4 January 2026 – Regarding the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors

The Universal House of Justice 4 January 2026 To the Bahá’ís of the World Dearly loved Friends, Five days of earnest consultation among the Continental Counsellors, who are assembled here in the Holy Land for their conference on the next phase of the Nine Year Plan, have reached their conclusion today, and we send you this message at the close of that auspicious gathering. We have heard accounts from the Counsellors of your many endeavours, the advances being made in settings of all kinds, and how these have contributed to a flourishing process of learning at every level of the community. We have been delighted by descriptions of how, through various collaborative arrangements, the community itself is emerging as a more visible protagonist in the work of the Plan. And we have marvelled at what is occurring within populations that have a very high level of participation in Bahá’í activities, in places where the community’s relationship with society is deepening and rapidly evolving. The significant contribution made to this progress by the Counsellors themselves, ably guided in all their efforts by the International Teaching Centre, is unmistakable. We have been struck by the keenness of their observations and the clarity of their reflections, both infused with their evident love for the communities they serve. The basis for their consultations has been the message we addressed to their conference on its opening day and which was immediately sent to all National Spiritual Assemblies so that it could be shared with you without delay. No time had passed before a veritable torrent of reports arrived of the message being studied by groups of eager friends, even those who had gathered for other purposes. We were deeply touched by these widespread evidences of a desire to quickly comprehend what the Bahá’í world has learned over the last four years and to ascertain what must be done to advance the Plan further over the next five. This will also be the focus of a series of institutional gatherings to be held in the coming months, during which, no doubt, the Counsellors will share insights that have arisen from their deliberations here. At Riḍván, the first phase of the Nine Year Plan will conclude and the second phase will commence. This moment of progression is an ideal time to engage with the numerous souls in whose company the Plan was launched four years ago, and whose number has since expanded to include countless new friends who have been attracted to devotional meetings, educational activities, and other Bahá’í initiatives. We invite all to reflect together, whether in dedicated spaces, at regular community gatherings, or within one another’s homes, on what has been learned and what has been accomplished. And in contemplating the significance of this global enterprise, we feel sure you will also be moved to consider how your actions, and those of your household and your community, could help the aim of the Plan to be realized. “It is the concern of the True One to reveal,” Bahá’u’lláh has stated, “and the concern of the people to spread what hath been revealed.” The devoted, spirited, diverse efforts being made to carry to every receptive heart what the True One has revealed—to offer hope to a trouble-gripped humanity, to offer the means of being a conscious agent in the work of worldwide spiritual renewal—are an abiding cause for admiration and wonder, for rejoicing and gratitude. Such are the emotions that crowd our breasts at this time, and with which we will entreat Bahá’u’lláh at His Sacred Shrine later today to send you blessings from out His measureless grace. [signed: The Universal House of Justice]