Program and topics
The program focuses on key issues related to peace and security, human rights and also development. The program will include interactive interviews and panels with prominent representatives from multiple faiths, politics and the media.
Day 1: Tuesday, 10 November 2020
14:00 – 15:30 OPENING CEREMONY
Master of Ceremonies: Mirian Akuaba De-Souza, Member, International Youth Committee
Moderator: Prof. Azza Karam, Secretary General, Religions for Peace
Opening remarks:
- Kosho Niwano, President-Designate, Rissho Kosei-Kai, Co-Moderator, Religions for Peace, JAPAN
- E. Metropolitan Emmanuel Adamakis, Metropolitan of France, Ecumenical Patriarchate; Co-Moderator, Religions for Peace
Videomessages to participants:
- Angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor, Federal Republic of Germany
- E. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
- E. Michelle Müntefering, Minister of State for International Cultural Policy at the Federal Foreign Office, Germany
Keynotes
- E. Mr. Salim Al-Malik, Director General, ISESCO
- E. Ms. Gillian Triggs, Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- E. Mr. Ib Petersen, Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
- Renz Argao, Director, Argao Center for Psychological Services; Coordinator, Religions for Peace International Youth Committee, PHILIPPINES
- Agatha O. Chikelue DMMM, Nun of the Daughters of Mother Mary of Mercy; Co-Chair Nigerian & African Women of Faith Network; Executive Director Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace (COFP); Chair, Religions for Peace International Women’s Coordinating Committee
15:30 – 16:00 COFFEE BREAK
16:00 – 17:00 VOICES from WOMEN LEADERS
Moderator: Prof. Azza Karam, Secretary General, Religions for Peace
Panellists:
- Mary McAleese, Former President of the Republic of Ireland
- Bishop Margot Käßmann, Former Chairperson, Evangelical Church of Germany; Co-President, Religions for Peace
- Musimbi Kanyoro, Board Chair of Women’s Learning Partnership, Former CEO of Global Fund for Women
- Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth, Graduate, Beit Midrash Har El, RfP Regional IRC – Middle East & North Africa Council of Religious Leaders, Spiritual leader, educator and artist
17:00 – 18:15 PLENARY I: REDEFINING LEADERSHIP
Moderator: Ms. Mahnaz Afkhami, Founder and President of Women’s Learning Partnership
Panellist:
- Humberto Carolo, Executive Director, White Ribbon Campaign Canada, MenEngage Network
- Aruna Abhey Oswal, Vice President, World Jain Confederation, Co-President, Religions for Peace, INDIA
- E. Archbishop Dr. Antje Jackelen, Lutheran Archbishop of Uppsala; Primate of the Church of Sweden, SWEDEN
- Clara Mayer, Spokesperson, Fridays for Future Germany, Feminist and Environmental Activist
Day 2: Wednesday, 11 November 2020
08:45 – 09:00 MULTI-RELIGIOUS PRAYER & MEDITATION
Rissho-Kosei Kai, Japan
09:00 – 09:45 HEART-Talk on PEACE
Interviewer: Mr. David Eades, Journalist, BBC
Interviewee 1: Ms. Düzen Tekkal, Journalist, Filmmaker, War Reporter, Human Rights Activist, Founder, Hawar Help and German Dream, GERMANY
Interviewee 2: Mr. Jama Egal, National Peacebuilding Coordinator of Somali Government
Interviewee 3: Dr. Mary McAleese, Former President of the Republic of Ireland
09:45 – 11:00 PLENARY II: Transforming Tomorrow by Advancing Gender Equality: The role of Women in Diplomacy
Moderator: Dr. Alexander Görlach, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
Panellists:
- Irmgard-Maria Fellner, Deputy Director-General for Culture and Communication, Federal Foreign Office, Germany
- Sima Samar, former Minister of Women’s Affairs in Afghanistan; Winner of the Right Livelihoods Award
- Lilian Sison, Chair, Asia and the Pacific Women of Faith Network, PHILIPPINES
- Suphatmet Yunyasit, Representative of Thailand to the ASEAN Women of Peace Registry; Human Rights and Peace Studies, Faculty, Mahidol University; Secretary-General, Religions for Peace Interreligious Council of Thailand; Member, RfP International Women’s Coordinating Committee, THAILAND
- Nihal Saad, Chief of Cabinet and Spokesperson to the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC)
11:00 – 11:30 COFFEE BREAK & MULTIMEDIA EXPERIENCE
11:30 – 12:30 Lightning Talks: Faith, Action and COVID-19
Moderator: Bishop Margot Käßmann, Former Chairperson, Evangelical Church of Germany, Co-President, Religions for Peace, GERMANY
Speaker 1: Prof. Azza Karam, PhD., Secretary General, Religions for Peace
Speaker 2: Dr. Kezevino (Vinu) Aram, President, Shanti Ashram, Co-Moderator, Religions for Peace, INDIA
Speaker 3: Ms. Emina Frljak, Program Coordinator, Youth for Peace, BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA
Speaker 4: Ms. Laura Anyola Tufon, Coordinator, Justice and Peace Commission, CAMEROON
Speaker 5: Ms. Sharon Rosen, Global Director, Religious Engagement, Search for Common Ground based in Jerusalem
15:15 – 15:45 COFFEE BREAK & MULTIMEDIA EXPERIENCE
Guided Meditation Lead by Grandmother and Grandfather
15:45 – 16:30 HEART-Talk on HATE SPEECH
Interviewer: Mr. Thomas Sparrow, Political Correspondent, Deutsche Welle
Interviewee 1: Rabbi David Rosen, KSG, CBE, International Director, Department of Interreligious Affairs in the American Jewish Committee; Co-President, Religions for Peace, ISRAEL
Interviewee 2: Ms. Lucy Calladine, Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager, Countering Extremism, Google, UNITED KINGDOM
Interviewee 3: H.E. John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja, Archdiocese of Abuja; Honorary President, Religions for Peace
16:30 – 17:45 PLENARY III: Keeping Faith in Times of Hate: Combating Hate Speech as a Cornerstone of Conflict Prevention
Moderator: Ms. Manal Omar, Founder and CEO, Across Red Lines
Panellists:
- Karima Bennoune, UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights; Homer G. Angelo & Ann Berryhill Endowed Chair & Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law at UC Davis School of Law
- Ela Gandhi, Trustee, Gandhi Development Trust and Religions for Peace Co-President, SOUTH AFRICA
- Prof. Cornelius Omonokhua, Executive Secretary, Nigeria Inter Religious Council (NIREC), NIGERIA
- Lejla Hasandedic-Dapo, #Speech4Change; Liaison Officer, United Religions Initiative (URI) Europe; European Interfaith Youth Network (EIYN) Religions for Peace, BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA
18:30 – 19:15 PEACE AND LIGHT CEREMONY
Moderator: Prof. Azza Karam, Secretary General, Religions for Peace
Music
Greeting: Dr. Claudia Alfons, Mayor of Lindau
Peace and Light Ceremony: RfP Augsburg-Schwaben, Germany (Female led Initiative)
Day 3: Thursday, 12 November 2020
08:45 – 09:00 MULTI-RELIGIOUS PRAYER & MEDITATION
Led by the RfP International Youth Committee (IYC)
09:00 – 09:45 HEART-Talk on EDUCATION
Interviewer: Mr. David Eades, Journalist, BBC
Interviewee 1: Ms. Ani Zonneveld, Founder and President, Muslims for Progressive Values
Interviewee 2: H.E. Bishop Elias Toumeh, Orthodox Bishop of Purgou-Syria, SYRIA
09:45 – 11:00 PLENARY IV: VALUES-INSPIRED EDUCATION
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Riem Spielhaus, Professor for Islamic Studies and Education, Georg-August University Göttingen
Panellists:
- Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh, OBE KSG, Chairman, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, UNITED KINGDOM
- Anantanand Rambachan, Professor of Religion, St. Olaf College; Co-President, Religions for Peace, INDIA/USA
- Nayla Tabbara, Co-Founder, Adyan Foundation; Co-President, Religions for Peace, LEBANON
- Bishop Munib Younan, Bishop Emeritus President; Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land; Honorary President, Religions for Peace, PALESTINE
11:00 – 11:30 COFFEE BREAK & MULTIMEDIA EXPERIENCE
11:30 – 12:30 FILM SCREENING & DISCUSSION WITH DIRECTOR
Film Title: Wells of Hope
Moderator: Dr. Thoraya Obaid, Former Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, Saudi Arabia
Guest: Lia Giovanazzi Beltrami, Director and CEO, Aurora Vision; Film Director
15:15 – 15:45 COFFEE BREAK & MULTIMEDIA EXPERIENCE
15:45 – 16:30 HEART-Talk on ENVIRONMENT
Interviewer: Mr. David Eades, Journalist, BBC
Interviewee 1: Ms. Blanca Lucía Echeverry, Country Facilitator, Interfaith Rainforest Initiative, COLOMBIA
Interviewee 2: Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Ph.D, President, Divine Shakti Foundation; Secretary-General, Global Interfaith WASH Alliance
16:30 – 17:45 PLENARY V: Keeping Faith by Nurturing a Sustainable Environment: The role of Religious Leaders to protect the Earth
Moderator: Grand-Mother Marie-Josée Rankin-Tardif, President, Kina8at Together; Elder from the Anicinape (Algonquin) tradition, CANADA
Animation Video: Interfaith Rainforest Initiative Colombia (IRI)
Panellists:
- Laura Vargas, Inter-Religious Council of Peru – Religions for Peace, Interfaith Rainforest Initiative, PERU
- Mary Evelyn Tucker, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecolog
- Audrey Kitagawa, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Parliament of the World’s Religions
- Musonda Mumba,Chief of Terrestrial Ecosystem Unit, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Chair of the Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration, KENYA
18:00 - 19:30 Fireside Conversation with Diplomats on Religion, Women and Peace (TPNRD)
Moderator: Rev. Susan Hayward, Fellow in Religion and Public Life, 2020-2021; Senior Advisor, Religion & Inclusive Societies, U.S. Institute of Peace
Panellists:
- Sonya Elmer-Dettelbacher, Program Manager, Religion, Politics, and Conflict, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
- James Alexander, Policy Advisor, Strategic Religious Engagement, US State Department
- Ulrika Sundberg, Special Envoy to the OIC, Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
- Merete Bilde, Senior Policy Advisor, European External Action Service
Day 4: Friday, 13 November 2020
08:45 – 09:00 MULTI-RELIGIOUS PRAYER & MEDITATION
- Ravinder Kaur Nijjar, Chair of Religions for Peace UK Women of Faith Network
- Maureen Sier, Director, Interfaith Scotland
- Lakshmi Vyas, President Hindu Forum of Europe
- Karen Maxwell, Board of Deputies of British Jews
09:00 – 10:00 HEART-Talk on TRANSFORMATION
Interviewer: Mr. David Eades, Journalist, BBC
Interviewee 1: Prof. Evelin Lindner, Founding Director and President, Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, GERMANY
Interviewee 2: Prof. Takaaki Ito, Professor of Spiritual Care, Program in Death and Life Studies, Graduate School of Applied Religious Studies, Sophia University
Interviewee 3: Ms. Fatima Hallal, Alumni Fellow, Hartford Seminary-Interreligious Relations; Member, International Youth Committee
10:00 – 12:30 Closing Ceremony: A Pledge for Change
Berlin Oriental Quartet, Music
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Azza Karam, Secretary General, Religions for Peace
Panellists:
- Kezevino (Vinu) Aram, President, Shanti Ashram; Co-Moderator, Religions for Peace, INDIA
- Rabbi David Rosen, International Director, Department of Interreligious Affairs, American Jewish Committee, ISRAEL
- Maria Cristina Kaveri Cantoni, Chair, Tathata Vrindham International, President, European Women of Faith Network, Religions for Peace, ITALY
- Bishop Margot Käßmann, Former Chairperson, Evangelical Church of Germany, Co-President, Religions for Peace, GERMANY
- Agatha O. Chikelue, Chair, International Women’s Coordinating Committee, Nun of the Daughters of Mother Mary of Mercy; Co-Chair Nigerian & African Women of Faith Network; Executive Director Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace (COFP), NIGERIA
Youth Transforming Tomorrow
- Lydia Funck, General Secretary, Church and Peace; and Member of RfP Youth Media Team
- Ana Maria Daou, Community Engagement Senior Coordinator, Adyan Foundation; Deputy Coordinator, International Youth Committee
- Fadila Grine, Senior Advisor, Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF)
Final Words / Closing by Prof. Azza Karam, Secretary General, Religions for Peace