beyond violence forum participants

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Beyond Violence:Women Leading for Peaceful Societies

Human Rights Defenders Forum

February 7-10, 2015

articipants

Naa Koteitsoo Afrasomanso I Queen Mother Ghana

Naa Koteitsoo Afrasomansoo is the national representative of the Queen

Mothers in Ghana. Queen mothers and female chiefs in Ghana play a centralrole in traditional governance in communities. They are the mothers of their

society and keep an eye on the social conditions of the community. The Queen

mothers wield social power and influence as they are regarded as the

custodians of the stool (throne). They have the authority to select the chiefs and

to remove them if required. The role of the Queen mothers is to ensure the

welfare of everyone in the community, particularly women and children, and is widely recognized and

respected.

Hurera Akilu-Atta SAVE Project Nigeria

Hurera Akilu-Atta has worked at the highest level advocating for women’shuman rights. In 2000 she headed the legal team with Baobab For Women’s

Rights where she worked on Sharia and human rights cases. As a Northern

Muslim woman Akilu-Atta is very active in the core issues that affect young

women of the community, such as a lack of inclusion, sexual discrimination, early

marriage, maternal mortality and high illiteracy rates. She is currently the

Coordinator for the SAVE Project under the Department of Behavioural Analysis,

which is attached to the Office of the National Security Adviser and is

responsible for coordinating Nigeria’s Soft Approach to Counter terrorism.

Ir fana Anwer Institute for Inclusive Security U.S.

Irfana Anwer is the Pakistan Team Leader at Inclusive Security, where she

manages efforts to increase the visibility of women’s leadership in promoting

peace and social cohesion in Pakistan. Anwer is dedicated to sustaining and

amplifying advocacy initiatives of Pakistani women, so they can take an active

and vital part in countering violent extremism in their country. Anwer has

worked for over 10 years on issues of violence and gender in Muslim

communities, including developing leadership programs for Muslim women and


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Beyond Violence: Women Leading for Peaceful Societies

The Carter Center Human Rights Defenders Forum, February 9-10, 2015 "

training service providers about the Islamic perspective on domestic violence.

Dr. Khadija Arfaoui Association of Tunisian Women for Research on Development

Tunisia

Dr. Khadija Arfaoui is a feminist activist and researcher. Dr. Arfaoui focused onpromoting environmental issues and women’s rights when she founded the

Association for Development and the Protection of the Environment. She later

became the Secretary General of the Association of Tunisian Women for

Research on Development. She is also a member of numerous international

organizations including Amnesty International, the Coalition Against the Death

Penalty, and the Tunisian Association of the United Nations.

Zarizana Abdul Aziz Due Diligence Project Malaysia

Zarizana Abdul Aziz is a human rights lawyer. She was involved in legal reform

initiatives on gender equality and anti-violence legislative reform initiativesacross Southeast Asia. Aziz also engaged in constitutional dialogues in the

Middle East, and has trained lawyers, civil society advocates, religious scholars

and government officials in several countries. She served as Chair of Women

Living Under Muslim Laws until 2013. Most recently, Aziz was shortlisted for the

UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women in Law and Practice. Aziz

is presently co-director of the Due Diligence Project, which developed the Due

Diligence Framework Guiding Principles on State Accountability for Eliminating Violence against

Women.

Fatima Kadhim Al-Bahadly Al-Firdaws Society Iraq

Fatima Kadhim Al-Bahadly is the Director of Al-Firdaws Society, a NGO founded in June 2003 and

based in the Basra province of Iraq, dedicated to the promotion of women’s rights and the

enhancement of women’s economic and political power in society. In this capacity, Fatima has

supervised a number of projects addressing issues of conflict resolution, women’s political

participation, and violence against women. Fatima has been active in local, regional and international

forums addressing these topics, and is a member of several civil society organizations engaged in this

work in Iraq.

Kawther Al-Kholy Noon Center for Women and Family Issues Egypt

Kawther Al-Kholy is the Director of the Noon Center for Women and FamilyIssues – MADA Foundation. She has a background in social and cultural

journalism, having worked as the Managing Editor of the Social Department at

the IslamOnline.net Arabic website for several years. Most recently, Al-Kholy

contributed her expertise to the development of the Alexandria Declaration on

Women’s Rights in 2012-2013.


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Ashley Binetti Georgetown Institute for Women Peace and Security U.S.

Ashley Binetti, J.D. is the inaugural Hillary Rodham Clinton Law Fellow at the

Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. In this role, she analyzes

United Nations resolutions, international treaties and national laws as they relate

to the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and liaises with UN country missionoffices. This October, Binetti facilitated an event at the Institute in collaboration

with the Mesoamerican Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders, Just

Associates, and Georgetown's Human Rights Institute on the gender-based

vulnerabilities of women human rights defenders in Mesoamerica and how U.S. policy could better

support this population.

Rev. Gideon Byamugisha Friends of Canon Gideon Foundation Uganda

Rev. Gideon Byamugisha is an Anglican Reverend Canon Priest in Uganda. In

1992, he became the first religious leader in Africa to publicly announce that he

was HIV positive. His work and leadership against stigma, shame, denial,discrimination, inaction and mis-action, as well as his ministry to uphold the

human dignity and rights of people living with and most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS

have brought him national and international awards. Rev. Gideon worked with

his associates, faith community leaders, and development partners to start the

Friends of Canon Gideon Foundation (FOCAGIFO), where he serves as Executive Director, and

initiated the African Network of Religious Leaders Living with and Personally Affected HIV and AIDS

(ANERELA+), which is International in 48 countries and has over 10,000 members. He also founded the

Hope Institute for Transformational Leadership & Development, and The Global Working Group on

Faith, SSDDIM & HIV.

President Jimmy Carter The Carter Center U.S.

Jimmy Carter served as President of the United States from 1977 to 1981.

Significant foreign policy accomplishments of his administration included the

Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords, the treaty of peace between

Egypt and Israel, the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, and the establishment

of U.S. diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. In 1982,

President Carter became University Distinguished Professor at Emory University in

Atlanta, Georgia, and founded The Carter Center. Actively guided by President

Carter, the nonpartisan and nonprofit Center addresses national and international issues of public

policy. Carter Center fellows, associates, and staff join with President Carter in efforts to resolveconflict, promote democracy, protect human rights, and prevent disease and other afflictions.

President Carter has received numerous awards, including a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He has

authored several books encompassing his life, presidency, and work. His latest book, entitled A Call to

Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power (2014), addresses the suffering inflicted upon women

by a false interpretation of carefully selected religious texts and a growing tolerance of violence and

warfare.


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Rosalynn Carter The Carter Center U.S.

Rosalynn Carter, former First Lady of the United States, has worked for more than

four decades to improve the quality of life for people around the world. Today,

she is a leading advocate for mental health, caregiving, early childhood

immunization, human rights, and conflict resolution through her work at TheCarter Center. A full partner with the President in all the Center's activities, the

former First Lady is a member of the Carter Center Board of Trustees and co-

founder. She created and chairs the Carter Center's Mental Health Task Force, an

advisory body of experts, consumers, and advocates promoting positive change in the mental health

field. Each year, she holds the Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, bringing together

leaders of the nation’s mental health organizations to address critical issues.

Rabia Chaudry Safe Nation Collaborative U.S.

Rabia Chaudry is the Founder and President of the Safe Nation Collaborative.

Chaudry is a civically engaged legal practitioner with significant experience inimmigration law, civil liberties, social justice, interfaith relations, nonprofit

management, and grassroots advocacy. She has over a decade of experience in

federal immigration and civil rights law. Chaudry is currently a Fellow in the

National Security Studies Program at the New America Foundation, a Fellow of

the Truman National Security Project, and a Fellow of the American Muslim Civic

Leadership Institute. She is a member of the National Counter Terror Center’s

CVE Leadership Forum. She also serves on the Board of the American Civil Liberties Union of

Maryland and is an advisor to the Center for American Progress’s Faith and Immigration Roundtable.

Yuni Chuzaifah National Commission on Violence Against Women Indonesia

Yuni Chuzaifah is the Chairwoman of the National Commission on Violence

Against Women. She is currently focused on addressing the challenges of

religious freedom in Indonesia, particularly with recent attacks on the Ahmadiyah

community and Christian churches. She is also engaged in extensive research on

the links between religion and the phenomenon of Indonesian female migrant

workers employed as domestic workers in Saudi Arabia.

Gaynel Curry UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Gaynel Curry is the Gender and Women’s Rights Advisor in the United Nations

(UN) Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in New York. She hasworked with the UN for 16 years in various other human rights advisory capacities

in Geneva (Switzerland), East Timor, Afghanistan, and South Sudan. Most

recently, she was deployed to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan to set

up the system’s first Women Protection Advisors and to lead the implementation

of the Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Arrangements in response to conflict

related sexual violence.


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Bineta Diop Femme Africa Solidarity Senegal

Bineta Diop is a Senegalese human rights activist and founder of Femme Africa

Solidarity (FAS), a women's empowerment organization. Diop initiated women-led

peace building in the most fragile regions of Africa, including countries like the

Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Sudan and the Central African Republic.Despite personal safety concerns, she feels her mission to promote gender

equality on the continent is worth the risk. Diop is also the Special Envoy for

Women, Peace and Security for the African Union.

Diane Dougherty Women and Religion for One Bil l ion Rising U.S.

Diane Dougherty is an ordained Roman Catholic Woman Priest. As a feminist,

liberation theologian and human rights activist, her ministry is centered in

serving the cause of justice for women through the light of the Gospel. Because

Women Priests proclaim a theology that strengthens the recognition of human

rights, she works to create communal frameworks focused on equality,remaining inside the structures of the present institution in spite of hierarchical

excommunication. In addition to her ministerial work, Dougherty is Coordinator

of Women and Religion for One Billion Rising Atlanta, a global advocacy group working to end

systemic violence against women and girls.

Dalia Abd El-Hameed Egyptian Init iat ive for Personal Rights Egypt

Dalia Abd El-Hameed is the Head of the Gender Program at the Egyptian Initiative

for Personal Rights (EIPR). She previously worked in the Right to Health Program,

where she engaged in activities related to national and international advocacy for

reproductive rights. El-Hameed is also the co-founder of Operation Anti-SexualHarassment (OpAntiSH), a grassroots movement that resists mob sexual assaults in

Cairo. Her current focus is on sexual and reproductive health and rights, along

with other issues related to gender mainstreaming and equality between sexes.

Senior Chiefs from the Palace of the Oba of Benin Nigeria

Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa, CFR, the Oba of Benin was

coronated in 1979 with the name Erediauwa – a symbolic appellation meaning

“one who has come to put the house in order”. He received the National Award

of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (C.F.R.) in 1983. He has

travelled across the country, campaigning for a worthy role for traditional rulers inthe country and for joint action by them. He has also been a persistent advocate

of cordial relations between their multifarious peoples, a preacher calling on all his people to develop

brotherly love and eschew all bitterness. He has also received numerous awards due to his

contributions to the development of the three tiers of government, traditionally, academically, and

economically.


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Amel Fahmy HarassMap and Tadween Egypt

Amel Fahmy is the co-founder of HarassMap and the Managing Director of

Tadween, a women’s research center. As a gender-based violence (GBV)

expert, she conducts research to understand the social factors that underline or

drive GBV in different communities. Fahmy is also member of several researchbodies and has several publications in the field. During her work at the World

Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA),

Fahmy worked with hundreds of women worldwide to examine and address

different GBV issues. Her professional aspirations are motivated by a desire to promote the status of

women, which is clearly reflected in her work which aims to transform the norms that perpetuate

gender inequalities.

Dr. Nazila Ghanea University of Oxford U.K.

Dr. Nazila Ghanea is University Lecturer in International Human Rights Law at

the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Kellogg College. She serves as amember of the OSCE Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief. She

was the founding Editor of the International Journal of Religion and Human

Rights, and now serves on its Editorial Board as well as the Advisory Board of

the Oxford Journal of Law and Religion. Her research spans freedom of religion

or belief, freedom of expression, women’s rights, minority rights and human

rights in the Middle East.

Dr. Amel Grami University of Manouba Tunisia

Dr. Amel Grami is a professor at the University of Manouba, Tunisia. She is a

women’s rights activist, and teaches social kind/gender classification, women'shistory and Islamic studies. She has made multiple contributions to

international seminars and round tables in the U.S., Europe and Arab countries.

She is a website writer and responsible for the translation program of

intellectual and civilization works in the Tunisia National Center for Translation.

She is also a columnist in the Tunisian newspaper Le Maghreb and the Egyptian

newspaper Eshouruk.

Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord Guibord Center – Religion Inside Out U.S.

Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord is the Founder and President of The Guibord Center –

Religion Inside Out. She created the center as a culmination of twenty years ofworking with leaders of many faith practices and traditions to explore and

uphold the experience and presence of the Holy that transforms the world. She

is the co-founder and co-convener of The Christian – Muslim Consultative Group

of Southern California, and has served as the co-chair of The National Muslim –

Christian Initiative Dialogue on behalf of The National Council of Churches in

Christ USA. She also represented The Episcopal Church USA for the NCCC’s

Christian-Jewish Dialogue.


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Dr. Mimi Haddad Christ ians for Biblical Equality U.S.

Dr. Mimi Haddad is President of Christians for Biblical Equality. She is part of the

leadership of Evangelicals for Justice. She is a founding member of the

Evangelicals and Gender Study Group at the Evangelical Theological Society.

She has written over one hundred articles and blogs and has contributed to tenbooks, most recently Godly Woman - An Agent of Transformation (2014). She is

an editor and a contributing author of Global Voices on Biblical Equality: Women

and Men Serving Together in the Church. She is an adjunct assistant professor at

Fuller Theological Seminary, an adjunct assistant professor at Bethel University, and an adjunct

professor at North Park Theological Seminary. Dr. Haddad also serves as a gender consultant for

World Vision.

Heather Hamilton Girls Not Brides U.S.

Heather Hamilton is Global Coordinator and Senior Adviser at the organization

Girls Not Brides. She focuses on facilitating international advocacy efforts at aglobal and regional level to achieve the policy, programmatic and funding

changes that will be crucial to bringing an end to child marriage. Hamilton

most recently worked with the UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office on

the Public Finance for Children initiative, which seeks to mobilize public

budgets on behalf of children’s needs. She spent 15 years in Washington, DC

as an advocate for human rights and security, most recently as Executive

Director of the Connect U.S. Fund, a multi-foundation grant-making initiative to increase collaboration

and effectiveness amongst foreign policy NGOs. She has significant experience in advocacy and

strategic communications, and has led numerous multi-organizational messaging initiatives on

advocacy goals.

Susan Hayward United States Institute of Peace U.S.

Susan Hayward serves as the Interim Director of the Religion and Peacebuilding

Program at the United States Institute of Peace. Her fieldwork has been based

primarily in Colombia, Iraq, Burma/Myanmar and Sri Lanka. From 2010-2012 she

coordinated an initiative exploring the intersection of women, religion, conflict

and peace building in partnership with the Berkley Center at Georgetown

University and the World Faiths Development Dialogue. Her research interests

include interfaith engagement in the midst of political violence, political

Buddhism, and the role of religion in hampering and propelling women’s work for peace and justice.Prior to joining the Institute, Hayward worked with the Academy of Educational Development’s office

in Colombo, Sri Lanka, as a fellow of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and with the

Conflict Resolution Program at the Carter Center in Atlanta.


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Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim Islamic Council for Development and Humanitarian Services

Ghana

Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim is the Chairman of the Islamic Council for Development

and Humanitarian Services. He is the Chairman of the Executive Council of

SONSETFund, a Ghanaian NGO committed to supporting education in deprivedcommunities. Sheikh Mustapha is also a key member of the Advisory Board of

His Eminence the National Chief Imam of Ghana.

D. Sharifa Khanam STEPS Women’s Development Organization India

D. Sharifa Khanam is the founder and President of STEPS Women’s Development

Organization. The organization’s mission is to combat injustice by assisting and

empowering abused women. She has devoted the past twenty-seven years to the

development of women and children in the District of Pudukkottai. Khanam has

addressed issues including dowry death, dowry harassment, violence againstwomen, and child rape. She is also committed to creating programs to address

the basic needs of Pudukkottai’s rural community.

Michael Kimmel Center for the Study of Men and Masculinit ies U.S.

Michael Kimmel is the Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Men and

Masculinities at Stony Brook University (NY), where he is Distinguished University

Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies. A best-selling author, his books

include, Angry White Men, Guyland, and Manhood In America. As an activist,

he has lectured all over the world to promote men's engagement for gender

equality, and has been called "the world's pre-eminent male feminist" by theGuardian Newspaper. He believes that we cannot empower women and girls

unless we also engage boys and men.

Bernice King The Martin Luther King Jr. Center U.S.

Bernice King is an American Minister best known as the youngest child of civil

rights leaders Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. King was 17 when

she was invited to speak at the United Nations. King was elected President of

the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 2009. She was the first woman

elected to the Presidency in the organization's history, amidst the SCLC holding

two separate conventions. King became upset with the actions of the SCLC,

amid feeling that the organization was ignoring her suggestions and declined

the Presidency in January 2010. King resigned as an elder at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in

May 2011. She had been with the church for nine years when she became CEO of the King Center.


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Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir Fahmina Foundation Indonesia

Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir is the founder and head of the Fahmina Foundation, an

Indonesian NGO working on gender democracy in Muslim communities. He is an

advocate for progressive Islam in Indonesia, especially concerning gender justice

and democracy. Kodir works on this issue with Nisa ul Haqq fi Bangsa Moro in thePhilippines and Sister in Islam (SIS) in Malaysia. He has joined the Musawa Global

Network, working for justice in Muslim family law. Kodir’s work concerns the topic

of conversational hermeneutics and how they create the opportunity to revisit

religious texts for contemporary readers who are struggling for universal justice

regardless of gender, race, and religion. Kodir is also the author of Hadith and Gender Justice:

Understanding the Prophetic Traditions (2007) and co-author of Dawrah Fiqh on Women: A Manual for

Training on Gender and Islam (2006).

Angela Ceron Laspril la Colombian Women for Peace Init iat ive Colombia

Angela Ceron Lasprilla is the Director of the Colombian Women for PeaceInitiative, an organization awarded in 2014 by the Congress for their work

benefiting victims of the armed conflict in Colombia. In the past few

years, she composed several public reports concerning justice and peace, sexual

violence, gender, and local health. Since 2008, Lasprilla has represented the

women’s sector of the Council of District Planning. As a spokeswoman for the

2013 National Women’s Summit for Peace, she created proposals for the

verification and implementation of agreements working to end the Colombian Conflict.

Bolanle Makanju Scarlet2Snow Nigeria

Bolanle Makanju is a grassroots activist who founded Scarlet2Snow, a faith-basedNGO whose primary objective is to reach and rescue victims of human trafficking in

Nigeria. Her organization runs a safe house for victims wishing to escape

prostitution, and provides ministry and resources to rebuild their lives. Most of the

women and girls served by Scarlet2Snow come from rural areas and have been

trafficked to the busy city of Lagos. As a survivor of domestic abuse, Makanju also

advocates for faith leaders to speak out against gender-based violence in their

houses of worship, despite condemnation from male faith leaders.

Katherine Marshall Berkley Center for Religion Peace and World Affairs U.S.

Katherine Marshall has worked for over forty years on international development,focusing on the world’s poorest countries. A senior fellow at Georgetown’s Berkley

Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, and Visiting Professor in the School of

Foreign Service, she is the Executive Director of the World Faiths Development

Dialogue (WFDD). An NGO born in the World Bank, WFDD’s mission is to bridge

the gulfs that separate the worlds of development and religion. As a professor and

researcher, Marshall is active in policy research on wide-ranging issues involving

international development and religion, and gender issues are prominent among them. Specific

explorations include trafficking of women, female genital cutting, and religious roles in family life. She


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spent a large part of her career at the World Bank, in many leadership assignments focused on Africa,

Latin America, and East Asia. From 2000 – 2006, she was counselor to the Bank’s President on ethics,

values, and faith in development and helped to define and launch the Bank’s approach to these

issues.

Dr. Penda Mbow Cheikh Anta Diop University Senegal

Dr. Penda Mbow is an Associate Professor of History at Cheikh Anta Diop

University in Dakar, where she has published widely on African political and social

issues, often focusing on the role of Islam in Africa. She previously served as

Senegal's Minister of Culture and as cultural advisor to the Senegalese Department

of Ethnography and Historical Heritage. Dr. Mbow has received numerous

academic awards, and recently received the Jean Paul II Peace Prize from Boston

University to honor her considerable work to advance peace building and conflict

resolution. In recognition of her achievements as a scholar, thinker, and political activist, she was

named Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur Francaise (Knight of the French Legion of Honor) in 2003

and Commandeur de l'Ordre National du Mérite in 1999. Among her many areas of expertise are

African intellectual history and Islamic gender studies.

Ruth Messinger American Jewish World Service U.S.

Ruth W. Messinger is President of the American Jewish World Service (AJWS),

the world’s leading Jewish organization working to end poverty and realize

human rights in the developing world. She came to AJWS in 1998, after a 20-

year career in public service in New York City. As an activist for human rights

around the globe, Messinger currently sits on the State Department’s Religion

and Foreign Policy Working Group and co-chairs the Sub-Working Group on

Social Justice. Many national Jewish organizations have honored her, and The

Jewish Daily Forward, The Jerusalem Post and Huffington Post have named her

on lists of the world’s most influential Jews and religious leaders.

Martine Miller Network for Religious and Tradit ional Peacemakers U.S.

Martine Miller is a mediator and conflict transformation specialist with over 18

years of experience with communities, government and UN agencies, regional

bodies, and a range of international NGO’s coupled with academic institutions.

Her work has directly involved her in conflict and post-war reconstruction and

development in over 75 countries. Miller has extensive experience conducting

and advising on conflict assessments, facilitating dialogues, and designing,

implementing and monitoring peace mediations. She works to consistently

engage and build the capacity of civil society to ensure all processes include these vital stakeholders

and evolve from specific local to national and regional contexts. Miller is currently a senior level

consultant for the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers and Finn Church Aid. She also

assists as a senior lecturer and advisor at the Peace and Conflict Studies Center at Chulalongkorn

University in Bangkok, Thailand.


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Pat Mitchell Paley Center for Media U.S.

Pat Mitchell’s diverse background in media includes work as a journalist,

producer, and executive. Mitchell was the first woman to launch, produce and

host her own nationally syndicated Emmy winning talk program “Woman to

Woman”. As President of CNN Productions she produced award-winningdocumentaries, which have been recognized with 44 Emmy awards, five

Peabody’s, and two Academy Award nominations. Mitchell became the first

woman President and CEO of PBS, and is currently the President and CEO of the

Paley Center for Media whose mission is to optimize the power of media to inform, inspire, entertain

and empower. She continues to be active in breaking new ground for women across the media

landscape, including a current series of initiatives and programs called Women@Paley that includes

producing an annual TEDWomen conference in partnership with the TED organization. She serves on

many non-profit boards and on the corporate board of AOL.

Dr. Alaa Murabit Voice of Libyan Women Libya

Dr. Alaa Murabit, M.D. was born in Canada, but moved to Libya at the age of 15.

At 21, in the midst of the Libyan Revolution, Dr. Murabit was listed by the Gaddafi

regime as one of the "most wanted" women due to her activities. She founded

The Voice of Libyan Women (VLW), a prominent women's rights organization

based in Libya. VLW has ongoing projects throughout the Middle East and North

Africa region. VLW advocates for an inclusive peace processes and conflict

mediation by shifting the paradigm around the role of women in society. At both

the grassroots and policy level, VLW pushes for the use of religious discourse to positively reinforce

women's rights, roles and participation. A medical physician, Dr. Murabit is the first Ashoka Fellow in

Libya. She is a member of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 Advisory Board, and was recentlynamed an Advisor to UN Women.

Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini International Civil Society Network Iran

Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini is co-founder of the International Civil Society Action

Network (ICAN). In 2011, she was the first Senior Expert on Gender and Inclusion

on the UN’s Mediation Standby Team. For nearly two decades she has been a

leading international advocate, researcher, trainer and writer on conflict

prevention and peace building. In 2000, she was among the civil society drafters

of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. Between

2002 and 2005, as Director of the Women Waging Peace Policy Commission,Anderlini led ground breaking field research on women’s contributions to conflict

prevention, security and peacemaking in 12 countries. Since 2005, Anderlini has provided strategic

guidance and training to key UN agencies, the UK government and NGOs worldwide. In 2013, she

was appointed to the Working Group on Gender and Inclusion of the Sustainable Development

Network for the post-2015 agenda.


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Jessica Neuwirth Equality Now U.S.

Jessica Neuwirth is one of the founders and Honorary President of Equality Now.

From 1985 to 1990, she worked for Amnesty International and subsequently for

Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, specializing in sovereign debt

restructuring. She has also worked in the U.N. Office of Legal Affairs and asDirector of the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. She

served as a special consultant on sexual violence to the International Criminal

Tribunal for Rwanda for the Akayesu and Musema judgments, and worked again

for the ICTR on the Media judgment. As a guest lecturer in 2005, she taught international women’s

rights at Harvard Law School. As Special Advisor on Sexual Violence to the UN High Commissioner for

Human Rights in 2010, she organized the UN high-level panel on reparations for victims of sexual

violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sayyada Rokhaya Ibrahim Niasse Tijani Sufi Order Senegal

Sayyada Rokhaya Ibrahim Niasse is a prominent woman Islamic scholar fromSenegal. She is the author of Huquq Al Marati Al Islam (Rights of Women in

Islam), which was published locally in Senegal and is in negotiation to be

translated and republished. Niasse has been advocating for women’s rights and

greater inclusion for leadership positions within their community for fifty years.

Her commitment to this issue came from her personal experience as one of the

great women of a great religious family. She is the sister of the Khalipha of the

Tijani Sufi Order, Sheikh Alhaji Ahmed Tijani Niasse.

Rev. Timothy Murere Njoya Men for the Equality of Men and Women Kenya

Rev. Timothy Murere Njoya is a retired Minister of the Presbyterian Church of EastAfrica and a leading advocate for justice and human rights in Kenya. Rev. Njoya is

the recipient of several awards including the John Humphrey Freedom Award of

the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development (2000).

Rev. Njoya is currently the Executive Director of Men for the Equality of Men and

Women (MEW), a groundbreaking initiative that seeks to create equitable gender

relations through public education and social action. Prior to his retirement, Rev.

Njoya served in Kenya as a theological Teacher, Parish Minister and Lay Trainer. He is also working as

a member of the National Civil Society Congress (NCSC) to safeguard the constitutionally guaranteed

freedoms and human rights from Kenya’s Parliament and conservative Executive.

Wai Wai Nu Women’s Peace Network Myanmar

Wai Wai Nu is a former political prisoner. At the age of 18 she was arrested and

sentenced to 17 years in prison with her family for supporting and promoting the

idea of a democratic Myanmar. In 2012, after seven years in prison, she was

released under a presidential amnesty for political prisoners. Since being freed

she has dedicated herself to promoting human rights and democracy in Myanmar.

Nu formed the Women’s Peace Network, Arakhan, as a platform to build peace


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and mutual understanding between Myanmar’s different ethnicities, and to advocate for the rights of

marginalized women in Arakhan. Through the Women’s Peace Network she has campaigned in

Myanmar and around the world for women’s rights, an end to impunity, and an end to the persecution

and marginalization of her people, the Rohingya. Nu has conducted women’s empowerment

trainings, offered legal education seminars, and organized human rights and peace building activities.

She recently founded Justice for Women, which operates as a network of female lawyers providing

legal aid for the women of Myanmar.

Manal Omar United States Institute of Peace U.S.

Manal Omar is the acting Vice-President for the Middle East and Africa Center.

Previously, she was Regional Program Manager for the Middle East for Oxfam -

Great Britain, where she responded to humanitarian crises in Palestine and

Lebanon. Omar has extensive experience in the Middle East. She worked with

Women for Women International as Regional Coordinator for Afghanistan, Iraq

and Sudan. She also served as an international advisor for the Libya

Stabilization Team in Benghazi in 2011. Omar lived in Baghdad from 2003 to

2005 and set up operations in Iraq. Omar is on the advisory board of Peaceful Families Project, an

organization with international reach that recognizes domestic violence is a form of oppression that

affects people of all faiths.

Alhaji Khuzaima Mohammed Osman Islamic Peace and Security Council Ghana

Alhaji Khuzaima Mohammed Osman is Executive Secretary of the Islamic Peace

and Security Council (IPASEC), charged with implementation of the National

Chief Imam’s Peace and Security Project. The organization is working to sustain

and maintain peace and security through collaboration with law enforcement

and work within the Muslim community in Ghana. Osman is also personal

assistant to the National Chief Imam of Ghana.

Ayisha Osori Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund Nigeria

Ayisha Osori is a lawyer and consultant with over thirteen years of experience in

corporate & regulatory practice, change communications, and gender advocacy.

She is the current CEO of the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund, a non-profit

organization focused on increasing the quality and quantity of women in

government. Osori kept a weekly column for five years, in Thisday and

Leadership where she covered social issues, security, good governance, politics

etc. Under Kachifo she has published a series of children’s textbooks on social

studies and a children’s reference book on Nigeria. Osori is a regular media commentator on radio

and television, and has been involved in numerous campaigns to improve social justice for women

and girls and to improve governance in Nigeria.


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Ambassador Mary Ann Peters The Carter Center U.S.

Ambassador Mary Ann Peters is currently Chief Executive Officer at The Carter

Center. As CEO, she provides vision and leadership for The Carter Center and

oversees all program implementation and operations. Ambassador Peters was

provost of the U.S. Naval War College from 2008 to 2014. Previously, she wasDean of Academics at the College of International and Security Studies at the

George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-

Partenkirchen, Germany. Prior to becoming Dean of the College, she served as

Associate Director for international liaison at the Marshall Center. Ambassador Peters spent more

than 30 years as a career diplomat with the U.S. Department of State. From 2000 to 2003, she was

U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh, leading the mission's efforts in support of the war on terrorism and

other key U.S. foreign policy goals.

María Consuelo Mejía Piñeros Catholics for the Right to Decide Mexico

María Consuelo Mejía Piñeros is an anthropologist with an M.A. in PoliticalScience and a Ph.D. in Latin American Studies from the National Autonomous

University of Mexico (UNAM). She is the Executive Director of Catholics for the

Right to Decide (CDD), a Mexican NGO working for the defense of women´s

rights from a Feminist Catholic perspective. She has also founded and

participated in different capacities on several women´s rights networks at the

local, national, and international level.

Dr. Sita Ranchod-Nilsson Emory University U.S.

Dr. Sita Ranchod-Nilsson is director of Emory’s Institute for Developing

Nations. IDN works with Peace and Health programs at The Carter Center andacademic programs at Emory University to find new ways for higher education to

help solve the world’s most complex development problems. As director of IDN,

she has led efforts to promote partnerships among academics, development

practitioners, and policymakers that support sustainable change and improved

learning in areas such as gender-based violence and rule of law in post-conflict

contexts, peacebuilding in Sudan and South Sudan, and the eradication of

neglected tropical diseases.

Clemencia Carabalí Rodallega Municipal Association of Women Colombia

Clemencia Carabalí Rodallega is an Afro-Colombian leader who has advocated forthe territorial and human rights of the Afro-Colombian population since 1997. She

is a member of the Municipal Association of Women, an organization composed of

12 groups of women from 12 villages in the municipality of Buenos Aires, located

in North Cauca. In recent years, Rodallega has led the process of collective

redress in the black community, focused on the rights to free pre-consultation,

informed consent, ethnic protection, and path lands. She is also dedicated to

promoting the implementation and enforcement of the Honorable Colombian Constitutional Court.


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religious authorities in 1992. His 2004 book, Nous n'avons jamais lu le Coran, explores the language

and symbols present in the Qur'an.

Mubin Shaikh Specialized Consultant Canada

Mubin Shaikh was radicalized and deeply involved in extremism until the 9/11attacks forced him to revisit his extremist interpretations. He then spent 2 years

studying Islam in Syria where he learned the error of his views. He returned to

Canada in 2004 and became an undercover counterterrorism operative for

Canadian security intelligence. His operations include undercover work in Al

Qaeda-inspired domestic terror groups, and his work resulted in the prosecution

and conviction of several aspiring terrorists. Shaikh is an expert in national security and

counterterrorism, as well as CVE programming, disengagement and de-radicalization. He consults

with multiple U.S. agencies including the Pentagon and Special Operations Command-Central

Command (SOCCENT), the National Counter Terrorism Center, U.S. Department of State as well as

NATO, Interpol and other agencies.

H.E. Sheikh Dr. Osman Nuhu Sharubutu National Chief Imam and Grand Mufti Ghana

The National Chief Imam of the Republic of Ghana, His Eminence Sheikh Dr.

Osman Nuhu Sharubutu was selected by consensus as the Deputy National Imam

of the Republic of Ghana in 1974. However, he declined the offer because of his

dedication as a professional Islamic teacher and educator. Further persuasion and

persistence by the Islamic teachers helped Sheikh Osman realize that the position

was a divine call for him to serve Islam and the Muslim communities. In 1993, he

was appointed as the National Chief Imam of the Republic of Ghana. Sheikh

Osman has founded seven educational academies in the Greater Accra region

and pioneered the establishment of institutions in Ghana’s 10 regions. Sheikh Osman was integral in

the establishment of institutions and organizations that empower Muslim youth and address their

humanitarian needs. He has personally sponsored hundreds of needy Muslim children from

disadvantaged and vulnerable Muslim communities. Sheikh Osman has engaged in the promotion of

Muslim education and encouraged the integration of Islamic knowledge and practice with secular

education. He is the representative of Ghana’s Muslim community in national affairs and is a member

of the National Peace Council. Sheikh Osman continues to support development programs that

sensitize people to their social responsibilities and build bridges between Islam and other religions.

Marwa Sharafeldin Musawah Egypt

Marwa Sharafeldin is a women’s rights activist based in Cairo. Her research

covers Islamic law, international human rights law, civil society and women’s

rights. She is a campaigner for the reform of personal status laws in Egypt and a

board member of the Musawah International Movement for Equality and Justice

in the Muslim Family. Sharafeldin is also co-founder of the Network for Women’s

Rights Organisations and of the Young Arab Feminist Network, as well as NGOs

such as Fat’het Kheir and Nahdet el-Mahrousa in Egypt. Since the start of the

Egyptian revolution she has been involved in several women’s groups and activities to advocate for


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better women’s rights in the transitional process and the ensuing constitutional-drafting processes.

Sharafeldin’s work, which focuses on women's issues, is published in some of the widely circulated

Egyptian newspapers such as Al-Masry Al-Youm and Al-Shorouk.

Dr. Dianne Stewart Emory University U.S.

Dr. Dianne Stewart is an Associate Professor of African American Studies and

Religion at Emory University. Her teaching and research focuses on African and

African diaspora religious cultures. She is the author of Three Eyes for the

Journey: African Dimensions of the Jamaican Religious Experience and a number

of articles and essays covering a wide array of topics in African and African

Atlantic/diaspora religious studies. She has extensive international experience in

Africa and the Caribbean, including seventeen months as a Fulbright Scholar

conducting archival and ethnographic research in Democratic Republic of Congo, and thirteen years of

repeated travel to Trinidad to pursue research on the Yoruba-based Orisa religion.

Dior Fall Sow Human Rights Lawyer Senegal

Dior Fall Sow was the first woman Prosecutor in Senegal, and founding member

of the Association of Senegalese Lawyers (AJS). She has worked in this

association for the defense of human rights in general and particularly for the

rights of the women and for the child. She work for seven years at the

International Tribunal for Rwanda, where she has been involved in the cases of

rape and sexual violences, in times of armed conflicts. She is currently president

of the regional (Western and Central Africa) group of the civil society

organization ONU FEMMES. She is member of the Francophone Network for equality Women- Men.

She also is member of the national RESPESCO working on women’s role in peace and security. She is

training to various associations an structures on human rights, women’s leadership, violences against

women and girls, resolutions 1325 and the following.

Afeefa Syeed Cultural Anthropologist U.S.

Afeefa Syeed is an independent consultant who most recently served as Senior

Advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). While there,

she worked to develop policy, define best practices, and build internal capacity

and tools to frame strategies that reflect greater expertise in engaging in dynamic

cultural contexts. She designs and implements initiatives and programs to

address engaging traditional and religious leaders and institutions, human rights,radicalization, socio-political identity, mainstreaming gender, social

entrepreneurship, and other emerging issues in international development. Syeed’s work also included

advising the White House, NSC, the Department of State, and the Department of Homeland Security

on the same issues. For the past 25 years Syeed has worked with various NGOs and development

agencies in areas of youth and women participation and leadership, civic education and engagement,

good governance, education and curriculum reform, and advocacy. Syeed founded a model

independent school whose core curriculum is peace education and civic engagement.


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Chief Abdul Kadir Tahir National Council of Muslim Chiefs Ghana

Chief Abdul Kadir Tahir is the President of the National Council of Muslim Chiefs, the collective body

of over 900 Muslim Chiefs nationwide. Chief Abdul Kadir Tahir is Paramount Chief of the Dagomba

Community in the Greater Accra region. He is a key member of the National Chief Imam's advisory

board, and also serves as an executive member of the Ghana Muslim Community, a signatory to theNational Mosque Committee, Islamic Cleric, successful businessman, permanent chairman of the

National Mauleed organised by the National Chief Imam of Ghana, and chairman of the Dagomba

Youth for Development and Peace Association in Accra.

Rev. Dr. Susan Thist lethwaite Chicago Theological Seminary U.S.

Rev. Dr. Susan Thistlethwaite is a Professor of Theology at Chicago Theological

Seminary and served as its President between 1998 and 2008. She is also a

Senior Fellow at American Progress. An ordained Minister of the United Church

of Christ since 1974, she is an author and editor of numerous books, and has

worked on two different translations of the bible. Thistlethwaite is currentlyworking in a new area she calls “Public Theology”, and a new book on human

nature and public policy. She writes a weekly column for the Washington Post

“On Faith” section and is a frequent media commentator on religion and public

events. Thistlethwaite currently serves on the Advisory Board of Trustees at American Progress, and

also on the boards of Faith in Public Life, the Interfaith Youth Core, and the Medill Center for Religion

in the News Media.

Christy Vines Institute for Global Engagement U.S.

Christy Vines is the Executive Director of the Center for Women, Faith &

Leadership and former Senior Vice-President for Global Initiatives and Strategyat the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE) in Washington, DC. She serves as

an advisor and thought leader on the issues of religion, gender and security,

and is regularly featured at high-level roundtables and panels on the subject

matter. Prior to joining IGE, Vines held several roles with the RAND

Corporation, including as interim Program Manger and Director of Strategic

Partnerships for the RAND African First Ladies Initiative. In this capacity, she was responsible for the

development of multi-sector partnership strategies for First Lady priority policy issues and projects.

Dr. Andrea White Emory University U.S.

Dr. Andrea White is an Assistant Professor of Theology and Culture and

Associated Faculty in the Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies.

She specializes in constructive Christian theology, womanist theology and

postmodern religious thought with research interests especially in the doctrine of

God, theology of otherness, womanist perspectives on theological anthropology,

and the relationship between philosophy and theology. Her latest book, Black

Women's Bodies and God Politics: A Womanist Theology of Personhood

addresses theological anthropology and narrative identity in womanist thought.


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Dr. White has received several research grants and fellowships, including the Lilly Theological

Research Faculty Fellowship from the Association of Theological Schools. She is an ordained

American Baptist minister.

Carol Yost Asia Foundation U.S.

Carol Yost has been with The Asia Foundation since 1986. In 1993 she

designed and launched a dedicated program to increase women's participation

in public decision-making and political processes to address their priority issues.

As Director of the Women's Empowerment Program, she oversees all of the

Foundation's programs to advance women across the Asia-Pacific region in

conjunction with the Foundation's country field offices and local partner

organizations. Yost travels to Asia regularly to collaborate with the Foundation's

expert staff to develop programs that further women's political participation, legal rights, education,

and economic opportunity and to support efforts that combat violence against women and the

trafficking of women and children. Yost works closely with women leaders and women's organizations

throughout Asia to build networks and create sustainable resources for women. For over a decade,

Yost has been directly involved with all of the Foundation's programs to expand opportunities for

Asian girls and women.

beyond violence forum participants

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