assembly (UNGA) in November, 2004.