Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 202

PROGRA Saturday, December 5, 2009
11:30am-1:00pm INTERRELIGIOUS SESSION
on concrete experiences in conflict resolution. In addition to helping to resolve violent conflicts, Dr Vendley will also suggest that religious cooperation can help to forge a new political paradigm of shared security that echoes distinctly religious notions of peace. Dr Vendley is the Secretary General of Religions for Peace, the world's largest coalition of national, regional and global multireligious councils, and women of faith and youth networks. Dr William F Vendley has served as Secretary General of Religions for Peace since 1994. He has mobilised and equipped religious communities in war-torn regions worldwide. He was a participant in His Majesty King Abdullah's historic interreligious meeting in Madrid, Spain in 2008 and has been requested by the Muslim World League to serve on its Followup Committee. Dr Vendley is also an advisor to US President Barack Obama
Interfaith and the Future of Africa Ishmael Noko Lally Lucretia Warren Prabhudas Pattni Margaret Lokawua, Uganda: Karimjong Setri Nyomi Room 202 Panel Discussion Historically, Africa has always been a home of multi-religiosity. The past and the present are characterised by this reality, and all those working for a New Africa are better advised to take this fact on board. Many good initiatives intended for a better Africa have not succeeded, partly because the religious communities and institutions were either working in isolation or in competition with each other. A New Africa is not possible until there is coordination and unity of purpose with regard to shared values among religious communities and other stakeholders. Ishmael Noko has been the General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation since 1994. He is responsible for international affairs in contact with governments and political leaders and has worked with refugee services for various churches. He obtained his MA at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon, Canada and his PhD from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Lally Lucretia Warren is a nurse and midwife and the chairperson of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'i in Botswana. She has led a wide variety of interreligious initiatives and has served as Chairperson of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'i in Botswana. She chaired a prominent session at the 2004 Parliament of the World's Religions entitled
Strategies for Mainstreaming Gender into Peace Building and Inter-Faith Programs Prabhudas Pattni is the General Secretary for the Hindu Council of Africa Margaret Lokawua is a member of the United Nations Forum on Indigenous Issues. She is also the Chairperson for Civil Society for Indigenous Organizations in Karamonja as well as the Director of the Indigenous Women Environmental Conservation Project Rev Dr Setri Nyomi is the General Secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches iWARCI -- the first non-European to serve in this position. He comes from Ghana, and has studied in the University of Ghana and Trinity Seminary in Ghana as well as Yale University and Princeton Theological Seminary in the USA. WARC is the global umbrella body of Presbyterian, Reformed, Congregational, Waldensian and some United and Uniting Churches
Cambodia in the Aftermath of Genocide: Where Does Faith Come in? Kim Hourn Kao Prince Sirivudh David Chandler Thomas Bohnett Room 208 Panel Discussion Cambodia's society and economy were shattered by prolonged war and a genocide that took the lives of 1.5 million people. Its religious leadership and institutions were special targets. As Cambodia recovers and rebuilds, religion and religious institutions engage in countless ways. The World Faiths Development Dialogue and Asian Faiths Development Dialogue are exploring the many dimensions of faith in contemporary Cambodia. key areas include Buddhist roles in peace building and forging regional links, reconciliation initiatives, work in health and education, action and advocacy to end abuse and trafficking, and care for the environment. The central question is how faith and faith communities are contributing to the development of a new Cambodia, linking the material needs of its people with their spiritual heritage and the values that make Cambodia unique. Dr Kaos President of the University of Cambodia and Secretary of State of Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among other official positions. He holds a PhD in Political Science and heads the Asian Faiths Development Dialogue. His special interest is in regional affairs, and he has attended many national, regional and international meetings. As a scholar and diplomat, he has contributed to both Cambodia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Sirivudh is Chairman of the Board at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, a think tank focused on promoting understanding of national and regional development issues. He is Supreme Privy Counselor to His Majesty the King of Cambodia. Prince Sirivudh has been a firm proponent of political reform in Cambodia, and his extensive career in Cambodian politics includes positions in the Senate and Parliament as well as the positions of Co-Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs David P Chandler is regarded as one of the foremost western scholars of Cambodia's modern history. He has accompanied Amnesty International and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees on Cambodian reSearch and fact-finding missions and has been a researcher in Cambodia archives for the US Department of Defense Office of POW/MIA Affairs. Chandler is a professor emeritus at Monash University Thomas Bohnett graduated from Princeton University in 2007, majoring in the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs. He spent 2007 to 2008 working for the International Rescue Committee in
Religions and the Resolution of Violent Conflict Dr William Vendley Room 203 While religious communities remain perpetually vulnerable to being hijacked by violent extremists, unscrupulous politicians and the sensationalist media, they have extraordinary assets for building peace and transforming violent conflict. During this session, Dr William Vendley, a pioneering leader in advancing multireligious cooperation for conflict transformation around the world, will set forth the key strengths that religious communities can bring to conflict transformation starting with religious visions of peace. Dr Vendley will present his arguments based
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