Dr. Kathy Winings is Vice President of the Board and former Executive Director of the International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF), a nonprofit agency working to eliminate poverty, malnutrition, and disease. IRFF seeks to accomplish these goals by creating and sponsoring development projects that stimulate an exchange of knowledge, skills, and service between developed and developing countries. Since its founding in 1975, IRFF has provided humanitarian aid in the form of food, medical supplies, school supplies and clothing to people hit by catastrophe around the world, as a result of wars, natural disasters, and famine. IRFF has also focused on long-term development projects in the areas of health care and nutrition, literacy, and vocational and agricultural education.  The IRFF networks and cooperates with other NGOs and agencies that provide some level of humanitarian aid and assistance worldwide. Dr. Winings also serves as President of Educare, an educational consulting firm and teaching training service.  She is the author of Building Character through Service Learning. She serves as WANGO’s Secretary of the Association.

Mr. Taj Hamad is Secretary General of the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO), having assumed this position in 2001. Prior to becoming WANGO Secretary General, Mr. Hamad served as WANGO’s International Executive Director. Mr. Hamad has also served as Secretary of the Executive Committee of DPI-NGOs at the United Nations, Executive Director of the Interreligious Leadership Seminar, Executive Director for the Interdenominational Christians for Unity and Social Action, and was the Organizing Chair for the Summit of World Muslim Leaders conferences held in the Middle East. He also serves as Chair of the Middle East Alliance for World Peace, and is a member of the board of several other international organizations. In his work with NGOs and projects related to world peace, security, women, youth and sustainable development, Mr. Hamad has traveled extensively worldwide, especially throughout Africa and Middle East. For his efforts, Mr. Hamad has received many honors, including being awarded an honorary doctorate from the Technical Institute of Biblical Studies in 1990. Mr. Hamad, along with Dr. Frederick Swarts and Anne Smart, is editor of Culture of Responsibility and the Role of NGOs (Paragon House 2003). Mr. Hamad also is editor of the books Islam and the Future of World Peace (Paragon House 2001), and State of the Muslim World Today (Paragon House 2003).

The Rt. Honorable Edward Richard Schreyer is former Premier of Manitoba (1969-1977), former Governor General of Canada (1979-1984), and current Chancellor of Brandon University (2002 to present). He also has served in the Canadian House of Commons. As leader of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, Mr. Schreyer led his party to a watershed electoral victory in the provincial election, and served two terms as Premier of Manitoba from 1969 until 1977, instituting many reforms. Subsequently, he was the first Governor General from Manitoba and at the age of 43, was the youngest Governor General since Lord Lansdowne in 1883. As Governor General, Schreyer championed women's issues and the environment. He has been a longtime advocate for the environment. As Governor General, he instituted the Governor General's Conservation Awards in 1981, and upon retiring announced that he would donate his pension to the Canadian Shield Foundation, an environmental organization.

Mr. Schreyer’s post-Governor General career included serving as Canadian High Commissioner to Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Subsequently, he served as a national representative of Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit housing organization. Mr. Schreyer also is an Honorary Director of the Sierra Legal Defense Fund, Honorary Advisor to the Canadian Foundation for the Preservation of Chinese Cultural and Historical Treasures, and a Founding Member of the Winnipeg Library Foundation. His career in education includes service as a professor of International Relations at St. Paul's College of the University of Manitoba. Mr. Schreyer studied at United College, St. John's College, and the University of Manitoba, receiving a Bachelor of Education, a Master of Arts in International Relations, and a second Master of Arts in Economics. Among the awards he has received are being inducted into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, the Order of Canada (Canada's highest civilian honor), the Order of Military Merit, and the Order of Manitoba (the highest honor in the Province of Manitoba).

By certain measures, the hope of all humanity for a world of peace is not without optimism. The Human Security Report, produced by the Human Security Centre in 2005, found that the climate has been changing in positive ways since the early 1990s. Contrary to popular myths, the number of armed conflicts around the world actually has declined by more than 40%, the number of refugees has dropped by some 45%, and the number of international crises has been in equally sharp decline. Furthermore, since the end of the Cold War, the number of people, including innocent citizens, killed in wars has declined dramatically, and the number of genocides and politicides has plummeted by 80%, and the period since the end of World War II is the longest interval of uninterrupted peace between major powers in hundreds of years. Nearly 100 conflicts have quietly ended since 1988. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu commented, this welcome news offers a rare message of hope.

Yet, the world remains very much on the edge. There still remain 60 major conflicts, with those in Iraq, Darfur, and elsewhere still exacting a deadly total. In the Second Congo War (the “Great War of Africa”), about four million people died between 1998 and 2004, while in Rwanda, almost one million people lost their lives in less than 100 days. Statistics on significant international terrorist attacks, as well as annual casualties from terrorism, show a steady and dramatic increase, almost exponential, since 1992. The post-Cold War years have been marked by major humanitarian emergencies, gross abuses of human rights, war crimes, and the further fear that non-state terrorists may acquire and use weapons of mass destruction.

Notably, the decline in incidents of war does not mean that the underlying causes have been addressed, and a recent UK government report argues that the decrease in conflict is due more to suppression or containment than resolution. The horrors of Rwanda and Srebrenica remain fresh, and risk of future genocides and political mass murder remain a strong possibility in several countries. The globalization of the world also means that mass-casualty terror attacks pose a threat even to countries that are not targeted: According to a World Bank report, the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States pushed millions of people in the developing world into poverty and likely killed tens of thousands of under-five-year old children.

The non-governmental sector, however, offers an unprecedented cause for greater optimism. The explosion in recent decades of the numbers of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their heightened importance is not only a contributing factor in recent positive trends, but also a harbinger of even greater hope. Although there are unethical actors in the sector, and even those that exacerbate conflict, there are many NGOs that have a spirit of sacrificial service to others and founding visions to address societal ills in a responsible and accountable manner. Such ethical NGOs have shown a remarkable ability to work beyond borders, and on issues and in areas that governments and corporations fear to tread. Some NGOs tackle root causes of conflicts, reaching the grassroots, while others implement conflict resolution on the highest levels. NGOs’ flexibility, adaptability, and ability to build coalitions and use persuasion (soft power) are some of the traits that enhance their capability to build a world of peace.

The Opening Plenary Session will explore this multifaceted and influential role of ethical NGOs as forces for peace in today’s world.

Mr. Taj Hamad is Secretary General of the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO), having assumed this position in 2001. Prior to becoming WANGO Secretary General, Mr. Hamad served as WANGO’s International Executive Director. Mr. Hamad has also served as Secretary of the Executive Committee of DPI-NGOs at the United Nations, Executive Director of the Interreligious Leadership Seminar, Executive Director for the Interdenominational Christians for Unity and Social Action, and was the Organizing Chair for the Summit of World Muslim Leaders conferences held in the Middle East. He also serves as Chair of the Middle East Alliance for World Peace, and is a member of the board of several other international organizations. In his work with NGOs and projects related to world peace, security, women, youth and sustainable development, Mr. Hamad has traveled extensively worldwide, especially throughout Africa and Middle East. For his efforts, Mr. Hamad has received many honors, including being awarded an honorary doctorate from the Technical Institute of Biblical Studies in 1990. Mr. Hamad, along with Dr. Frederick Swarts and Anne Smart, is editor of Culture of Responsibility and the Role of NGOs (Paragon House 2003). Mr. Hamad also is editor of the books Islam and the Future of World Peace (Paragon House 2001), and State of the Muslim World Today (Paragon House 2003).

The Honorable Jean Augustine has been a prominent and groundbreaking Canadian politician, holding high positions on the national and provincial level, and serving as the first African Canadian woman elected to the Parliament of Canada and the first black woman in a federal cabinet. Ms. Augustine was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1993 and served there as a member of Parliament until 2005. During that time, she served three terms of Chair of the National Liberal Women’s Caucus, and in February of 2002, she was elected as Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. From 1994 to 1996, she also served as the Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. On May 26, 2002, Ms. Augustine was appointed Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and the Status of Women, and in December of 2003, she was re-appointed to the new Cabinet as Minister of State for Multiculturalism and the Status of Women. Not only was she the first African Canadian woman elected to the Parliament and to serve in a federal cabinet post, but her 2004 appointment to the position of Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole made her the first African Canadian to occupy the Speaker’s Chair in the Canadian House of Commons. Currently, Ms. Augustine serves as the first Fairness Commissioner for the Government of Ontario. Ms. Augustine also was the Founding Chair of the Canadian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development, Chair of the National Sugar Caucus, Chair of the Micro-credit Summit Council of Canadian Parliamentarians, and Chair of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Group, among other titles. Born in Grenada, and a former elementary school principal, Ms. Augustine holds Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Education degrees from the University of Toronto, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from this institution as well. She is a member of the Queen's Privy Council (PC) for Canada, the council of advisers to the Queen of Canada, whose members are appointed by the Governor General of Canada for life on the advice of the Prime Minister.

Mr. Stephen Bubb is Chief Executive of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Associations (ACEVO), a high profile professional organization, centered in the United Kingdom, that is dedicated to chief executives in the third sector. With over 2,000 members, ACEVO’s organizations collectively represent more than £7 billion and over 180,000 staff. In 2007, Mr. Bubb also became the Secretary General of the newly formed European Third Sector Leaders Network. He also is currently an Independent Accessor for government appointments, a member of the Honours Advisory Committee, and Chair of the Adventure Capital Fund. He previously had served in a major role with the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) and was a Founding Director of the National Lotteries Charity Board. Mr. Bubb has been described by the Financial Times as a leading proponent of boardroom reform, and a recent profile in the Guardian called him “a consummate networker, stalking the corridors of power with a purpose.”

Ms. Debbie Gray is Development Coordinator for Free The Children, the largest network in the world of children helping children through education. Unlike any other children's charity, Free The Children is both funded and driven by children and youth. Through this unique youth-driven approach, more than one million young people have been involved in its innovative programs in more than 45 countries. Free The Children’s mission is to free young people from the idea that they are powerless to bring about positive social change, and encourage them to act now to improve the lives of young people everywhere. Founded in 1995 by Craig Kielburger when he was 12 years old, Free The Children’s many accomplishments have earned three Nobel Peace Prize nominationst. Debbie Gray, even before coming to Free The Children and before her degree in International Development at Trent University, showed a commitment to the promotion and protection of rights and capacities for individuals to play a greater role in their own and their society's development. Debbie volunteered in a community development program in Colombia assisting with family planning initiatives, sexual education and group intervention workshops for female victims of family abuse and violence. Upon completion of her studies in 2001, Debbie traveled to Africa and supported the gender mainstreaming and capacity building strategies of a bilateral Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) project in Northern Ghana, which was awarded the Gender Equality Achievement in 2004. She then pursued her Master's degree in the Netherlands, where she specialized in Women, Gender and Development and Human Rights. Her most recent work took her to Niger with Oxfam Quebec to implement a UNFPA program on violence and discrimination against women and children.

Mr. Kailash Satyarthi serves as Chairperson for the Global March Against Child Labour, a conglomeration of 2,000 social purpose organizations and trade unions in 140 countries. He also serves as President of the Global Campaign for Education. Highlighted in the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) program “The New Heroes,” hosted by Robert Redford, it was noted that “Kailash Satyarthi has saved tens of thousands of lives. At the age of 26 he gave up a promising career as an electrical engineer and dedicated his life to helping the millions of children in India who are forced into slavery by powerful and corrupt business- and land-owners. His original idea was daring and dangerous. He decided to mount raids on factories — factories frequently manned by armed guards — where children and often entire families were held captive as bonded workers.” Subsequently, Mr. Satyarthi built up a global movement against child labor. Mr. Satyarthi’s work also lead him to leadership with Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), the South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude (SACCS), and Rugmark. SACCS and its partners have liberated nearly 40,000 bonded laborers working in various industries, and then offer them new opportunities and new skills. Rugmark is a program in which rugs are labeled and certified to be child-labor-free by factories that agree to be regularly inspected.

Rev. Dr. Chung Hwan Kwak, Chair of WANGO’s International Council, holds a number of prominent positions in the worlds of academia, sports, and media, as well as in nonprofit and religious organizations. In academia, Rev. Kwak serves as Chairman of the Board for the University of Bridgeport (Bridgeport, CT), Chairman of the Board for the World University Federation, and Chairman of the Professors World Peace Academy, an international association of university and college scholars. Previous to these positions, he served as Secretary-General of the Professors World Peace Academy. In sports, Rev. Kwak was elected in 2005 as President of the Korean Professional Football League, the body that oversees all of South Korea's professional soccer clubs. He is also owner of six-time national champions Sungnam Ilhwa. In the media realm, Rev. Kwak is the former Publisher and President of the daily newspaper Segye Times of Seoul, Korea. He is also former Chairman of the Segye Times daily of New York City, and former Publisher of The New York City Tribune. He serves as Chairman of the Board of News World Communications, the parent company that publishes The Washington Times. In the nonprofit realm, Rev. Kwak serves as Chairman of the Universal Peace Federation, a global alliance of individuals and organizations dedicated to building a world of peace and active in most nations of the world. He is also Chairman of the Citizen’s Federation for the Unification of North and South Korea, the International Cultural Foundation, and the International Religious Foundation. Rev. Kwak completed his B.S. in Law from Kyungbuk University and Sangui University in Korea, and his M.A. in Western Philosophy at Kungook University in Korea. He has been widely recognized for his distinguished career and charitable work, receiving a number of Honorary Doctorates from universities in the United States and Asia.

Among the more prominent contributions of NGOs are those in the arenas of human rights and humanitarian action. Human rights NGOs tackle such issues as human trafficking, freedom of speech, inequality, religious persecution, cruel and inhuman punishment, and unjust judicial actions. Humanitarian NGOs provide aid and assistance, typically in response to conflict situations or natural disasters. Staff of many NGOs do their work at the risk of their own lives, such as when 17 aid workers for Action Against Hunger, involved in post-tsunami work, were executed in 2006 in northeastern Sri Lanka, or when five Afghans working for the Sanyaee Development Foundation were ambushed and killed northeast of Kabul.

In many areas, humanitarian action and human rights efforts have complementary agendas, since both are concerned with protection of the individual and human dignity. But there are also intersects that are antagonistic. Sometimes humanitarian aid is intertwined with the forces that drive the conflicts, exacerbating the crisis and human rights abuses. Mary Anderson, in her article “Humanitarian NGOs in Conflict Intervention” (in Managing Global Chaos), notes that the bringing of new resources into a conflict situation, whereby each side is trying to acquire and control resources, represents a new focus for struggle. Aid may be stolen and redirected to fighting parties, taxes may be levied on aid to support the war effort, aid given to victims may be passed on to those fighting, and NGO infrastructure may help military troops. While promoting of human rights by a humanitarian organization may offer a long-term solution to a crisis, it may also result in undermining the humanitarian effort, such as the humanitarian NGO not being allowed to deliver aid or even becoming a target. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, humanitarian NGOs were accused of prolonging the war, and in Rwanda of sustaining those guilty of genocide.

The interface between human rights and humanitarian agendas raises many dilemmas. For instance:

This session will include expert presenters on the topic, but one half of the session will also be devoted to an interactive discussion among the participants.

Dr. Thomas J. Ward is Dean of the International College and Vice President for International Programs of the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. Dr. Ward also has served as a Human Rights Commissioner in Dutchess County, New York. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Ward did his doctoral studies at the Catholic Institute of Paris and at De La Salle University in the Philippines (1988) where he wrote and defended his doctoral dissertation under Brother Andrew Gonzalez, who played a prominent role in the ending of the rule of Ferdinand Marcos and later served as Minister of Education of the Philippines.  Ward lectures and writes on issues relating to comparative education, development, and regional political economy. He worked as a risk analyst for the international departments of Equibank and the Bank of America and he has a longstanding interest and involvement in development-related issues. In 1991, he translated from the original French the first textbook ever to compare the pension systems of the member states of the European Union. Together with Dr. Frederick Swarts, he served as the co-editor of The 104th Congress & the United Nations--Understanding the Issues (World Leadership Publication 1996), a text that explored procedures for improving ties between the UN and its principal nation-state partner.  More recently, Dr. Ward edited Development, Social Justice and Civil Society—An Introduction to the Political Economy of NGOs (Paragon House 2005) for the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations.  He continues to research, lecture and write on topics related to development and human security.

Mr. Marshall Wallace is President of CDA Collaborative Learning Projects and Director of the CDA Do No Harm Project. CDA Collaborative Learning Projects is a nonprofit organization committed to improving the effectiveness of international actors who provide humanitarian assistance, engage in peace practice, and are involved in supporting sustainable development. CDA is best known for its development of the peace and conflict impact assessment tool known as "Do No Harm" analysis. DNH helps humanitarian and development assistance workers to identify the way their assistance interacts with conflicts in the societies where they work and to develop options for minimizing the ways aid can reinforce conflict and enhancing their positive support for peace. Do No Harm is also the title of a 1999 book by Executive Director Mary B. Anderson, Do No Harm: How Aid Can Support Peace - Or War. The Do No Harm Project, which began in 1994, seeks to identify the ways in which international humanitarian and/or development assistance given in conflict settings may be provided so that, rather than exacerbating and worsening the conflict, it helps local people disengage from fighting and develop systems for settling the problems which prompt conflict within their societies. The DNH concepts are widely used in the humanitarian and development communities and the project has developed one of the best known tools for Peace and Conflict Impact Analysis: the Do No Harm Framework for Analyzing the Impacts of Assistance on Conflict. Mr. Marshall Marshall joined CDA in 1997 as the Project Coordinator for the original Local Capacities for Peace Project. In 2001, he moved LCPP into the Mainstreaming phase by visiting the headquarters of NGOs and other agencies to help them integrate the principles of Do No Harm from headquarters to the field offices. In the course of that year he developed the STEPS Project (Steps Toward Conflict Prevention) and has directed STEPS and Do No Harm since that time.

Zoe Nielsen is Deputy Director of the Human Security Report Project at the School for International Studies, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada. The Human Security Report Project's (HSRP) mission is to conduct research on global and regional trends in political violence, their causes and consequences, and to make this research accessible to the policy and research communities, the media, educators and the interested public. The HSRP's flagship publication, the Human Security Report, is complemented by the Human Security Gateway (an online database of human security resources), the Afghanistan Monitor (a website highlighting new research and analysis on the conflict in Afghanistan) and three online bulletins, Human Security News, Afghanistan Security News and Human Security Research. The Human Security Report Project, now based at the School for International Studies at Simon Fraser University, was previously based at the Human Security Centre at the Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia. Prior to joining the Human Security Report Project, Ms. Nielsen was the Senior Program Officer with the International Peace Academy’s Conflict Prevention Program. Earlier, Ms. Nielsen worked in the office of Ambassador David Scheffer, then U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues and as the Clerk to Justice Mathews, Judge of the Federal Court of Australia and President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Ms. Nielsen holds a Master’s from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a law degree from the University of Wollongong. She is the co-editor, with Chandra Sriram, of Exploring Subregional Conflict: Opportunities for Conflict Prevention.

Dr. Dave Benjamin (Ph.D., University of Cambridge, UK) is Assistant Professor of International Political Economy and Diplomacy in the University of Bridgeport's International College. Dr. Benjamin previously served on the faculty of St. George’s University in Grenada where he was instrumental in setting up the Liberal Studies program in the School of Arts and Sciences. He has also held a Visiting Professorship in Caribbean Studies at the Political Science Department of the University of Connecticut. Dr. Benjamin is the author of a number of articles on human rights, governance and international politics. He has researched, lectured and written on the 1999 crisis in Kosovo, on political corruption, on the significance of the resurgence of the extreme Right in Europe, and on the implications of mass terrorism for the Caribbean Community.  He is currently lecturing on and researching the real limitations of international law to protect civilian rights and the vulnerabilities faced by small island developing state.  He is also researching the role of corruption and the North-South divide and US policy toward the Eastern Caribbean.  Dr. Benjamin serves as the faculty advisor of the University of Bridgeport's award-winning National Model United Nations (NMUN) team and as chief advisor of the University of Bridgeport Debate Team. 

As victims, combatants, and survivors, and as mothers, daughters, and wives, women know the price of conflict and the seriousness of development challenges. They are major stakeholders in conflict resolution and key links in building a more prosperous society.

In terms of peacebuilding, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has stated: “For generations, women have served as peace educators, both in their families and in their societies. They have proven instrumental in building bridges rather than walls.” Indeed, as noted in the document Securing the Peace by the United Nations Development Fund for Women, the role of women in building peace has been remarkable. Women’s organizations advocate for peace and women have historically helped to catalyze peace negotiations and build ties among opposing factions. By increasing inclusiveness and raising issues that may otherwise be ignored, women increase the sustainability of the peace process. In Colombia, women’s organizations lead a civil society campaign that fosters peace talks, and in Northern Ireland, women’s groups built trust between Protestants and Roman Catholics. In Afghanistan’s Congressional drafting committee, 20% of the representatives were women, leading to the guarantee of women’s equality in the final draft of the new constitution, including a quota for women in the lower house of parliament. In Liberia, women’s organizations campaigned for the disarmament of factions before the handover of power. In Bougainville, women were the only leaders to initiate an information campaign for the public to comprehend the decisions of the peace accord and the steps in its implementation.

Women are often at the center of NGO efforts, popular protests, and electoral referendums, and often use their role as mothers to cut across international borders and internal divides. Their collaborative nature, and inclination toward consensus and compromise, often helps in resolving issues. When male negotiators walked out of the peace talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, women remained to enable the dialogue to continue. In Iraq, when under the rule of Saddam Hussein, Raja Habib Khuzai expanded her practice while other doctors fled the country, and following his overthrow, she opened organizations to help women and children, and became a member of the Iraqi Governing Council. In Kosovo, pediatrician Vjosa Dobruna collected evidence from victims at sites of massacres and other atrocities and was targeted by Serb special police as a result. She later became one of only three women appointed to the UN's Joint Interim Administrative Structure of Kosovo, as the minister responsible for democracy building and civil society.

In terms of development, women are often the key to their families’, societies’, and nations’ well-being. At the opening of the 50th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in 2006, UN Deputy-Secretary General Louise Fréchette noted that empowering women and girls around the globe is the most effective tool for a country’s development, and by such means a country can boost its economic productivity, reduce infant and maternal mortality rates and improve the general population’s nutrition and health.

This session will examine the key role played by women and women NGOs in peacemaking and peacekeeping, and in development. The second half of the session will be an interactive discussion among participants, who will examine the issues among themselves.

Mrs. Hayat Arslan is Founder and President of Society of Lebanon the Giver, a non-governmental organization she established in 1983. Mrs. Arslan also serves as Founder and President of the Economic Task Force for Lebanon. She also founded the Women Political Empowerment Committee, the Lebanese Artisanal Cooperative (for which she organized 43 international artisanal exhibitions), and the Committee of Sofar Festivals (for which she organized three summer festivals). In addition, Mrs. Arslan established the New Generation School in Hasbaya, the Hasbaya Infirmary for Women, and served as Chairperson of the Lebanese Women Leadership Consortium. Mrs. Arslan holds a B.S. degree in Political Studies & Public Administration from the American University of Beirut and pursued advanced studies in the History of the Middle East. She is the author of a book on women political empowerment.

Dr. Anna Snyder is an assistant professor in the Conflict Resolution program at Menno Simons College, an institution affiliated with the University of Winnipeg, Canada. In 2003, Dr. Snyder published a book focusing on conflict resolution among transnational women’s peace organizations titled Setting the Agenda for Global Peace: Conflict and Consensus Building, the first in publisher Ashgate’s Gender in a Global/Local World series. She has published articles in journals such as Globalizations, Conflict Resolution Quarterly, and Canadian Woman Studies. Dr. Snyder’s research interests include women’s peace organizations, Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal reconciliation, and transnational non-governmental network conflict. Her conflict resolution practice is focused primarily on local healing and reconciliation efforts between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples on the issue of residential schools. Dr. Snyder holds a Ph.D. in Social Science from Syracuse University and an M.A. from Notre Dame. She is currently working on research related to the peacebuilding capacity of refugee women after a recent trip to Burmese refugee camps in Thailand.

Ruta Pels is President of People to People Estonia. The purpose of People to People Estonia is to enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural and humanitarian activities involving the exchange of ideas and experiences directly among peoples of different countries and diverse cultures. It is part of People to People International, which was founded on September 11, 1956 by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and privatized in 1961. Today, President Eisenhower’s granddaughter, Mary, serves as President and Chief Executive Officer. People to People International has chapters throughout the world. Ms. Pells has served as President of People to People Estonia since 1993. She also is Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Raamatupidamisuudised and is the Estonian National Coordinator for Global Education Week from the North–South Centre of the Council of Europe. Previously, Ms. Pells has served as executive editor of the Postimees in Russian daily, editor in chief of Den za Dnjom weekly, editor of the ETA Interactive News Agency, editor of Baltic News Service, and editor of ETA-TASS (Estonian News Agency). Ms. Pells graduated with a degree in journalism from Moscow University, where she also did her Masters Degree. She did her postgraduate studies at the City University in London in the Department of Journalism. She also did post graduate studies at Tallinn University (Estonia) and Central European University (Budapest). She is an author and lecturer on issues of gender and development.

The first years of life are critical to the development of the human being – not only physically, but it is at this stage that the fundamental basis for the development of personality is established. It has been stated that at birth, the child is no more than a “candidate to the human race” (H. Pieron); through education, the child can gain the means to join the human race. Thus early education, whether called early childhood education, preschool, or initial education, is an extraordinarily important undertaking.

Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990) notes that the education of the child should be directed to “respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms,” “respect for the child’s parents,” “respect for the natural environment,” and “preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin.”

To achieve a more just and humane society, one of the factors is the assumption that peace among people is essential for development and it is the job of education to prepare children for this development. Such education must begin at the earliest stages of life, when the fundamental aspects of a person’s personality will consolidate and improve. Thus, peace education is an integral learning component in the lives of young children, a transfer of values that remains in the long run and extends during all of their lives.

This session will examine what children understand about peace, what adults understand about peace, values education, developing a peace education curriculum, and understanding how to impact the formation of values. In the spirit of Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, this session will discuss an education offered to a child so that he or she develops globally, not only in the cognitive aspects, but psychological and spiritually as well. Such education will aim at preparing the child to assume a responsibility in a free society, with a spirit of understanding and peace.

Ms. Elvira Sánchez Igual is Communications Manager for the Asociación Mundial de Educadores Infantiles (AMEI-WAECE). The World Association of Early Childhood Educators is a non-governmental organization at the service of education of young children, and works to make it possible for every child younger than six years of age to exercise his right to an early educational service to fully develop his capabilities, personal criteria, moral and social responsibility according to article 7 of the Declaration on Children's Rights of the United Nations Organization. Ms. Sánchez-Igual previously served as Marketing Assistant for SSAB Swedish Steel, and has been involved in social research for the Organization of American States, In Depth, Escario & Asociados, Research International and Ergo. Ms. Sánchez-Igual holds a psychology degree from the University of Madrid and a Marketing and Social Research Degree from Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid.

Mr. Juan Sánchez Muliterno is President of the World Association of Early Childhood Educators (WAECE-AMEI), Asociación Mundial de Educadores Infantiles (AMEI-WAECE). He has held this position since the inception of the organization in 1992. The World Association of Early Childhood Educators is a non-governmental organization at the service of education of young children. The Association was formed as the result of meetings among professionals of the field from different countries during the First International Conference on Early Childhood Education held in 1991 in Vitoria, Spain. Previous to this role, Mr. Sanchez served as President of the Spanish Federation of Early Childhood Centers. He has written a practical handbook for the early childhood educator, and authored numerous articles on early childhood education. He has been a guest professor at various universities, both in Spain and in Latin America.

Mr. Francisco Quiazua is the Early Childhood Development Network Coordinator for the Centre for Excellence in Early Childhood Development (CEECD). CEECD is one of Health Canada's five Centres of Excellence for Children's Health and Well-Being. It has been established to collect, analyze and disseminate information regarding the social and emotional aspects of early child development. The CEECD synthesizes knowledge, resources and expertise on early childhood development to support the health and well-being of Canadian families with children to the age of five. It is operated under the administrative leadership of the University of Montreal, in partnership with the Canadian Institute of Child Health (CICH) and the Canadian Child Care Federation (CCCF), among other partners. Recently, CEECD has created the Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development, an online resource most developed for policy makers, planners, service providers, and for parents.   Mr. Quiazua is in charge of the national and international relations to disseminate the research work of CEECD contained in the free access electronic encyclopedia, and is working in partnership with NGOs of Latin America to advance knowledge exchange between the north and south. He has worked for many years with non-governmental organizations (1984 to 2000) to develop programs on human rights and human development with underprivileged families and children in Europe and Latin America. Mr. Quiazu holds a Doctor in Law from the Universidad del Rosario, Colombia, and also studied at the Université de Paris, where he specialized in sociology.

In the United Nations Millennium Declaration in 2000, the UN General Assembly recognized six fundamental values that are essential to international relations in the Twenty-First Century. They were Freedom (“men and women have the right to live their lives and raise children in dignity, free from hunger and from the fear of violence, oppression or injustice”), Equality (“no individual and no national must be denied the opportunity to benefit from development”), Solidarity (“global challenges must be managed in a way that distributes the costs and burdens fairly in accordance with the basic principles of equity and social justice”), Tolerance (“human beings must respect one another, in all their diversity of belief, culture and language”), Respect for Nature (“prudence must be shown in the management of all living species and natural resources, in accordance with the precepts of sustainable development”), and Shared Responsibility (“responsibility for managing worldwide economic and social development, as well as threats to international peace and security, must be shared among the nations of the world and should be exercised multilaterally”).

What are the shared values of the non-governmental community? Ethical NGOs also exhibit some core principles that govern their sector. For example, NGOs, as a whole, are founded to serve others. NGO practitioners are exemplars of genuine giving out of concern for the welfare of others without the primary goal of their own enhancement or profit. Ethical NGOs also are accountable, striving to act in a manner that is accountable to their goals and objectives and the public. NGOs are also visionary. They see the reality of the world as it is, but also envision the world as it should be. They maintain their founding spirit and passion. NGOs also respect each person’s fundamental human rights and they are willing to work beyond political, religious, cultural, racial and ethnic barriers to achieve their mission. Ethical NGOs are publicly responsible, making sure that public money is not misused for selfish purpose, that the sanctity of the environment is respected, and that public assets are treated with utmost seriousness as a public trust.

This session will explore the issue of the shared values and principle of the NGO sector, and will include a large interactive component, whereby the attendees can advance discourse on this fundamental issue.

Mr. William Lay serves as Director of WANGO’s NGO Code of Ethics Project. In this position, he spearheaded the development of the Code of Ethics and Conduct for NGOs, a set of fundamental principles, operational principles, and standards to guide the actions and management of non-governmental organizations. The Code is designed to be broadly applicable to the worldwide NGO community. William D. Lay has a distinguished background in law, nonprofit organization, and academia. He holds a J.D. degree from Columbia University School of Law, where he also served as Senior Editor of the Columbia Law Review. Prior to establishing his own law firm, Mr. Lay’s legal practice for a New York City law firm included complex multi-state litigation as well as alternative dispute resolution, commercial law, international transactions, and corporate finance, among other matters. He also teaches courses in Business and International Law and Settlement of International Business Disputes at the University of Bridgeport. In the nonprofit sector, Mr. Lay served as Vice President and Director of Research for the American Leadership Institute, a think-tank involved in study of competing political and economic systems, as well as national and international security. He has lectured throughout Latin America and traveled to over 40 nations in his responsibilities with the nonprofit sector.

Ms. Jane Garthson is President and Principal Consultant of the Garthson Leadership Centre, dedicated to strengthening nonprofit and government organizations through enhanced leadership and ethics. She is a Past Chair and a founding member of the Ethics Practitioners’ Association of Canada (EPAC), sits on EPAC’s Advisory Council, and writes the Ethics Q&A columns for Charity Village. From 2002 to 2004, Ms. Garthson was a member of the Ethics Review Committee of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation. Ms. Garthson also is a Commissioner of the Ontario Racing Commission, and in that capacity governs, directs, regulates and controls a 1.3 billion dollar industry. Ms. Garthson has authored articles on organizational ethics, conducted ethics audits in the voluntary sector, and helped various organizations with codes, ethical decision-making and other aspects of ethics awareness, monitoring and reinforcement. Among recent presentations are ones on such topics as Eight Characteristics of an Accountable Nonprofit, Ethics and Accountability, Best Practice Trends in Nonprofit Governance, Successful Consultant Interventions with Dysfunctional Boards, and Enhanced Ethical Decision-Making In Rehabilitation. Ms. Garthson has experience as Founder, Board Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Executive Director and Chair of numerous board committees, and since 1992, has worked with nonprofits in the areas of governance, integrity, strategic planning, privacy impact assessments, ethics oversight and organizational reviews. In addition, she was an Executive Director of a provincial amateur sport federation for almost three years and, with key volunteers, led a very successful turnaround, and has served as senior financial officer of Ontario's Management Board of Cabinet and as Manager of Crown Agency Relations, Tourism and Recreation. Ms. Garthson holds an honors certificate in Voluntary Management and Leadership from York University, and a national certificate from the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy (now Imagine Canada). She sits on the national Awards Committee of the Canadian Society of Association Executives.

Dr. Eric Werker is an Assistant Professor in the Business, Government, and the International Economy Unit at Harvard Business School. His research explores the complex relationship between developed and developing economies. Professor Werker has written on development assistance, humanitarian aid, non-governmental organizations, foreign investment, outside financing of insurgency, AIDS, and refugees. His work has been featured in the Financial Times, Washington Post, BBC, NPR, and publications across the developing world. Before joining Harvard Business School, Werker worked as an economist with the US Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation, analyzing foreign aid projects in Africa, Latin America, and Eurasia. He earned his Ph.D. and AB in economics from Harvard University.

The Rt. Honorable Edward Richard Schreyer is former Premier of Manitoba (1969-1977), former Governor General of Canada (1979-1984), and current Chancellor of Brandon University (2002 to present). He also has served in the Canadian House of Commons. As leader of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, Mr. Schreyer led his party to a watershed electoral victory in the provincial election, and served two terms as Premier of Manitoba from 1969 until 1977, instituting many reforms. Subsequently, he was the first Governor General from Manitoba and at the age of 43, was the youngest Governor General since Lord Lansdowne in 1883. As Governor General, Schreyer championed women's issues and the environment. He has been a longtime advocate for the environment. As Governor General, he instituted the Governor General's Conservation Awards in 1981, and upon retiring announced that he would donate his pension to the Canadian Shield Foundation, an environmental organization.

Mr. Schreyer’s post-Governor General career included serving as Canadian High Commissioner to Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Subsequently, he served as a national representative of Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit housing organization. Mr. Schreyer also is an Honorary Director of the Sierra Legal Defense Fund, Honorary Advisor to the Canadian Foundation for the Preservation of Chinese Cultural and Historical Treasures, and a Founding Member of the Winnipeg Library Foundation. His career in education includes service as a professor of International Relations at St. Paul's College of the University of Manitoba. Mr. Schreyer studied at United College, St. John's College, and the University of Manitoba, receiving a Bachelor of Education, a Master of Arts in International Relations, and a second Master of Arts in Economics. Among the awards he has received are being inducted into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, the Order of Canada (Canada's highest civilian honor), the Order of Military Merit, and the Order of Manitoba (the highest honor in the Province of Manitoba).

Vyacheslav (Slava) Trigubovich is one of Russia’s most well-known and dedicated leaders in wilderness protection. An anti-poaching ranger and conservation biologist, he co-founded the Altai Foundation with Vladislav Shilo, the Director of Novosibirsk Zoo. The Altai Foundation is devoted to protecting the natural and cultural heritage of the Altai Mountains, a region in Siberia at the juncture of Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. Mr. Trigubovich was featured in the 2005 Seed Magazine listing of Year in Science: Icons with 14 other individuals recognized for shaping the global conversation about science. It was stated of him at that time “ Vyacheslav “Slava” Trigubovich, a Siberia-based conservation biologist, is used to being threatened. His list of enemies is long: poachers, loggers, local bureaucrats, developers, mafia bosses. . . For more than a decade, Slava has campaigned tirelessly to preserve Russia’s vast wildernesses and its endangered species.” Among Russia’s system of nature reserves, or zapovedniks, the Altai Zapovednik is the largest, covering two million acres, and home to the endangered snow leopard, the Argali sheep, and other indigenous species. Mr. Tribubovich has been instrumental in preserving these animals and their habitats, although his conservation effort has led him into conflict with those seeking short-term economic interests. In 1999 and 2000, Trigubovch led field expeditions, commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund, to identify the most important snow leopard breeding areas in Russia's Altai Mountains. Their discovery that the principal breeding grounds are in an unprotected corridor led to a campaign to establish a new protected area, Sailugemskiy, for snow leopard protection Trigubovich holds a Masters Degree in Biology from Novosibirsk University.

Ms. Susan Tanner is Executive Director of The Canadian Environment Network. The Canadian Environmental Network (Le Réseau Canadien de l’environnement, RCEN) facilitates networking between environmental organizations and others who share its mandate - To Protect The Earth And Promote Ecologically Sound Ways Of Life. The RCEN works directly with concerned citizens and organizations striving to protect, preserve and restore the environment, and to affect how society thinks about environmental issues. Established in 1977 with the objective to support and strengthen the participation of environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs) in their consultations with Environment Canada, the RCEN since has strived to broaden its scope and today it provides coordination, communication, research and networking services to more than 800 Canadian environmental groups affiliated through one of RCEN's eleven regional networks. Susan Tanner has long been an advocate for the environment and equality rights. Previously, she held a variety of senior positions including in federal public service as Senior Advisor for Diversity and Gender Equality in the Department of Justice and Visiting Executive for the Association of Professional Executives (APEX), and on the provincial level as a tribunal member of the Ontario Environmental Assessment Board. Ms. Tanner represented Friends of the Earth (FOE) and Women and Environmental Education and Development (WEED) at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). She has served as Executive Director of Friends of the Earth (FOE) and lead the campaign on ozone layer depletion for which FOE received an United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) award. Ms. Tanner holds a Masters of Law from the University of Ottawa, a Masters of Environmental Studies from York University, and has been a member of the Ontario Bar since 1978. She serves or has served on the boards of Learning for a Sustainable Future, the FMCFS Association, the Canadian Association for the Club of Rome, UNIFEM Canada, and the Canadian Environmental Research Foundation.

Dr. Noel Brown is Chair of the WANGO Awards Committee and President of Friends of the United Nations. Previously, he served as Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), North American Regional Office. Among other positions currently held by Dr. Brown are Chairman of the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism, and Vice Chair of the International Council of the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations. He is a founding member of the Aspen Global Change Institute and the International Council for Local Environment Issues, is Chairman of the Rene Dubos Center for Human Environments, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Global Rivers Environmental Educational Network, the Climate Institute, the Earth Communications Office, the Rainforest Alliance, Global Education Associates, Trust for the Americas, and other environmental and educational organizations. Dr. Brown holds a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Seattle University, an M.A. in International Law and Organization from Georgetown University, and a Ph.D. in International Law and Relations from Yale University. He has been a Visiting Professor at both U.S. and foreign universities, and has a number of publications to his credit, including serving as Editor of Ethics and Agenda 21: Moral Implications of a Global Consensus. Among the numerous awards acknowledging Dr. Brown’s service to the environment is his being honored with the 1998 World Academy of Arts and Science for Distinguished Public Service.

Dr. Noel Brown is Chair of the WANGO Awards Committee and President of Friends of the United Nations. Previously, he served as Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), North American Regional Office. Among other positions currently held by Dr. Brown are Chairman of the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism, and Vice Chair of the International Council of the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations. He is a founding member of the Aspen Global Change Institute and the International Council for Local Environment Issues, is Chairman of the Rene Dubos Center for Human Environments, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Global Rivers Environmental Educational Network, the Climate Institute, the Earth Communications Office, the Rainforest Alliance, Global Education Associates, Trust for the Americas, and other environmental and educational organizations. Dr. Brown holds a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Seattle University, an M.A. in International Law and Organization from Georgetown University, and a Ph.D. in International Law and Relations from Yale University. He has been a Visiting Professor at both U.S. and foreign universities, and has a number of publications to his credit, including serving as Editor of Ethics and Agenda 21: Moral Implications of a Global Consensus. Among the numerous awards acknowledging Dr. Brown’s service to the environment is his being honored with the 1998 World Academy of Arts and Science for Distinguished Public Service.

Presentations will be given by the 2007 Award Winners, and their bios will be presented at the Panel of Excellence

Dr. Gordon Anderson serves as Secretary General for the Professors World Peace Academy, an international association of university and college scholars. He is also the Executive Director of Paragon House Publishers and publisher of the International Journal on World Peace. Furthermore, Dr. Anderson serves as the Business Manager for the New World Encyclopedia, an edited, online encyclopedia. Dr. Anderson has published numerous articles and books related to religion and society, including The Family in Global Transition, and Morality and Religion in Liberal Democratic Societies. He earned his Master of Divinity degree in Christian Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion from the Claremont Graduate School.

Professor Ron Sereg is Assistant Professor of Public Relations at Louisiana State University Shreveport. He is also a consultant to international NGOs on public relations and mass communications. He has served as a visiting professor of journalism and public relations with the Yale University Civic Education Project in Central Asia, and guest lectured at a number of international universities. Professor Sereg has notably worked as a consultant with a large number of non-governmental organizations in Eastern Europe and in the Russian Federation, as well as with the United Nations UNESCO Central Asia Media Program, USAID Democracy Network Program, and the Soros Foundation. He is currently a member of the U.S. State Department’s International Selection Committee for the Freedom Support Act Undergraduate Program. Professor Sereg also has written a manual of media and public relations techniques especially for non-governmental organizations in Eastern Europe that has been published and translated into several languages. He is also a co-author of an assessment of the relationship of the Slovak Republic mass media to the country’s election system. Professor Sereg received his Master of Arts degree in public relations from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg and his Bachelor of Science in journalism from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

The concept of peace means many things to many people. Often used in the sense of world peace, peace between nations, and the absence of military conflict, peace also applies on the level of the individual, family, and society. Indeed, in a recent 20-nation survey conducted by the World Association of Early Childhood Educators, the highest number of respondents (38%) identified “harmony and inner well being” as their concept of peace.

Of course, everyone is searching for lasting inner peace, a state of happiness where one’s thoughts, words, and actions can flow harmoniously. Inner peace is also a foundation for family harmony, desired by all conscientious husbands, wives, parents, and children.

Furthermore, family harmony is considered foundational to peace on higher levels – society, nation, and world. As noted in Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society.” Societies are based on healthy families. However, the family unit in many nations is undergoing major challenges, with increasing divorce rates, spousal and child abuse, father-absent families, persistent poverty, and HIV/AIDS being among the stresses. In addition, the traditional concept of what constitutes a family, marriage, and the parent-child relationship is being countered by radical new conceptions. One of the major policy frontlines in the 21st Century centers on the issue of the definition of family and marriage, and what moral and social norms are to be protected.

This session will examine the concepts of inner peace and family harmony, challenges being faced by individuals and families in their quest for such peace, and the role that these elements play in bringing about lasting world peace.

Representative Mark Anderson is an Arizona State Legislator, having first been elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 1994. After serving eight years in the House, he was elected to the state Senate where he served as chairman of the Family Services Committee. Since his 2004 re-election to the House of Representatives, he has been serving in that body, where he chairs the K-12 Education Committee, and is on the Appropriations and Human Services Committees. Rep. Anderson has been very active in authoring and sponsoring legislative aided at strengthening families. He is the author of legislation that allocates $1 million of federal welfare money for marriage skills courses, which are being offered around the state. These courses along with a Healthy Marriage Handbook now given to every couple applying for a marriage license, are for the purpose of lowering the number of divorces in Arizona. In 2005, Anderson was the prime sponsor of legislation to remove junk food from vending machines in the public schools. In the 2003 legislative session, Anderson was the prime sponsor of SB1291 which created a prison transition program to lower the recidivism rate and save taxpayer dollars being spent to incarcerate non-violent drug offenders. He also authored legislation to enhance service learning in the public school system and a bill to establish a pilot program to open Child Protective Services hearings to the public, and sponsored Arizona's Charitable Choice law, which requires that state government not discriminate against faith-based organizations when contracting for services. Anderson was also the prime sponsor of the nation's first tuition tax credit bill for private and public schools, a charity tax credit for donors to private, nonprofit groups helping low-income citizens; a $2 million dollar appropriation for abstinence-only education; a $1 million dollar appropriation for a counseling and mentoring program for young fathers; and a program that encourages churches to assist in the placement of foster children in their communities. As chairman of the House Human Services Committee, Anderson was primarily responsible for the legislation implementing the federal welfare reform changes of 1996. One of the key provisions of that legislation was a charity tax credit which has served as model for enhancing charitable giving. Anderson has consistently sponsored and supported pro-marriage and anti-pornography legislation, including a bill to restrict minors' access to pornography on the Internet in public schools and libraries. Other bills include the nation's first tuition tax credit which allows children to receive scholarships to attend private and religious schools by giving a full 100% tax credit to donors, a bill to give teachers more authority to remove disruptive children from the classroom, and a bill to help young fathers learn responsibility and find a job. Prior to running for the legislature, Anderson was the executive director of the American Family Coalition of Arizona.

Ms. C. Gwendolyn Landolt is Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Justice Review Board and National Vice President and Founding Member of REAL Women of Canada, a national women’s organization founded in 1983. She also serves as Vice President of the Drug Prevention Network of Canada, a Planning Committee Member of the World Congress of Families, and the Founder and Chairperson of the UN Caucus for Stable Communities. In addition, Ms. Landolt is a member of the Board of Directors of the Toronto Children’s Aid Society, where she chairs the Legislative Committee, and on the board of Civitas. She is a veteran activist at the United Nations conference in Cairo, Beijing, and Istanbul and has been accredited to over 30 United Nations International Conferences and Committee Meetings. Ms. Landolt is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of British Columbia, and has worked in private practice as a Crown Presecutor and with the federal Justice Department. She has written numerous briefs and articles, with special emphasis on constitutional issues, in particular the Canadian Charter of Rights. She has participated in ten cases before the Supreme Court of Canada on pro-family issues. Ms. Landolt is a contributor to the books Judicial Activism: A Threat to Democracy and Religion, Women Who Do and Women Who Don’t Join the Women’s Movement, and Death Before Birth.

Reverend Anthony Stevenson is the Founder of the Healthy Relationship/Marriage Outreach Center, and a member of the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia Community Outreach Office. In this capacity, he became one of the primary team members helping to develop the citywide Fatherhood Initiative Program. He is a Certified Double Master Trainer & Facilitator of (NFI) National Fatherhood Initiatives and (NPCL) National Partnerships For Community Leadership Curriculums. Seeking to empower families and unify communities since 1986, in 1998 Rev. Stevenson established People’s Unified Resource Center. As a Fatherhood Master Trainer/Facilitator/Healthy Relationship/Marriage consultant, he has helped to empower more than a thousand men to assume their rightful place as fathers in the lives of their children. Rev. Stevenson furthermore is the Senior Pastor, Teacher and Leader of the Four Corner Crusade For Life Community Church , and is a licensed/ordained minister by the National Baptist Conference USA, a graduate of the Melvin Floyd Evangelism School, and a member of Hampton University’s Minister Conference. He also is founder/owner of Stevenson Wardrobe Service, which operates in more than 25 cites nationwide.

Mr. Mohammed Attah is Executive Director of NGO Guide 2000, a Nigeria based NGO-Service Consortium and organizer of the Annual All Nigeria NGO Summit & Exposition. He also serves as Chairman of the Editorial Board of NGO Network, a general interest magazine for the third sector in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. Mr. Attah is the Nigeria National Representative for the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations and was recently appointed as the African Regional Coordinator. He has served in various capacities in the private and nonprofit sector in Nigeria and abroad, among which are State Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors, and Associate Member of the Institute of Management Consultant of Nigeria; he also is a member of several international networks of NGOs. A poet and playwright, he won the Europe 1998 Contemporary Poet of the Year, and authored Ordeal of Innocence. Mr. Attah served as a delegate to the UN/University of Amman Leadership seminar in June 1998. Mr. Attah is the holder of many international awards and is listed in Who’s Who Historical Society. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Citizen Award for Excellence in Service to Humanity.

The concept of human security represents a new paradigm in understanding the complex of interrelated threats impacting the individual. Historically, security paradigms have focused on the state and its ability to defend itself from external threats. In the human security conception, the individual is the primary referent of security. This people-centered approach broadens the focus from security of borders to the protection of individuals inside and across those borders.

In a narrow sense, human security can be viewed as dealing with violent threats to individuals, such as civil war, genocide, terrorism, torture, weapons of mass destruction, violent crime, use of child soldiers, displacement of populations, and so forth.

In a broader, more inclusive sense, human security can be viewed as dealing with any threats to the individual, including hunger, disease, ecological devastation, natural disasters, deprivation (water, food, educational opportunities), and even threats to economic insecurity and human dignity. In this sense, human security can be seen as dealing with two fundamental freedoms: “freedom from fear” and “freedom from want” – that is, pervasive threats to people’s lives and safety, as well as threats to their economic and social well-being. As stated by former U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette , human security means “all those things that men and women anywhere in the world cherish most: enough food for the family; adequate shelter; good health; schooling for the children; protection from violence whether inflicted by man or by nature; and a State which does not oppress its citizens but rules with their consent.” Complementing state security, human security deals with protection of an individual’s human rights across borders and enhancing human development in order that each person has the opportunity to fulfill his or her own potential.

NGOs, as vitally important non-state actors in the related fields of human development, human rights, and conflict prevention, have a crucial role to play in advancing, advocating, and implementing human security. This session will address the broader concept of human security, and will examine the current and potential role that NGOs play in human security, and the unique advantages they bring, and obstacles they face, in this arena.

This session will be an interactive one. A few speakers will initiate discussion by briefly presenting an overview of the topic or particular aspects of the theme of human security and NGOs. Attendees will then divide into small groups to discuss specific dilemmas posed around the work of NGOs in this arena.

Dr. Aurora Martin is an Assistant Professor in the International Relations and European Integration Department of the Faculty of Political Science, University of Bucharest. She also serves as President of the Association Euro-Atlantic Partnership for Sustainable Development, and is Senior Counselor for the International Relations Department of the National Council for Combating Discrimination, Romanian Parliament. Previously, Dr. Martin served as Senior Counselor for the National Agency for Gender Equality of the Ministry of Labor, Family and Social Solidarity. She is a member of the Romanian Association for European Integration and Development and the association Romanian Women's Future. Professor Martin completed her Ph.D. studies in the Philosophy Department of the University of Bucharest, and received a Masters Degree in International Relations, Human Rights and Diplomacy at the University of Bucharest, as well as a Masters on Gender and European Integration from the National School of Political and Administrative Studies. She has a number of publications to her credit and has spoken at many international conferences.

Gina Ross is the founder and chair of the International Trauma-Healing Institute in the United States and the co-founder of the Israeli Trauma Center in Jerusalem. The mission of the International Trauma-Healing Institute (ITI) is to promote peace at the community, national, and international level by bringing awareness to trauma as a root cause of suffering, conflict and violence and to the resources available for trauma's resolution and healing. Ms. Ross specializes in trauma and has been involved in the understanding and treatment of trauma since 1990. She is trained in cognitive, behavioral, and somatic treatment approaches and is certified in the more innovative techniques of Somatic Experiencing (SE), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Thought Field Therapy (TFT), and Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR). She was the founder and chair for seven years of the Cross-Cultural Committee under the Los Angeles, California, Association of Marriage, Family, and Child Therapists (MFCT) and serves multi-cultural clientele from over 50 countries in her cross-cultural practice. Ms. Ross also is a faculty member and teacher/trainer for the Foundation for Human Enrichment and has presented at international conferences as well as appearing on radio and television. An expert on the impact of trauma on individuals, communities, groups, and nations, Ross sees a major role for the media. She and her institute have undertaken the goal of putting and keeping the issue of trauma on the global agenda, and developing resources and collaborating with organizations to further the healing of trauma at the community, national, and international level. Currently, she is working with Israeli and Palestinian society, and particularly the media, to bring about understanding of the role of trauma and the political trauma vortex in Middle Eastern politics. She is developing a model to work at national levels that can be applied to other regions as well. Ms. Ross is the author of Beyond the Trauma Vortex: The Media's Role in Healing Fear, Terror, and Violence.

Zoe Nielsen is Deputy Director of the Human Security Report Project at the School for International Studies, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada. The Human Security Report Project's (HSRP) mission is to conduct research on global and regional trends in political violence, their causes and consequences, and to make this research accessible to the policy and research communities, the media, educators and the interested public. The HSRP's flagship publication, the Human Security Report, is complemented by the Human Security Gateway (an online database of human security resources), the Afghanistan Monitor (a website highlighting new research and analysis on the conflict in Afghanistan) and three online bulletins, Human Security News, Afghanistan Security News and Human Security Research. The Human Security Report Project, now based at the School for International Studies at Simon Fraser University, was previously based at the Human Security Centre at the Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia. Prior to joining the Human Security Report Project, Ms. Nielsen was the Senior Program Officer with the International Peace Academy’s Conflict Prevention Program. Earlier, Ms. Nielsen worked in the office of Ambassador David Scheffer, then U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues and as the Clerk to Justice Mathews, Judge of the Federal Court of Australia and President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Ms. Nielsen holds a Master’s from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a law degree from the University of Wollongong. She is the co-editor, with Chandra Sriram, of Exploring Subregional Conflict: Opportunities for Conflict Prevention.

Duff Conacher is an internationally recognized leader in the area of democratic reform and government accountability.  Mr. Conacher is the Founder and Coordinator of Democracy Watch, an independent, nonprofit, non-partisan Canadian organization advocating democratic reform, government accountability, and corporate responsibility. Since it opened its doors in 1993, Democracy Watch has been one, if not the most, successful national citizen advocacy groups in Canada. Democracy Watch has won more changes to laws, regulations and government policies than any other citizen advocacy group in Canada since 1993 (as of March 2007, more than 90 changes strengthening government accountability and corporate responsibility measures in 16 key Canadian federal laws, 4 key federal policies, and 5 provincial laws). In addition, Democracy Watch has national media coverage on average 10 times each month since April 1994 (when Democracy Watch launched its first campaign) and regular regional and local media coverage (often of Democracy Watch's leading reports on government accountability and corporate responsibility issues in Canada). Democracy Watch's website is the #1 citizen group website when the Internet is searched using Google.ca and the search words "democracy" or "government ethics" or "honesty in politics" or "bank accountability" or "corporate responsibility". Mr. Conacher also led Democracy Watch to win the first-ever ethics court challenge of the federal government in July 2004, and wrote the report on Canada for the 2004 Global Corruption Report. Mr. Conacher also is Chairperson of the Canadian Community Reinvestment Coalition, (a nation-wide bank accountability coalition made up of more than 100 citizen groups), as well as Chairperson of the nation-wide Corporate Responsibility Coalition, Government Ethics Coalition, and Money in Politics Coalition, all of which were organized and are coordinated by Democracy Watch and its charitable partner organization, the Democracy Education Network. Prior to founding Democracy Watch, Mr. Conacher was a Nader's Raider and he has worked as a researcher, community organizer, legal intern and consultant. He was the organizer of the first chapter of Quebec PIRG (Quebec Public Interest Research Group) at McGill University in 1988 and served as a member of the Board of Directors of Ontario PIRG from 1988 to1991.  He is co-author, with Ralph Nader and Nadia Milleron, of Canada Firsts: Ralph Nader's Salute to Canada and Canadian Achievement which spent six months on the best-seller list in 1993 and was the #1 best-seller for five weeks. He is author of the best-selling More Canada Firsts: Another Collection of Canadian Firsts and Foremosts in the World (1999).  Mr. Conacher is a graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have become major players in advancing peace in areas of conflict. Increasingly, states and intergovernmental organizations are delegated peacemaking and peace-building tasks to NGOs that have conflict resolution, human rights, developmental, humanitarian, and education orientations, to the extent that NGOs are doing even more for peace-building than official government agencies. NGOs are developing novel approaches to ending conflict and in getting the citizens engaged in the process. They are doing mediation activities, providing humanitarian aid, building capacity among local populations, and addressing the root causes. Many NGOs have had a long-term presence in areas afflicted with intractable conflicts.

This session will explore the role that NGOs can play in bringing about lasting peace. Among areas looked at will be the Middle East, Sudan, Sri Lanka, and other areas of conflict. Post-conflict work, such as in Kosovo, will also be a focus on this session.

One of the areas of focus will be the Middle East. Geographically large and culturally diverse, a beautiful land with a rich history, the Middle East is nowadays looked at as a region teetering on the brink of war—a conflict that would impact the lives of people everywhere. Purely political efforts to establish peace in the Middle East have failed. Despite the Oslo accords, the Geneva accord, Camp David accords, Camp David Summit, the Road Map for Peace, the Wye River Memorandum, and numerous U.N. resolutions, among other initiatives, the situation remains volatile, with violence, terrorism, fear, hate, anger, and frustration a seemingly daily part of media coverage of the area. Sooner or later, there will be peace. But how can a lasting peace be established, and soon, before massive loss of life, infrastructure devastation, worldwide economic disruption, and untold suffering? How will the blame, finger-pointing, hostile stereotypes, hate-mongering, and violence be replaced with harmonious cooperation?

Beginning with presentations from select authorities, part of the symposium will be an interactive dialogue among the participants, as they look for innovate ways that civil society can contribute to bringing about peace, justice, and security in areas of conflict. The goal of the session will not be just discussion, but the framework for practical action on the issue.

Sir James R. Mancham is Chair of the Global Peace Council of the Universal Peace Federation, a global alliance of individuals and organizations dedicated to building a world of peace. UPF’s network is in most nations of the world and it carries out peace initiatives in areas such as the Middle East, Northeast Asia, and South Asia, as well as promoting reform and strengthening of the United Nations and establishing partnership among governments, religions, and civil society. Sir Mancham became Seychelles first president when the country gained its independence on June 29, 1976. But he was overthrown a year later by a Marxist coup while attending the Conference of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth in London. In 1992, at the invitation of the current president, Sir James returned to Seychelles as the “Apostle of National Reconciliation,” where his position as Seychelles first president was constitutionally recognized. Educated in both Seychelles and England, Sir James was called to the bar of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, London, 1961. After having attended law faculty of the University of Paris, he returned to the Seychelles and served as barrister and attorney-at-large at the Supreme Court of Seychelles from 1963-1970. Besides being a Knight of the British Empire (KBE), Sir James is also an Officer de la Legion d’Honneur of France. He also has been awarded other medals, such as Medal of the City of Pusan in the Republic of Korea and the Quaid-I Azam of Pakistan. He is co-editor of The Future of Peace in the Twenty-First Century.

Ms. Durgom-Powers is President and Founder of the International Federation of Family Associations of Missing Persons from Armed Conflicts (IFFAMPAC). IFFAMPAC is an international humanitarian non-governmental organization working with family associations of missing persons from armed conflicts worldwide. IFFAMPAC focuses on the surviving families of armed conflict who face tremendous social, economic, legal, and cultural challenges when a primary economic provider of the family vanishes and cannot be accounted for as a result of conflict. IFFAMPAC’s primary goal as a service organization is to assist surviving families in their efforts to remain together. IFFAMPAC also acts as an advocate for family associations by requesting any information available regarding the status of missing family members. Ms. Durgom-Powers’ background is in the legal field and she continues to maintain a private law practice. She has served as a General Counsel for several Fortune 500 companies, including with the General Motors Corporation (Genway Corporation) and Nissan Motor Corporation (Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation) and was the first women partner in a major Illinois law firm. Ms. Durgom-Powers also served as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County (Manhattan) District Attorney’s Office and as Special Assistant District Attorney in the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York. Ms. Durgom-Powers also was the CEO of two international corporations, Antel International and Warren Industries. Ms. Durgom-Powers has observer status with the United Nation’s Working Group on Persons Who are Unaccounted for in Connection with Events in Kosovo and is currently also advisor to the International Committee of the Red Cross and Vice-Chair of the Human Rights Committee of the American Bar Association (ABA), as well as chair of the ABA’s Humanitarian Law Subcommittee. She previously served on the Board of Directors for the African Division of Human Rights Watch, and is co-founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Institute. She has been featured in numerous national and international newspaper articles and publications including Fortune Magazine.

Serge Fuss is Senior Advisor for Global Affairs for World Vision, a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. As Senior Advisor for Global Affairs in Washington, D.C., Mr. Duss promotes justice through World Vision’s global ministry and advocates with foreign governments and international institutions on behalf of the poor and marginalized. Knowledgeable and outspoken, Serge uses the power of storytelling to bring to life examples of transformational humanitarian aid. During his career as a journalist, he was assigned to work with Indo-Chinese refugees who had fled Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. This experience led him to his current field and helped him understand the important role that faith-based organizations play in humanitarian aid, as well as their strength in working alongside government entities. Prior to his current role, Serge served as World Vision’s Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, leading advocacy and lobbying with the presidential administration and Congress to promote pro-justice public policies on behalf of those in the developing world. He is a leading proponent of using Web-based and mobile technology to inform and mobilize donors and the public to engage American political leaders on the topics of global poverty and conflict. Serge has also directed World Vision’s development programs in the former Soviet Union and Bosnia and is a specialist in Eastern European affairs. He currently serves on the boards of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (U.S.A.) and Central Union Mission in Washington, D.C., and is a past president of the Association of Evangelical Relief and Development Organizations.

Debra Joy Eklove is a teacher with the Art of Living Foundation. The Art of Living Foundation was founded 25 years ago, in 1982, by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, an Indian composer who is considered one of the greatest sitar players of modern times and whose fame in Europe and the Americas was fostered by his association with The Beatles. The Art of Living Foundation is now one of the largest volunteer-based NGOs, with its international headquarters in India and regional centers in more than 140 countries. It is involved in a wide array of humanitarian and educational programs to foster global change, uplift individuals, and make a difference in local communities, including programs for stress reduction, trauma relief, and social transformation that have changed the lives of people in war-torn and conflict areas. Often working in association with its sister organization, the International Association for Human Values, volunteers have brought both physical and trauma relief to several regions of conflict and natural disaster around the world, and, in one region, contributed to the cessation of decades-long violence. The Foundation celebrated its 25^th year of service to the world in 2006/2007 with a program in India attended by heads of state, cultural leaders, and more than 2.5 million others. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's mission of uniting the world into a violence free global family has inspired Debra Joy Eklove to focus her experiences in association management, health care and singing to achieving this vision. Debra Joy Eklove is originally from Montreal, but has lived in England and Israel and now resides in Toronto.

Jean Rondon serves as Director of Publications and Latin America and Regional Coordinator for the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO). Previous to this position, Ms. Rondon was International Relations Manager for Saeilo International and Assistant to the President of Saeilo Enterprises. She has also served as Participant Relations Coordinator for the American Leadership Conference, a think-tank and educational organization, which works together with prominent American governmental and private-sector leaders to examine issues of national and global import. A main contribution of the ALC has been to provide a comparative, international perspective for over 3500 state legislators. Ms. Rondon has also held the post of Assistant Regional Director for CARP in Washington, DC, a collegiate association providing programs on college campuses. Ms. Rondon served as a Peace Corps volunteer for two years in Paraguay. Ms. Rondon holds a B.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and has completed advanced studies in Religious Studies and in Human Resources Management. She is a co-editor of the book The NGO Revolution: Healing a Hurting World (Paragon House 2006).

Mr. Jean-Guy Bigeau is Executive Director of Katimavik, Canada’s leading national volunteer service program for youth. Founded in 1977, Katimavik’s mission is to foster the personal, professional and social development of Canadian youth through volunteer involvement in communities from coast to coast. For nine months, young people from the ages of 17 to 21 live in groups of 11 in three different communities throughout the country, working 35 hours a week on volunteer community projects. Today, nearly 1,200 youth take part each year in more than 100 communities across Canada. Previously, Mr. Bigeau served as Executive Director of Canadian Crossroads International (CCI), an international organization that recruits Canadian volunteers to serve and foster international cooperation in more than 30 developing countries. He also has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS), a national academic association that works primarily with university across Canada and the world developing exchange programs, publications, and research projects aimed at promoting Canadian studies at home and abroad. Previous to this, he was the Chief Executive Officer for Le Carrefour, a regional learning center in northern Ontario.

Mr. Taj Hamad is Secretary General of the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO), having assumed this position in 2001. Prior to becoming WANGO Secretary General, Mr. Hamad served as WANGO’s International Executive Director. Mr. Hamad has also served as Secretary of the Executive Committee of DPI-NGOs at the United Nations, Executive Director of the Interreligious Leadership Seminar, Executive Director for the Interdenominational Christians for Unity and Social Action, and was the Organizing Chair for the Summit of World Muslim Leaders conferences held in the Middle East. He also serves as Chair of the Middle East Alliance for World Peace, and is a member of the board of several other international organizations. In his work with NGOs and projects related to world peace, security, women, youth and sustainable development, Mr. Hamad has traveled extensively worldwide, especially throughout Africa and Middle East. For his efforts, Mr. Hamad has received many honors, including being awarded an honorary doctorate from the Technical Institute of Biblical Studies in 1990. Mr. Hamad, along with Dr. Frederick Swarts and Anne Smart, is editor of Culture of Responsibility and the Role of NGOs (Paragon House 2003). Mr. Hamad also is editor of the books Islam and the Future of World Peace (Paragon House 2001), and State of the Muslim World Today (Paragon House 2003).