Mr. Andricevic is the founder of the Buddhist Center in Zagreb, Croatia. He has dedicated himself to the practice of Chan meditation, becoming one of the Dharma heirs of the prominent Chan Buddhist lineage holder the late Master Sheng Yen, who recently passed away. He first encountered Buddhism in 1975, and has been a martial arts and yoga teacher since the 1970s. In 1985 he started the first Buddhist study and meditation group in Croatia, Dharmaloka, which became the first Buddhist community there. In 1996, while seeking a new teacher he met Master Sheng Yen, attended his seven-day retreat and became one of his students. He continues to work to spread awareness of spiritual environmentalism as taught by his teacher.

Laila Atshan has been a psychosocial therapist for the past 18 years. Since the 2002 Israeli incursion, she has designed, trained, and supervised UNICEF's psychosocial emergency response programs and their teams in seven cities in the West Bank. She has also provided counseling, training, and supervision for their partnering organizations, such as the Ministry of Social Affairs, in support of other crisis and emergency intervention efforts. Her work experience includes leading team building and intercultural communication workshops such as World Bank and CARE International. Dr. Asthan has also designed empowerment and local initiative programs and facilitated staff training for Birzeit University's Development Studies Program. She has also taught courses in Social Work and Refugees and War at universities in the West Bank and Denmark. She graduated from Rutgers University in New Jersey USA with a Masters in Clinical Social Work in 1989. Laila is currently a candidate for the Executive Master Public Adminstration at Harvard University.

Born in the United States, Swami Atmarupananda has been a monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India for more than forty-two years. He spent seven years in India, engaged in spiritual and scholastic training, where he learned Sanskrit, Bengali, and Hindi. Since his return to the US in 1982 he has spent many years serving as minister, teacher, and monastic leader for various communities of the Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. He also travels widely in North America, the Spanish speaking world, as well as other countries, giving teachings and holding retreats. His numerous writings have been translated into various Indian, European, and Asian languages. An active member and mentor of the Snowmass Inter-Spiritual Dialog and an instructor for the Spiritual Paths Institute, he presently resides at the Ramakrishna Monastery in Trabuco Canyon, California, where he is the head.

Ntama Bahati is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he has witnessed the direct impact of the civil wars taking place in nearby Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. Between 1996-2000, Ntama worked in the DRC post-war relief effort. In 2007, he joined the Africa Faith and Justice Network based (AFJN) organization based in the USA. Serving as a policy analyst at AFJN, he writes and speaks on the socio-political challenges facing the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi. He is the author of Tribe not an Idea, but a True Identity, a piece published in Recherches Africaines - L'Afrique et son vecu vol. 21-22, and is co-author of Promoting International Support for Community-Based Justice Mechanisms in Post-Conflict Burundi and Uganda (2009), an academic paper. Policy papers of his include Two Rebel groups, One solution (2008) and Evaluating peace and stability in DRC (2009). He has been a guest of Africa Now, a radio program of WPFW in Washington DC and Voice of America TV. His work at AFJN is informed by his passion for social justice as well as his personal commitment to making the world a better place for all people.

Barbara Hachipuka Banda is the founder of the Natural Agriculture Development Program Zambia (NADPZ), an NGO that was established in 2005 in partnership with a non-profit organization called Shumei International. NADPZ aims to improve the quality of life of Zambia's rural population by using an environmentally friendly farming method called Natural Agriculture. NADPZ currently works with over 6000 rural small-scale farmers in the Southern province of Zambia; educating them on the self sustainable benefits of Natural Agriculture and Seed Saving methods. Our mission is to support and stimulate initiatives, which will: Create and expand markets for Zambian natural agriculture produced products; Increase incomes of small-scale producers through partnerships with the private sector, agribusinesses, associations, and cooperatives.

Rabha networks with humanterian activists to build knowlede in peace and development to contribute to her newly established country, South Sudan. She works for Women Development Group to sustain the livelihoods of vulnerble people in WBGS through: peace-building, psycho-social support, community security & arms control, food security, mitigation of domestic violence, GBV, gender equality, monitoring of elections/referendum and good governance.

A dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia, Kavita has been based in India, studying and practicing the teachings of non-dual spirituality, Advaita Vedanta, for the last twenty years. She is a practicing craniosacral therapist (Craniosacral Biodynamics), with a background in yoga-teaching (sanyassin for seven years with Satyananda Ashrams) and Chi Gong. A graduate of Princeton University with a B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing, Kavita is author of a published book of poetry, ―Love Songs of the Undivided‖, as well as numerous articles on spiritual and other subjects. She has a passion for bringing feminine wisdom into spirituality and society, and has assisted at numerous conferences on this theme, including the conferences of the Global Peace Initiative of Women in Jaipur, India in 2008; Assisi, Italy in 2009; Rishikesh, India in 2010; and Kashmir in 2011.

Venerable Bhante Buddharakkhita was born in Uganda, Africa. In November 2002, he ordained as a Theravada Buddhist monk at Tathagata Meditation Center, California, U. S. He is the founding abbot of the Uganda Buddhist Center, Uganda, and has been teaching meditation in Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States. Besides spending time at the Buddhist Center in Uganda, he is the spiritual director of Flowering Lotus Meditation Center in Magnolia, Mississippi, U.S. His book, Planting Dhamma Seeds: The Emergence of Buddhism in Africa, tells the story of his religious and spiritual work in Africa.

Mary Ann is the founder of Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health (TICAH) based in Kenya. She has a strong belief in the importance of tradition and in the necessity of paying attention to culture in all health and development work. Mary Ann was born in Texas and is the daughter of grandparents from four different parts of the world. She holds a BA in literature and philosophy from the University of North Carolina, an MA in Asian Studies from the University of Oregon, and a Ph.D. in international development from Stanford University. Before moving to Kenya in 1996, Mary Ann lived and worked in China several times. From 1991 to 1995, Mary Ann worked for the Ford Foundation in Beijing, China, developing their programs on reproductive health and women's rights, and from 1996 - 2003, she was responsible for building the Ford Foundation programs in sexual and reproductive health and youth development in East Africa.

Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Prior to her time at the NCCC USA, Rev. Campbell served as Director of the U.S. Office of the World Council of Churches. During those years her commitment to peace with justice, crafted during her life changing time with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was deepened in the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa. Rev. Campbell, in concert with Paul Gorman, Carl Sagan, Dean James Morton, and Albert Gore, was a founder of what is today the National Religious Partnership on the Environment, and continues to serve as Chair of the Board. Her continuing commitment to world peace is reflected in her work with the Charter for Compassion. She also serves as Chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women, providing leadership to the initiative‘s important work with women throughout the world. She served on the Board of the Global Health Council, and is a member of the World Economic Forum‘s Global Agenda Council on Faith. Rev. Campbell is the recipient of 12 honorary degrees, including one from the University in Monrovia, Liberia sponsored by the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 2010 she was awarded the Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award, and authored a book, Living Into Hope: A Call to Spiritual Action for Such a Time as This.

Venerable Guo Chan has been studying under the late Most Venerable Master Sheng Yen, founder of Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association since 1991. She received full ordination as a Buddhist nun of the Chinese Mahayana tradition in 1992. She served as a director of the Anhe branch in downtown Taipei for more than 3 years since 1996. Throughout these years of service, she has demonstrated great flexibility as an open-minded administrator and creativity in developing new programs for Buddhist practice and meditation. She also served as executive secretary to the Venerable Master Sheng Yen for six years since 2000. Venerable Guo Chan participated in many international conferences on the themes of Spiritual Environmentalism, peace, education and youth in the countries of Jordan, USA, Africa, India and Europe. Currently she works with Venerable Chang Ji in the fields of interfaith and NGOs to continue the legacy of the late Venerable Master Sheng Yen in sharing the wisdom and compassion of Buddhism with people around the world.

Mary-Faeth Chenery holds a Master of Management degree and a Ph.D. in Psychology. Following a university teaching career of around three decades, where she taught in the fields of outdoor and environmental education and qualitative research methods, she moved to the area of spiritual education, where she now does editing, teaching and community development for the cause of global peace. She is the Australian coordinator for the work of the Global Peace Initiative of Women and General Secretary of Heart Flow Worldwide and The Theosophical Fellowship.

Sr. Joan Chittister is an internationally known writer and lecturer. She currently serves as co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women. Sister Joan is a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, Pennsylvania, USA. She has received numerous awards for her work for justice, peace, and equality, especially for women in church and in society. She was a keynote speaker at the Asia-Pacific Breakthrough: Women, Faith and Development Summit to End Global Poverty as well as the Parliament of World Religions in Melbourne, Australia. Her doctorate is from Penn State University in speech communications theory.

Nada is currently working as a Women‘s Empowerment Officer at a local Kenyan NGO, ACT!, based in Mombasa. Prior to living and working in Kenya, she worked at Australian Red Cross for three years, including assisting with the International Humanitarian Law program. Nada was also a member of the Gender Working Group and founder of the National Green Team. She has also done various volunteer and committee roles, including being the Secretary for the Global Peace Initiative of Women, Australia. Nada is a passionate advocate for gender equality and the advancement of women; she is currently undertaking a Masters of Gender and Development to further her knowledge in that area.

Marie Benedicte has worked with the Italian international NGO, COOPI (Cooperazione Internazionale) since December 2003. She began as a social assistant in the child protection center caring for girls associated with armed groups. Since April 2006, she has supervised COOPI‘s division training communities in senzitation of sexual violence and gender abuse victims. She joined ALARM-Congo (African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries) in 2007 to help her community in the process of reconciliation, truth and forgiveness.

Narad is a longtime member of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville community. He is a landscaper, plumerian, gardner, musician and poet. In his formative years, he studied the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, including his bio-dynamic practices, and Raja Yoga while at the same time preparing for an operatic career with the Metropolitan Opera, on a scholarship from one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of the day, Regina Resnick. He also took voice lessons from her teacher, Rosalie Miller. In 1969 Narad went to South India to design and build the Matrimandir Gardens at the Auroville community. In the early 1970s he set up the Matrimandir Nursery for collecting, studying and propagating many rare and beautiful plants from all over the world. Twelve years later he returned to the U.S. where he continues to extend his deep knowledge of plants and trees and to collect specimens for the Ashram and the Auroville community.

Prof. Dr. Adel El-Beltagy is the Chairman of the International Drylands Development Commission (IDDC), President of the Governing Board of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), Chair of the Food & Ag Research Council, Egyptian Academy of Science, Chairman of the Agricultural Research & Development Council (ARDC), Egypt (2007-2011), Vice Chair/Member of the Global Diversity Trust Fund (2007-2011). Chair of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) (2006-2010), Board member of the Council of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). Member of the FAO High-Level Committee, addressing the implementation of MDGs, Member of the European Action on Global Life Sciences (EAGLES), Board Member of the Alexandrina Bibliotheca (2006-present), Member of the Supreme Council of Science & Technology chaired by the Prime Minister of Egypt (2008-2010) and a Professor of Agriculture, Arid Lands Research Institute, Ain Shams University, Egypt. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees for his contribution to agricultural science and research.

Dr. Ewango is a Congolese environmentalist and ecologist. He holds a PhD in forest ecology and forest management, with emphasis on lianas ecology and systematics in the Ituri Forest. He also holds an MSc in Ecology, Evolution and Systematics with a graduate certificate in forest resources, plant conservation and tropical biology. Since 1995, Dr. Ewango has been involved in research on forest ecology, vegetation and ecosystem dynamics, plant taxonomy, conservation and human ecology in the Ituri Forest and central Congo Basin. His research interests are Forest Ecology: monitoring and ecology of forest change (both natural and induced, climate change and carbon sequestration), community-based conservation and natural resources management in relation to forest management in DR Congo, and Central Africa, and the implications for conservation and management. His other initiatives focus on identifying conservation priorities defined by forest dwelling peoples and community-based forestry management. Currently he heads the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)–Ituri Landscape REDD and is the Project Manager for the Ituri-Mambasa pilot project. In recognition of his grassroots conservation and leadership, Dr. Ewango has received prestigious awards: The Goldman Environmental Prize (2005), the National Geographic Society-Emerging Explorers Award for Africa (2006), and more recently the European Future for Nature Award (2011).

Rev. Doju D. Freire is a Zen Buddhist nun, dancer, educator and author. She was born in Brazil, where her affinity for expressing herself through movement was recognized early. By the age of seventeen, she was dancing and teaching professionally. Soon after her professional launch, she moved to Italy and immersed herself in the study of natural movement, children‘s expression, creativity and healing. In her twenties, she added Tai Chi and Buddhism to her studies. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1998 and is a disciple of Rev. Yuno R. Rech. Her educational programs on sitting meditation and a ―Place for Silence‖ are being used in many Italian schools. She‘s also developed programs of ‗free form dance art‘ as a way of connecting to the deepest symbol of the Feminine and as a means to express the peaceful ―open space‖ inside us all. Rev. Doju teaches meditation at Dojo Zen Sanrin community in Fossano. Rev. Doju oversees GPIW programs in Italy and in 2009 organized a gathering in Assisi called Il Divino Femminile – Una Guida Alla Transormazione Globale as well as several other related programs bringing together people of diverse faith traditions.

Melissa T. Golmond was born in Louisiana in 1978 and grew up in the church. In a small rural town, she helped look after her younger siblings and stayed in close communion with nature. The first in the family to go to college, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, worked for top accounting firms, and later for the state government in areas of health and social services. Recognizing the desire to be of greater service, she began to volunteer at The Red Shoes Spiritual Growth Center, and to follow the practices of the Golden Sufis. In 2008, she moved to California where she worked at Marin Community Foundation. Currently, she works at Commonweal, a research institute for healing ourselves and the planet. She also sings to hospice patients through the Marin Threshold Choir.

Dr. Hefeitz holds a Ph.D. (Social Anthropology, Tel Aviv University), M.A. (Dance, UCLA) and B.A. (Genetics, UC Berkeley) and was a Special Student at MIT, where she conducted basic neuroscience research in Jerome Lettvin‘s research lab. She serves as a special advisor to the Crisis Management Team of the Israeli Police, has served in Track II negotiations, is co-founder of the peace-building and community development NGO – HiMaT – with projects in Azad Kashmir and the Northern Provinces of Pakistan and is currently involved with the Israeli NGO Yedid to bridge academia and community development in Israel‘s developing areas. Heifetz is on faculty at IDC, Tel Aviv University and Haifa University where she teaches courses on International Conflict Resolution and Mediation, Gender and Terrorism and Human Movement Analysis (LMA). Her teaching approach integrates cognitive, experiential and action learning with core principles of mindfulness practice and witnessing. Her government and dance/movement therapy students are lead to understand how presence, meaning-making and listening inform conflict transformation and healing. Heifetz is a Chevening Scholar (Cambridge University). She is presently involved through advanced training and applied research in the therapeutic systems of Somatic Experiencing (SE), Systemic Constellation Work (SCW) and the Dialogic model of Artsbridge as tools for healing collective trauma and violent conflict.

Today Shinnyo-en is led by Her Holiness Shinso Ito, Shinjo's direct successor. Shinso was born in Japan in 1942, the daughter of Shinjo and Tomoji. She began her formal Buddhist training as a child under the care of her parents, who were also her primary spiritual teachers, and eventually became their formal and spiritual successor. She was ordained in the Shinnyo tradition in 1966 and undertook her initial priestly training between 1970 and 1982. In 1984, Shinjo announced Shinso's accomplishment as his disciple and future successor. She is one of the few women to become a Buddhist master and attain the highest priestly rank of daisojo. Shinso has twice conducted important services at Daigoji, the 9th-century Shingon monastery in Kyoto where Shinjo trained as a priest. profoundly aware that the teachings must be meaningful for people living today. She teaches an engaged form of Buddhism, that guides both the individual and Shinnyo-en as a whole. Shinso preserves the spirit of the founders of Shinnyo-en and guides people with her warmth and conviction. Her inspiring message of peace and enlightenment is infused with palpable joy and gentleness. In recent years, Her Holiness has conducted ceremonies dedicated to peace and harmony between cultures and religions. She has also partnered with secular philanthropic foundations throughout the world, acting on her belief that all life is interconnected, and that Buddhism should actively engage in serving the global community. Shinso is also committed to assisting with disaster relief, humanitarian and medical aid, social welfare, women's empowerment, environmental protection, educational aid, the preservation of traditional culture, and the promotion of innovative artistic and cultural programs.

Special Assistant to the late Most Venerable Master Sheng Yen, founder of Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association, she participated in many international conferences, including the World Economic Forum in New York, World Bank World Faiths and Development Dialogue in Ireland, as well as gatherings at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Thailand and Jordan. Over the years, Venerable Chang Ji has built her knowledge of international development affairs while attending the Earth Charter +5 conference in the Netherlands, the Earth Charter +10 conference in India, Quest for Global Healing in Bali, the United Nations Global Youth Leadership Summits in Japan and New York, The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark and Cancun, Mexico, all on behalf of Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association. She is committed to teaching the tenets of contemplative action to young adults worldwide and has led several workshops and 1 day meditation retreats to this effect at Dharma Drum Retreat Center, One Spirit Learning Alliance and Reciprocity Foundation, etc. She has been a participant and facilitator in programs organized by the Global Peace Initiative of Women for young leaders in conflict and post-conflict areas from Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and Cambodia, and young leaders in North America and Asia on climate change issues. She works to spread awareness of Spiritual Environmentalism as taught by her teacher, the late Most Venerable Master Sheng Yen.

Tom Kaboggoza was born into a Christian family in Uganda. After living in Japan for five years, he returned to Uganda, and now works in the electrical engineering field. He is the coordinator of the Uganda Buddhist Centre, Uganda. His current affiliation to Buddhism awakened his passion for respecting humanity and environment. He has attended a couple Buddhist conferences including the United Nations Vesak Day celebration in Bangkok, Thailand.

Dr Janet Kabeberi-Macharia is the UNEP Senior Gender Adviser based at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. A lawyer by profession she holds a PhD in Law from the University of Warwick and Master of Laws from Columbia University. Her career spans academia, non-governmental organizations, and international development organizations and she has over 15 years experience in research, training, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of rights based programmes. Janet is interested in pursuing the different ways in which men and women interact with socio-regulatory systems and how these continue to define their day to day living and the impact of this on the environment. In her work in UNEP she has focused on building internal staff capacity on gender mainstreaming, developing different methodologies that staff (and collaborating partners/institutions) can use in mainstreaming gender into environment management programmes. She has extensively published books and articles in referred journals in various areas with a particular focus on gender issues, children's rights, women's human rights, law and development, and, environmental law.

Sister Mary Goretti Kisakye IHMR is a Religious Nun and belongs to the Sisters of Immaculate Heart of Mary Reparatrix Gogonya. She lives and works in Uganda. At university, she majored inter-religious relations specializing in Islamic Studies; she is a theologian and a teacher by profession. She has a very long experience in Interfaith work, creating an initiative after he studies in 1994 called INTERDIP (Inter-religious Dialogue Program) which brings together Christians, Muslims, Bahais, Hindus, Buddhists, and Ugandan Jews in Wakiso, Kampala and Mpigi Districts. She is also a member of the Commission for Inter-religious Dialogue at Uganda Episcopal Conference. She also co-ordinates the Programme for Christian and Muslim Relations in Uganda under (PROCMURA) Programme for Christian and Muslim Relations in Africa, which is an ecumenical organization promoting Christian-Muslim relations in Africa. In 2006 Sister Goretti was trained by Religions for Peace International in Faith and Gender Mainstreaming and was assigned a duty to start Women of Faith Network in Uganda. Presently Sr. Maria Goretti works at the Inter-religious Council of Uganda Secretariat as the coordinator for Uganda Women of Faith Network directing a Women‘s Department that brings together women from different faith traditions in Uganda. Sister Maria Goretti also participated in the Millennium World Peace Summit of the Religious and Spiritual Leaders at UN Headquarters in New York in 2000 and she was present at the launch of Global Peace Initiative of Women, Genève October 2002.

While living in Khartoum in 2008, Sunday began working for the Sudan country office of the African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM). Previous to this, She had been volunteering with ALARM‘s peace and community development programs with women in Darfur. In Khartoum, she worked as the accountant and women‘s program coordinator before becoming the Northern Region coordinator, covering all of northern Sudan, including Darfur and the Nuba Mountains. Sunday moved from Khartoum to Juba last August, following the independence of South Sudan, and is currently ALARM‘s community transformation program coordinator covering both Sudan and South Sudan. The communities where Sunday works are poor and have suffered many years of war and trauma. She has seen

Margaret Lynch is a second year fellow at the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA) at Cornell University studying International Development (particularly the intersection of international development, women‘s issues and health). She has had previous work experience with The World Bank, The US Embassy Gaborone, The US Department of State, The United Nations and the Pader Girls Academy (Uganda). Following graduation, Ms. Lynch plans to pursue work in Africa.

James joined civil society to help increase awareness of poor people in Sudan, particularly to help inform them of their human rights. He is currently volunteer at a nonviolence organization in South Sudan, serves on the board of directors of the organization, and is an active member. James strongly believes that non-violence is the best way of life, as well as the best way of solving problems in South Sudan and the world!

A former Jesuit monk, Bob went to Cambodia to work as a nurse in the Cambodian refugee camps over two decades ago and has worked for peace in Cambodia ever since. He collaborated with Maha Ghosananda in organizing the first peace walk in May 1991, and has continued Ghosananda‘s work throughout the years by helping to plot the walk for each year in May. Bob heads the Coalition for Peace and Reconciliation (CPR), a non-profit local NGO, and receives small donations from generous individuals to conduct a series of active non-violent training of Cambodian youth by using the work and philosophy of the world famous peacemakers including Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. He has spent the last year traveling around America to speak and share his peace work his peace work. Bob is officially based out of a temple in Battambang, Cambodia.

Swami Mangalananda received his name after initiation into the Order of Swamis. He is American by birth, but came to India first in 1973 to meet his teacher, Sri Anandamayi Ma—a great woman Saint of the 20th Century. Since that time he has dedicated his life to living the practice of meditation inwardly, and outwardly serving mankind. Swami Mangalanda moved permanently to India in 2001 and helped found a spiritual school for local village children, where he works and continues meditation practice. Swami Mangalanda travels about four months a year in Europe and the USA, giving musical concerts, classes and lectures to help support this school in India. He works to serve mankind.

Dena Merriam is the founder and convener of the Global Peace Initiative of Women (GPIW). GPIW engages spiritual leaders to facilitate healing and reconciliation globally, and initiates greater discourse between religions to address critical global issues. Ms. Merriam has served on boards for Harvard University Center for Study of World Religions, The International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, The Interfaith Center of New York, Manitou Foundation, All India Movement (AIM) for Seva, Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association, and Seven Pillars. Dena is a long time student of Paramahansa Yogananda and practitioner of Kriya Yoga meditation.

Joshua is the East African Regional Coordinator of the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change. He coordinates and monitors all the climate change adaptation and mitigation activities organized by youth in Eastern Africa. Joshua also assists countries to develop their national climate change action plans and coordinates partnership with the Afrivan Youth Initiative on Climate Change. Visit: www.ayicc.net; http://kenyanclimateyouth.blogspot.com

Adriana is a lay Buddhist pratictionner in the Soto Zen tradition. She holds Bodhisattva vows in this tradition. She graduated with a degree in the arts and the literature from Turin University. For many years she taught Italian, History and Geography in primary schools and organized teachers' training programs in Italy. Adriana is a devoted member and friend of GPIW contributing much of her time in support of

Nobantu is a Counsellor by profession, having worked as a Student Counsellor in Higher Education for more than 10 years; she counselled victims and perpetrators of violence during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. Nobantu has developed youth mentorship programmes for youth at risk, and also works as an Executive Coach, Life and Leadership Coach. Nobantu received her MA (Guidance & Counselling) at Durham University in the UK, and has completed short training programmes in the United States of America, West Africa and Malaysia in planning, governance and change management. Nobantu is a qualified Gestalt OD Practitioner and qualified Enneagram Teacher. She is currently finalising training as a Buddhist Community Dharma teacher. Her main objective is to heal the world with love and get people to address things tthat need to be said.

Rachel is working with churches in Burundi to help them in their role of healing a nation that has gone through war, extreme poverty, and social injustice. Her job is to train church leaders and Christian associations in trauma healing and reconciliation. She also does capacity building with church members who will in turn train others (TOT). After every training, she has overwhelming cases to listen too.

Dr. Celestin Musekura is a writer, an international speaker, a university and seminary professor and the President and Founder of the African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM, Inc.). ALARM has a ministry of 54 fulltime staff in Africa and 4 fulltime staff in the USA whose mission is to train church and community leaders in Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia in areas of leadership, conflict resolution, forgiveness and reconciliation. Dr. Musekura is an ordained Baptist minister who was born and raised in Rwanda. He received a Bachelor of Theology at Kenya Highlands Bible College and a Master of Divinity at Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST) in KENYA. He also earned a Master of Sacred Theology and a Ph.D. in Theological Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. His doctoral research was on Contemporary Models of Forgiveness, and he specializes in Communal Forgiveness. Dr. Musekura has authored Assessment of Contemporary Models of Forgiveness (Peter Lang Publications 2010) and co-authored with Dr. Gregory Jones Forgiving as We‘ve Been Forgiveness: Community Practices for Peace (Intervarsity Press, 2010). He has also produced training manuals in areas of leadership mentoring, peacebuilding, conflict resolution, biblical forgiveness, peer mediation, and tribal/ethnic reconciliation He makes his home in Dallas, Texas and shares his time between Africa and north America.

Ayeda Husain Naqvi has been a journalist by profession for eighteen years. She specializes in the fields of Sufism and interfaith issues and has a double Masters in Journalism and Near Eastern Studies from a joint New York University/Princeton University program. Currently she lives and works in Dubai, UAE, where she runs a Sufi Center and teaches Sufi philosophy, poetry, meditation, chanting and whirling dervish workshops. She has been interviewed by TIME Magazine, the LA Times, the BBC and the Christian Science Monitor and quoted by ABC news and Andrew Sullivan.

Marina is the President of Federation of Prostestant Women in the Ecumenical Church of Democratic Republic of Congo -- North Kivu Province. The Federation conducts workshops for women on peacebuilding and réconciliation (forgiveness, love, and unity), training seminars for couples on gender issues, advocacy to end violence against women, and provides counseling in trauma healing. The Federation is part of the Forum of Associations of Women for Development.

Jessica Okello has served as a civil servant, President of the Baptist Women Association, and General Secretary of Pan Africa Christain Women Association (PACWA) in Uganda. She currently heads the Women and Children Department of the African Leadership and Reconcilition Ministry (ALARM) organization in Uganda. In this role, Jessica trains women leaders in leadership and peace building, and is involved in transforming the lives of women and children, especially widows. She gives them support by importing business skills, such as microfinance, so they can educate their children and raise the living standard of their families. Many of these women Jessica works with have been affected by the 23 year civil war in the Northern part of Uganda. ALARM divinsino in Uganda also has an Ophan Care programe that Jessica oversees by providing the orphans‘ physical, emotional and spiritual care. Jessica holds degrees in Business Administration, Accounting, Christian Ministrty and Christian Counselling.

Teny Pirri-Simonian, Lebanon/Switzerland Teny is the Representative for HH Aram I, Catholocosite of Ciclicia in Lebanon. She is also an adult educator, lay theologian and a researcher in the sociology of religions. She is a member of the Armenian Orthodox Church, Catholicosate of Cilicia, Antelias, Lebanon. Raised in the Middle East, she now lives and works in Switzerland. She has held leadership positions in the Middle East Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches, paying special attention to women in the Orthodox churches. Pirri-Simonian also serves as a Co-Chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women.

Sister Jyotsna is Microbiologist by profession. She is also a teacher and student of Rajayoga Meditation with 31 years of experience. She has served as a Spiritual Guardian for the Brahma Kumaris in Kenya and Uganda for the past 7 years, and plays a key role in their activities in both countries. Sister Jyotsna is closely associated with URI (United Religious Initiative), and has travelled to many countries around Africa and other continents.

Dr. Aliaa R. Rafea is a professor of anthropology at Ain Shames University, Women‘s College in Egypt. She is a founder and chair of the Human foudaltion, a member and co-founder of women‘s activities within the Egyptian Sociery for Spiritual and Cultural Research. Dr. Rafea is a Sufi Muslim and authored and co-authored books on religious and anthropological studies for example: Beyond Diversities: Reflection on Revelations; Islam from Adam to Muhammad and Beyond, Book Foundation 2004, The Root of All Evil: An Exposition of Prejeduice, Fundamentalism and Gender Imbalance, Imprint Academic, London, 2007.

Sraddhalu Ranade is a scientist, educator and one of the leading scholars on the teachings of the late Indian sage, Sri Aurobindo. Mr. Ranade leads retreats, delivers talks and conducts workshops on numerous themes including Vedic philosophy and worldview, Integral Education, Management, Self-Development, Vedic Ecology, Indian culture, Science and Spirituality, spiritual evolution and Yoga.

Tom Roberts joined National Catholic Reporter, the independent newsweekly, in January, 1994. A national award-winning journalist, he was appointed managing editor, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the NCR newsroom. Before coming to NCR, Roberts was part of a team hired in 1984 to rescue Religious News Service, a venerable independent, ecumenical news organization that had fallen on hard times. By the end of his tenure, the service had been picked up for syndication by The New York Times News Service, a move that dramatically extended its reach in the mainstream media. Renamed Religion News Service, it is currently owned by the Newhouse News Service in Washington, D.C. Roberts began his career at daily newspapers in Pennsylvania and spent 12 years at the former Globe-Times of Bethlehem. It was for investigative and environmental reporting there that he won awards from the National Journalism Center and the Scripps-Howard Foundation. His reporting and commentary has appeared in a variety of publications including Newsday, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Tablet and Christian Century. He has been a guest on a number of television programs, including The Lehrer Newshour, CNN, MSNBC and has been interviewed on numerous occasions by the BBC and National Public Radio about religion issues.

Venerable Guo Sheng holds an MBA from the University of Detroit, USA, and received full ordination as a Buddhist nun of the Chinese Mahayana tradition in 2000. She served as the Director and Treasurer of the Chan Meditation Center in New York from 2001 to 2004. From 2004 to 2011, she was the resident master and one of the student counselors for the female seminary students of Dharma Drum Mountain Sangha University, a seminary school in Taiwan. Since her assignment back to New York in 2011, she is currently serving as the President of Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association.

Ven. Mae Chee Sansanee a Buddhist nun, is the founder of Sathira-Dhammasathan Center, in Bangkok. The center, under Ven. Mae Chee Sansanee leadership, believes that every human being has the potential to live a life that is free from suffering. Mae Chee works closely with young women and youth in Thailand on development, education and peace. Her compassion, teachings and projects at home caught the attention of organizations in other countries and she has been frequently invited to attend well known and widely accepted summits in several countries, as the country representative of Buddhist ordained women. Where ever Mae Chee Sansanee goes, she brings with her, peace, compassion and her unconditional love, which shines brightly and touches the hearts of other people. Currently, she is Co-Chair for the Global Peace Initiative of Women. She has spoken at the United Nations on numerous occasions and has helped lead major UN Summits for young leaders in Africa, Asia and the United States.

Dr. Ha Vinh Tho is the founder and chairman of Eurasia Foundation, a humanitarian NGO developing educational programs for children and youths living with disabilities, as well as ecological projects in Vietnam. He has been the Head of training, learning and development at the International Committee of the Red Cross from 2005 to 2011. He has recently been appointed as project coordinator to create the Gross National Happiness Learning Centre in Bhumtang Valley, Bhutan. He is a Buddhist teacher (Dharmacharya) in the Tradition of Vietnamese Zen Buddhism (ordained by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh).

Dr. Sakena Yacoobi is Executive Director and founder of the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL). Established in 1996 to provide education and health services to women and children, AIL has served 8.9 million Afghans by working at the grassroots level. AIL was the first organization to offer human rights and leadership training to Afghan women and first to open Women‘s Learning Centers—a concept now copied by many organizations throughout Afghanistan. Dr. Yacoobi has received multiple awards and honors, including becoming an Ashoka Fellow and Skoll Social Entrepreneur. Recent awards include the 2012 German Media Award, the 2010 Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights and the Asia Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Schwab Foundation. Sakena has also received honorary doctorates from three Universities for her distinguished contribution to society, serves on the Board of the Global Fund for Women, and is a member of the Women‘s Learning Partnership.

Wang Yongchen was a radio journalist in China Central Radio from the 1980s; she founded Green Earth Volunteer, one of the first environmental NGO of China in 1996. She‘s a prolific writer and award-winning journalist. Wang's media credentials and reputation as a dedicated reporter, as well as her courage in taking on contentious issues, helped greatly the progress of Chinese environmental protection work.