Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

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

Page 246

PROGRAM DESD Sunday, December 6, 2009
11:30am-1:00pm INTERRELIGIOUS SESSION
Glen Lauder has a PhD in natural systems in transition and he led the development of the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy Over the last ten years he has been engaged by institutes, government, research and philanthropic groups in New Zealand, Australia, Japan and the US. Looking at how communities access collective clarity, deep compassion and commitment, he co-leads a cross-system practice-and-research initiative on social emergence called the Ecology of Commitment'. Sarah Houseman is a committed member of the Pachamama Alliance, as well as a trainer and global leader for the Awakening the Dreamer. Changing the Dream' initiative. Sarah uses the Symposium as a forum within which the community is able to explore issues that matter deeply such as environmental sustainability, social justice and spiritual fulfillment. She is also a practitioner of the respected approach to sustainability. The Natural Step, and works with small business and communities. Tahnee Woolf is an international speaker, accomplished writer, movement specialist and global visionary She has a Master's degree in international law from Oxford University. She is also a qualified Feldenkrais practitioner and has created the pioneering online program Body Mastery' to empower people around the world to free themselves from pain.
The Impact of Women in Conflict Resolution Asatu Bah-Kenneth Naree Charoenpolpiriya Jacqueline Ogega Sande Hart Room 217 Panel Discussion Women make up one-half of the world's population but they are often marginalised, even devalued. Yet, they frequently engage in world altering activities. This panel will highlight the role of women in resolving and reconciling the parties involved in recent conflicts in several regions around the globe including Africa, the Middle East and North America, among others. The panel will share their stories and showcase the role that women have played and continue to play in building peace with justice around the world. Asatu Bah-Kenneth serves with the Liberia National Police. She is deputy inspector-general of police for administration, serves on the government's Humanitarian Task Force, and was the first personnel director of the Ministry of Gender and Development. Mrs Bah-Kenneth founded Liberian Muslim Women for Peace and is president of the Liberian Female Law Enforcement Association. She is a life-long peace and justice activist and is featured in the documentary "Pray the Devil Back to Hell'. Naree Charoenpol piriya is a peace advocate who has been working for women victims of violence since 2004. Naree has been a nonviolence trainer for over twenty years. She initiated a healing project for family members of Takbai protest victims in 2004. Also, she was a commissioner to the Thai government-appointed National Reconciliation Commission. She has a strong sense of how conflict resolution methods have changed and developed over the years. Jacqueline Ogega is the Director of the Women's Program at the World Conference of Religions for Peace. She has served as the African Women's Project Director at Religions for Peace in Africa, where she established the African Women of Faith Network. She has experience and skills in gender. peace building and development programming. She holds a Master's degree as well as a post graduate diploma in gender and development, both from the University of Nairobi, Kenya Sande Hart is the Founder & President of Spiritual And Religious Alliance for Hope (S.A.R.A.H.), a women's interfaith group that developed following the events of 9/11. She is on the Board of Directors for the Interfaith Youth Council and the Institute of Religion & Cultural Competency. Sande is also the author of 'Make a Difference 101 Community Service: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide for Kids
Faith, Community and Disaster Risk Reduction Andreana Reale Ruth Maetala Chi Kwang Sunim Deborah Storie Len Clarke Hafiz Aziz ur Rehman Room 218 Panel Discussion As the Earth is ravaged by cyclones, earthquakes and tsunamis, we ask questions such as 'Why did this happen? and 'What are we to do about it?' This forum will address these questions by bringing together science and religion and will consider how faith communities and leaders can reduce disaster risk. The focus is primarily on the human conditions that make people vulnerable to disaster. The panel discussion will address the following areas: 1 Theology: How do different faith traditions understand disaster? 2) Action: How do faith communities, on a local, national and global scale, prevent and respond to disasters? 3) Advocacy: How are religious leaders speaking out about reducing vulnerability to disaster, and what else can be said? 4) Disaster: How might communities reduce the impact of disasters? This is a topic well covered from a secular perspective but not from a faith perspective. Salvano Briceno, director of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, supports this initiative. Andreana Reale is a Christian and researcher with a special interest in the link between faith and natural disasters. She is also a community worker with Urban Seed, a Christian organisation that seeks to build relationships and provide support for the homeless and marginalised in Melbourne Ruth Maetala is a native of the Solomon Islands and currently an advisor in a process of moving communities due to rising sca levels. She is a pas tor's wife, mother of four children, and community worker. She is Head of the Research and Policy Unit of the Ministry of Women Youth and Children (Solomon Islands Government). Her research interest is in land, natural resources management, and gender policy. Reverend Chi Kwang Sunim has been a Zen Buddhist nun for thirty years. Born in Korea, she now resides in Kinglake, Victoria. She is a seasoned meditation and Buddhist teacher and a founding member of the Buddhist Library in Sydney. Wat Buddha Dharma, and The Seon Centre. She is currently Chair of the Australian Sangha Association and recognised in Buddhist and Interfaith circles in Australia and abroad. She fought and survived the Kinglake fires and is a CRC in "Remake Kinglake recovery projects Deborah Storie is a PhD Candidate at Melbourne College of Divinity, a member of TEAR Australia's Project Review Committee, and Deputy Chair of the TEAR Board. She worked with a rural community development program in Afghanistan from 1992 to 1998 and later returned to lead a disaster management program from 2001 to 2002. Deborah also facilitates community development training and evaluations, enjoys the Australian bush and occasionally works as a vet at the RSPCA Len Clarke is an Indigenous elder of the Baha'i faith, from the Warrnambool area of Victoria. He is the chairperson of the Kirrae Whurrong Native Title Group and co-chair of the Victorian Indigenous I and Justice Group Through his Kikkabush Aboriginal Pastoral and Advancement Association, Len works to help Indigenous communities reach their full potential. Len is an active educator, lecturing at various institutions and organisations, and has been involved in a number of documentaries regarding Indigenous people and culture
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