Dishani Jayaweera is the directress, programme designer and strategist of the Centre for Peacebuilding and Reconciliation(CPBR). Recognizing her work in peace-building, she received the Peacemaker in Action award by Tanenbaum Network- USA in 2012, and became the 2nd runner-up of the Annual ‘Coexist Prize’ by Coexist foundation-UK in the same year. Together with the co-founder, Professor Jayantha Senevirathne, she also received Niwano Peace Award for 2015 for her outstanding contribution to peace building work in Sri Lanka. She serves in Global advisory comittees of Alliance for Peace, USA and Jesuit Refugee care servicese International, Malta. She co-founded the CPBR in 2003 with life partner, Prof. Jayantha Seneviratne. In 2013, she cofounded 'WOMAN' to exploure the role of women religious leaders and young girls role in healing body, mind, soul and soil. The organisation operates on the belief that the peacebuilding process begins with individuals. CPBR working with young people, women, community and religious leaders, understanding them to be powerful shapers of social attitudes and behaviours in Sri Lanka, and key to bridging religious and ethnic divisions. CPBR encourages personal transformations that will, in turn, empower communities to seek structural and political change. The organisation’s interfaith work promotes understanding among Sinhalese Buddhists, Tamil Hindus, Muslims, and Tamil and Sinhalese Christians through dialogue, training in conflict analysis and transformation, and supporting clergy as they mobilise communities to experience the joy of interdependence and coexistence.

Sister Ling is a lawyer by training and a religious mediator. She holds an LLB (University of London External) and an MBA-Finance (University of Hull, UK). Her involvement in Dhammaduta (Buddhist) Services include: serving with the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia (BMSM)´s Group of Branches and Sections at the Management Committee of its branches and sections as well as at the Central Management Committee for close to 20 years. She was the former Honorary Secretary of BMSM Kajang Branch and was recently re-elected as the Chairperson of BMSM Meditation Section. Currently, Sis Pai Ling is the 7th President of BMSM. BMSM is one of the oldest National Buddhist organizations in Malaysia. She is also the President of Malaysia Buddhist Consultative Council (MBCC) which comprises of 6 National Buddhist Organizations. She is additionally a Member of the National Interfaith Committee Malaysia i.e. Committee for the Promotion of Inter-religious Understanding and Harmony among adherents (JKMPKA) since 2011 and is the Chairman of its committee on events (2016-2017 and 2018-2019). She sits on the Non-Muslim Religious Affairs Committee (HESI) as one of the Buddhist Representatives. She also serves as the chairperson of the Standing Committee of Interfaith Dialogue, World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB). Sister Ling can be reached at pailingloh@gmail.com or info@bmsm.org.my.

Michael and his wife Nesreen Ibrahim are an alternative family  for people with mental disabilities. They founded the Farah Foundation in 2010, an Egyptian Disabled People Organization (DPO) based in Alexandria – Agamy.  The Foundation launched an interreligious and intercultural online dialogue initiative under the hashtag #TogetherWeCan   # مع_بعض_نقدرwith the aim of gathering active youth members of the society to learn together and conduct positive discussions to improve the beneficiaries’ skills in a way that will lead to a real and civil interreligious dialogue.  #TogetherWeCan contributed to reducing social stigma and its negative effects on individuals and society through short awareness videos. They also held webinars which discussed and tackled stigmatization, bullying, people with special needs rights, women rights, characteristics of an effective dialogue, effective communication, and psychological resilience.  The webinars were attended by participants from different religious backgrounds (Muslims & Christians), with a rich contribution and remarkable participation from disabled persons, social activists, and NGOs.  In partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs, Farah Foundation supported vulnerable groups in the pandemic with the support of various organizations, including FBOs, such as a disinfection campaign for many facilities (churches, mosques, public spaces, transport) or organizing a “pension” for people who had lost their jobs as day workers with the cooperation of a government and private sector.

Dr. Saleem is a political scientist with extensive knowledge on peace building, humanitarian affairs and development work. He holds an M.Eng from Imperial College, London, an MBA from U21 Global Singapore and a PhD from Exeter University where he explored the transformation of Muslim Identity in Sri Lanka. He has a particular interest in interfaith engagement with a focus on South Asia. He has worked for different organizations on peace building and humanitarian action. Dr. Amjad sits on the board of the Joint Learning Initiative for Faith and Communities and is an Advisor for the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform. He was a thematic advisor for the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in 2015, the Vice Chair for the NEAR Network and Civil Society Advisor to the Commonwealth Foundation. He is a regular contributor to Fair Observer, an alumni of the International Visitors Leadership Program and a Hive Global Leaders Fellow. He has an extensive publication record including his 2008 book titled “Lessons from Aceh”. Amjid has worked quite extensively on Islam and Buddhism dialogue and Islam and Christian dialogue. He can be reached at amjad@paths2people.com.

For decades, Faisal bin Muaammar has promoted interreligious tolerance, built intercultural understanding through local and international inter-community institutions and overseen knowledge building initiatives.  He is currently founder and Secretary General of two organizations focused on enhancing understanding and knowledge: the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) in Vienna, and the King Abdulaziz Public Library (KAPL) in Riyadh. 

Prior to becoming founding Secretary General of the International Dialogue Centre, Mr. Bin Muaammar oversaw the founding and stewardship of the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue (KACND), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s only institution dedicated to national dialogue, a role he held from 2003 to 2018.  He took on the KACND role five years after becoming Founding Supervisor General of KAPL, a position he still holds today. Three years after overseeing the establishment of KAPL, Mr. Bin Muaammar spearheaded the creation of the library's Arabic Union Catalog (AUC) a one-of-a-kind digital platform in the Arab world.  Today, the AUC has over 1.2 million bibliographic records.

As founding Secretary General of Vienna’s International Dialogue Centre, Mr. Bin Muaammar oversees the Secretariat, as well as the development of training programs, events and various initiatives to enhance dialogue among followers of different religions. He is the Center’s primary representative at high-level international conferences and facilitates meetings among the Center’s key principle organs: the Council of Parties, the Board of Directors and the Advisory Forum.  

Mr Bin Muaammar is also Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. His senior positions in the Saudi Arabian administration have included Vice Minister of Education, Advisor to the Royal Court of then-Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Deputy of the National Guard for Cultural and Educational Affairs.

Included among his other professional affiliations are Board memberships within organizations who work to educate young people, promote peace and enhance intercultural understanding.

Francisco ROJAS ARAVENA has been the Rector of the University for Peace since 2013. In 2018, the Council re-elected him for a second term. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Utrecht (The Netherlands) and is a specialist in International Relations, particularly in the area of International Security. He was Secretary-General of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) between 2004-2012, and Director of FLACSO-Chile between 1996-2004. He is a member of the Editorial Councils of several professional journals, among them Foreign Affairs Latin America (Mexico), Pensamiento Iberoamericano (Spain); and Ciencia Política (Colombia). He is a prolific author and editor and has published a large number of books, as well as contributed extensively with chapters in many others. His articles have been published both within the region and outside of it, and have been translated into several languages. In 2016, he received the "Malinalli National Award" from the Universidad Juarez Autonoma de Tabasco. In 2012, the governments of Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Paraguay honoured him for his contributions to the integration and improved relations between the countries that comprise the Latin American and Caribbean region. His latest book, The Difficult Task of Peace (Palgrave Macmillan), provides a holistic view on the topics of peace and conflict, peace education, international relations and regional studies during the end of the second decade of the twenty-first century.

David holds a Ph.D. with European Mention and the degree on Law and Philosophy and Education Science, as well as, several Masters on human rights (Universities of Essex, Barcelona, Alcalá de Henares and Pompeu Fabra). He was the coordinator of the UNESCO Liaison Office at Geneva. He is Professor of International Law and European Studies at the Abat Oliba University and legal assistant of Paz sin Fronteras. He worked as a legal Counselor at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Costa Rica to the UN in Geneva and the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Intergovernmental Open-Ended Working Group on the Right to Peace. He served for several non-governmental organizations, as well as, the Human Rights Office of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain. For his contribution to the attainment of peace, human rights and gender equality, he was appointed fellow by the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, member of the Club of Rome and International Gender Champion. He received a Human Rights Award by the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law of the American University Washington College of Law (USA). He has written several books and outstanding academic papers and articles.

Once Grand Chief of the Algonquin Nation, T8animik (Dominique) now devotes himself to teaching his traditional knowledge and philosophy to his peoples as a way of reconnecting them with their roots. He also shares his culture with people of all origins who are interested in learning about the culture and spirituality of his ancestors. With life partner Marie-Josée Tardif, he co-wrote They called us Savages, an autobiography relating his youth in an Indigenous residential school and the painful healing journey that followed. Member of the Order of Canada and Knight of the National Order of Quebec, he cofounded with Grand-Mother Marie-Josée Kina8at-Together and the Dominique Rankin Foundation, two non-profit organisations dedicated to reconciliation and the revival of First Peoples traditions.