Mr. Gentile mediates disputes within the federal Ministry of Justice and works at National Academia of the Moral and Political Sciences. Mr. Gentile has served in many public capacities, including judge at the Federal Appeals Court of Cordoba, Deputy of the Nation, Secretary of the Commission of General Legislation, and member of the Foreign Affairs and Worship Commission. He acted as vice-president of the block of Christian Democrats. During his time in public office he submitted 527 bills, resolutions, and declarations. He also observed elections in Germany, El Salvador, Chile, and the United States. Within academia, Professor Gentile is Chair of Constitutional Law at the Catholic University of Cordoba. He directs research on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the common good under the thought of Jacques Maritain. In 2002 he founded the Argentine Council for Religious Freedom. Mr. Gentile is the author of thirty books; fifty case studies, presentations, videos, and other publications; and hundreds of newspaper articles. Within the private sector, Mr. Gentile is a Supreme Court litigator and founder of the law firm Estudio Gentile Saravia.
Dr. Kohn received her B.A. from Concordia University in Montreal and her M.A. and Ph.D. from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. She taught Religious Studies at Sydney University from 1987 to 1993, and in universities in England and Canada. She was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of New South Wales in 2005 for her “outstanding contribution to fostering religious understanding” in the Australian community. Dr. Kohn intiated and has produced and presented for 14 years the The Spirit of Things, on ABC Radio National. She also produced and presented for 6 years The Ark, a weekly history of religion program. She has been awarded two World Gold Medals for her radio documentaries, and has made TV documentaries on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Buddhism East and West, and Animals and Spirituality for ABC TV’s Compass program. Dr. Kohn has contributed to many books on the subject of religion and has also written Curious Obsessions In The History of Science and Spirituality (ABC Books, 2007) and The New Believers: Reimagining God (HarperCollins 2003). She is a frequent speaker at schools, community and professional organizations on the subjects or religion and spirituality as they intersect with other sectors of culture and society.
Michel Alokpo was one of the primary actors of the Movement of Change that carried Dr. Boni Yayi into power in Benin in 2006. He was formerly Clerk of the Court of First Instance of Parakou and of Cotonou. At present he is Consultative Secretary General of the republic’s Framework of Religious Organizations. He is also Director of the NGO “Youth with a Mission,” in which he and his wife, Monique, have conducted numerous trainings. After receiving his certificate of qualification in law, Mr. Alokpo obtained other diplomas in communication, management, and leadership. He has written the pamphlet La Réfondation, Mythe ou Réalité? (Refoundation, Myth or Reality), and with his wife he is author of three books, La Bible et le Christianisme céleste (The Bible and Heavenly Christianity), Lèves-toi et va! (Get Up and Go!), and Va et raconte-leur (Go and Tell Them). He has campaigned for unionism and several other associations of civil society. For several years he has been the National Coordinator of Operation Christmas Child of the NGO “Samaritan’s Purse.” In 2001 he was elevated to the grade of Chevalier of the National Order by General Mathiew Kerekou.
Ms. Alagic is the Head of Department for Associations, Foundations and other Forms of Organizing and Professional Development within the Sector for Administration at the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is also a collaborator on a two-year UNDP project, “Reinforcement of Local Democracy.” As a trained attorney who has passed the professional-administrative exam, she has implemented various state-level projects. Prior to joining the Ministry of Justice, Ms. Alagic was the Head of the Sector for Legal Affairs and Human Resources at Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina for nine years as well as an independent expert associate at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Canton Sarajevo. In addition to her lengthy public sector career, her private sector experience includes serving as an independent expert associate at Sarajevo Osiguranja Company. Ms. Alagic studied law at the Faculty of Law, University of Sarajevo.
Ms. Fazila Musić (maiden name Sarajlić), born on May 20, 1955 in Živinice, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Graduated Faculty of Law, University of Sarajevo in 1978, then passed the Bar exam. Worked as independent expert associate for normative-legal affairs and assistant director in different companies, Attorney of the Municipality, Chief Administrative Inspector in Federal Ministry of Justice and Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Justice at the State Level.
Mr. Azevedo, a criminal lawyer, is a professor of the Department of Penal Rights at the Law School of São Paulo University and the Center for Studies and Functional Improvement of the Graduate School of the Public Ministry. As part of the Brazilian Bar Association, São Paulo Section, he serves as Vice-President of the Commission on Rights and Privileges, a member on the Commission of Human Rights, and a member on the Commission of Religious Liberty. Mr. Azevedo also served as President and Vice-Presidente of the Criminal Science and Criminology Institute of Manoel Pedro Pimentel and of the Christian Institute of Lawyers of Brazil. He has presented at over sixty conferences, debates, and congresses and has participated on over forty panels convened for the defense of theses, dissertations, and final qualification examinations related to criminal law, criminal procedure, and public institutions. Through appointments to three national commissions, Mr. Azevedo has prepared findings on alternative sentences, prison reform, proposed legislation on tax crimes, and the prevention of drug trafficking.
Ms. Dias Moura, an attorney, is the Chairman of Law and Religious Freedom at the Brazilian Bar Association in São Paulo State. Her public service career includes leadership positions such as Vice-President of the Association of Religious Freedom and Citizenship (ABLIRC), which organization is affiliated with the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA), and President of the Advisory Board of the Institute of Mahatma Gandhi. Ms. Dias Moura is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Permanent Inter-Religious Forum for a Culture of Peace and Religious Tolerance at the Department of Justice, Government of São Paulo. She has presented lectures on religious freedom and domestic violence and is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Magno Alexandrea Ferreira Moura is Planning Director of the State Attorney General’s Office and a member of the Federal Association of Judges and Prosectuors in Brazil. He is Professor of Constitutional Law and author of various articles on Human Rights. He holds a post-graduate degree in Criminal Sciences. He serves as Director of Public Affairs for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil.
Mr. Gomes de Lima, also known as Samuel Light, is the Co-Founder and President of the Brazilian Association of Religious Freedom and Citizenship (“ABLIRC”), an institution that defends the fundamental rights of religion, conscience, and thought of all people in all possible legal forms. Since its inception, ABLIRC has held a Pan-Latin forum, a national forum, 25 regional forums, and 55 symposia. He is also a legal academic at Diadema/UNIESP Educational Group as well as the Executive Director of Light, the publisher of the book Human Rights and Religious Freedom. As a passionate activist, Mr. Gomes de Lima co-founded the Inter-Religious Forum of the Secretariat of Justice and the Protection of Citizenship of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and led the movement for approval of Bill no. 590/01. He also coordinated both the Religious Freedom Festival, that attracted over 30,000 people June 2006, and the Brazilian Forum of Religious Freedom and Citizenship, that attracted over 500 leaders from very diverse religious groups in June 2006.
Moroni Costa is a Partner at David Teixeira de Azevedo Advogados in São Paulo. He graduated from University of São Paulo Law School in 2003 and later completed an LLM at the Law School. He practices criminal law in all fields, specializing in white-collar crimes. Before beginning the practice of Criminal Law, he had internship experience at Gusmão e Labrunie, an intellectual property firm, and at Demarest and Almeida, a full service firm, one of the best in the Brazil.
Mr. Larraín is a lawyer graduated with honors from Catholic University of Chile and a Master of Law degree (LL.M.), London School of Economics and Political Science. His professional activities began at Catholic University, as Professor of Law, Vice Rector and professor representative to the University’s Superior Council. He was a member of the Presidential Committee on Higher Education and was Executive Director of the Andes Foundation. He is the author of essays a nd books on education, law, and politics and has contributed editorials and columns for the journal El Mercurio. He joined politics in June 1991 as a member of the Independent Democratic Union Party (UDI). Since 1994 Mr. Larraín has been elected as a senator of the Maule Region, re-elected for a second term in 2002 and a third in 2010. Mr. Larraín has been nominated by his peers as “best senator” (2002, 2005, 2007), President of his party (2006-2008), and President of the Senate (2004-2005). Today he is Chairman of the Ethics and Transparency Committee and is a member of three other Committees: Constitution, Law and Justice, and Foreign Affairs and Human Rights.
Yunfeng Lu is a widely published author, primarily on topic of religion in society, in both Chinese and English. He has published more than a dozen articles in each language, and his book, The Transformation of Yiguan Dao in Taiwan: Adapting to a Changing Religious Economy, was published in the United States in 2008. Mr. Lu received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Sociology from Nanjing University and a PhD in Sociology from City University of Hong Kong. In 2004 he received the Student Paper Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. He was a post-doctoral research fellow at Baylor University in 2005-2006, and since 2007 has been teaching in the Sociology Department at Peking University where in 2010 he was selected as One of the Most Popular Professors. He is an Invited Editor of two Chinese journals and is a Reviewer for eight English-language journals. He has received two grants from the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China to study relationships of Church and State and has also received grants from the Beijing Social Science Foundation, the Templeton Foundation, and Baylor Institute for Studies in Religion.
Mr. Schultz Navarro has a doctorate in law and social sciences, with other degrees in public administration, public law, procedural law, management, and political science. He has also pursued Biblical studies and served as an Evangelist Pastor since 2003. As an attorney, his vast experience extends to working as in-house counsel to three companies, defending and promoting human rights, and pursuing social development and humanitarian aid initiatives. In addition, he manages Schultz Lawyers & Company Ltda. He has served both the Atlantic College of Lawyers and the Colombian Confederation of Christian NGOs as president. His public service includes time as House Representative and Senator of Congress, city councillor, and Chairman of the Council of Barranquilla. He also worked as legal adviser to several churches and religious confederations, including the Evangelist Council of Colombia, the Columbian Baptist Denomination, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He has been honored by, among other organizations, the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA).
Mr. Vicente Lines is a transactional attorney praticing with Arias & Muñoz in Costa Rica, with a specialization in working with regional, US, and European investors in diverse industries, with a particular focus on telecommunications infrastructure throughout Central America. He has worked as a foreign legal specialist in Washington, DC, and served as a Research Assisant at the Brookings Institute. He has counseled banks and financial institutions in constituting debt facilities in favor of Costa Rican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran debtors. Mr. Lines obtained his Juris Doctor equivalent degree from the Law School, Universidad of Costa Rica in 1997, and he holds an LL.M. in Common Law Studies from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a Fulbright Scholar in 1999. He is authorized as a practicing attorney in the State of New York and is a practicing Attorney and Notary Public in Costa Rica. He was named “One of the 40 under 40 attorneys in Central America Latin Lawyer Magazine in 2003.” Mr. Lines is a member of the Federal Communications Bar Association. He was (1997-1998) President of the Board of Directors of the Costa Rican Association of International Law.
Mr. Bisonó Haza has been a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress of the Dominican Republic since 2002, representing the National District. Active in the Christian Social Reform Party (PRSC) since the age of 17, he has been a key player in several national elections on behalf of the party, has served as the vice president of the party’s directorate, and is a member of its Permanent Presidential Committee. He is the caucus leader of the PRSC within the Chamber, thus holding a position of national prominence. He was unanimously elected by fellow members of Congress to the National Council for the Judiciary. In addition, he is a member of the following congressional committees: Finance; Human Rights; Public Works; Energy and Mines; and Dominicans Abroad. He has led several bills through Congress. In addition to his political activities, he is president of the Center for Analysis of Public Policy, where he promotes public debate of ideas.
Mr. Borges Rodríguez is a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress of the Dominican Republic from the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), representing the National District. He is a graduate of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo and is an accountant by training. In the private sector he has held important positions in several companies. He began to be politically active from a young age in the PRD and has held leadership positions within the party. He has served in several important government offices during the last three decades. He is vice president of the Permanent Commission on Maritime Affairs and is a member of congressional committees for Tourism, the Interior, Law Enforcement, and Dominicans Abroad. He and his wife Carmen Luisa Pujols have five children.
A lawyer by profession, Mr. Cedeño Arché is a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress of the Dominican Republic from the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD). He has led many legislative initiatives in Congress, including in the areas of law impacting education, governmental publicity and propaganda, international peace, and the internal administration of the Chamber. He proposed the Chamber rule installing the practice of prayer and devotion at the commencement of ordinary sessions. He is a member of the Permanent Commission for Human Rights, and has also served on the following congressional committees: Internal Administration, Tourism, Education, and Ethics. He is married to Dariza Poueriet Estrella, and together they have four children.
Mr. Franjul Pimentel has been, since 2006, a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress of the Dominican Republic from the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), representing the province of Peravia. He hails from a distinguished Dominican family from the town of Baní; family members have held important national and local elective and appointed office for several decades. An accountant by training, he has held key positions in the private sector in several commercial enterprises. In his service as a member of Congress, he has proposed several bills and currently serves on the following permanent and special committees, among others: Industry and Commerce, Monetary and Financial Law, and the Bi-national Commission between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. He is married to the architect Arlete Esther Rivera Pérez, and together they have four children.
Mr. Vargas is a Senator of the Republic and most recently served as Minister of Telecommunications of the Dominican Republic. He holds a PhD in law as well as a journalism and master of arts degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo-UASD. An award-winning historical writer and journalist, he has been director and editor of major television and radio media and has served as producer and host of highly rated programs on major television channels. Mr. Vargas has participated in courses, workshops, and seminars in Germany, Japan, United States, Mexico, Cuba, Chile, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Venezuela. UNICEF Communication Consultant UN-communications director for the National Census 1993, the senator has been a mentor, conductor and founder of major service organizations in the country. His book Trujillo: The End of Tyranny earned him the 1985 National Journalism Award from the National Library. Another of his publications includes everything that was written in the world to date on the life of the famous son of Dona and Salomé Ureña de Henríquez Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal. It is titled "Humanistic Integrity Pedro Henríquez Ureña," a priceless collection of documents and testimonies of Dominican and foreign authors. He has published other important essays on Dominican social reality, the Don Américo Lugo procera, and the armed revolt in 1965.
Mario Rene Rivera Chicaiza holds a bachelor’s degree (best graduate) from the School of Sociology and Political Science, Universidad Central del Ecuador, and master’s degree in Cultural Studies from the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar. He has lectured and published widely and has worked for many organizations as a Facilitator, Trainer, and Teacher in the areas of political economy, economic geography, literature and language, social science, history, sociology, and philosophy. In such capacities he has served Campus Crusade for Christ in Ecuador, Unidad Educativa Particular distance "New Horizons" and the foundation Maria Luisa Gomez de la Torre, the research team led by Dr. Stalin Herrera for Latin American Social Sciences Council (CLACSO) in research on the Ecuadorian indigenous movement, Popular Education Unit Private remote "Our Land" training for rural leaders at the Fundación María Luisa Gómez de la Torre, the School "William James," the Comprehensive Education Center Assemblies of God, and more. Most recently he has served the Ecuadoran Ministry of Justice Undersecretary for Human Rights and Religion as coordinator and analyst in the areas of responsible planning and coordination of the Undersecretariat, the development and project coordination of an Indicator System of Justice and Human Rights, the organic structure and administrative implementation of the Directorate of Religious Affairs, elaboration of the proposed Policy in the area of Worship, and the functions of Director of Worship and of Cults.
Grégor Puppinck is Director General of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) since 2009. As an expert at the Council of Europe, he serves, inter alia, on the Committee of Experts on the Reform of the European Court of Human Rights. From 2003 to 2008, he has taught human rights, European law, and constitutional law at the Law School of the University of Haute-Alsace, France. Grégor Puppinck holds his Ph.D. with a dissertation in legal theory. He graduated from Paris II Law School and from the “Institut des Hautes Etudes Internationales.”
Ms. Aguilar is a licensed public accountant. She has worked as head of the auditing department of the Honduras Ministry of Health. She has served as Vice-Minister of Religion since 2010.
Mr. Benitez obtained a master’s degree in Ministerial Activities from the Latin University of Theology. He is a pastor with the Abundant Life Christian Church. Mr. Benitez serves as the commissioner of religion for the President of Honduras.
Mr. Portillo is the minister of faith and politics for the Abundant Life Christian Church. He has undergraduate degrees in finance. He has worked in private industry as the manager of several different business enterprises. In addition, he has served in auditor general of the Ministry of Health. In 2010, the President of Honduras appointed Mr. Portillo to serve as the Minister of Religion.
Professor Syamsul is a lecturer and professor on the sociology of religion at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM). He has as conducted research on the topic of religious fundamentalism, multiculturalism, and freedom of religion and belief. In 2008 he was appointed Deputy Director of the Graduate Program as well as Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Multiculturalism (PUSAM), both at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang. Among the initiatives at PUSAM is a course on Sharia Law and Human Rights to be taught at the master’s level starting in March 2012. A variety of groups are collaborating on this new course, including the Norway, the Oslo Coalition, and the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR). The University of Oslo and the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS) co-sponsor the course, while the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS), based in Kuala Lumpur, will provide scholarly support.
Dr. H. Marsudi Syuhud Sahudi is General Secretary of Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia and one of the largest independent Islamic organizations in the world, with according to some estimations, as many as 30 million members. The ulama are the scholar-legists of Islam, trained in the religious sciences such as the Qur'an, exegesis and interpretation of the relgious law, shari'a. NU acts as a charitable body, funding schools and hospitals, and organizing communities into more coherent groups in order to help combat poverty. It owns schools and universities and is involved in economic and agricultural studies. Dr. Sahudi holds a PhD in Islamic Economics and finance from Trisakti University in Jakarta.
Said Aqil Siroj is General Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia and one of the largest independent Islamic organizations in the world. NU is a traditionalist Sunni organization that has, according to some estimations, as many as 30 million members. NU acts as a charitable body, funding schools and hospitals, and organizing communities into more coherent groups in order to help combat poverty. It owns thousands of schools and dozens of universities and is involved in economic and agricultural studies. Dr. Siroj holds a PhD in Islamic Philosophy from Ummal-Qura University in Saudi Arabia. He teaches post graduate courses at several universities. He was a member of the Indonesian Legislative Assembly from 1999-2004.
As the Secretary General of the Cabinet at the Prime Ministry of Jordan since 2007, Mr. Al-Adwan attends Cabinet sessions and finalizes decisions taken during the sessions concerning national issues. His administrative career began at the Royal Scientific Society as a public relation officer. His political career began in 1994 when he joined the Prime Ministry, serving as an officer and then head of the Economic Department, Secretary of the Social Economic Committee, and Deputy Secretary General and then Secretary General of the Cabinet. He holds a B.A. in public relations from AlYarmouk University and a higher diploma from Amman Arab University in Jordan.
Mr. Raad Al-Kilani joined Kilani Law Firm in 1998. He became a partner in the firm in 2000. His practice is focused in corporate, commercial, and banking laws and mediation. He received a B.A. in Law from the University of Jordan in 1998, and did a training course in AML (Anti-Money Laundry from the legal aspect) with the Flawless Company, London UK in 2009. He is a member of Jordanian Bar Association. Mr. Kilani speaks Arabic and English.
Mr. Al Nasser, a district court judge from Jordan, has handled every type of trial including complex civil and commercial litigation, criminal cases, and labor and insurance cases. At the law firm of Kirton & McConkie, he worked as an international legal consultant; at the Institute of Jordan he served as an ADR Trainer, applying his extensive judicial mediation experience covering many types of civil and commercial disputes. The Jordanian Judicial Council appointed Mr. Al Nasser to the Jordanian Ministry of Justice as the Director of the ADR & Case Management Department for two years, where he also worked as a legal consultant and clerked on the Court of Appeal for Tax Cases. Mr. Al Nasser is a member of the Jordanian ADR Steering Committee for the Court-Connected Mediation Program 2007-2009, a member of the Jordanian Judicial Committee reviewing Jordanian civil procedure 2008-2009, and President of the BYU Law Society, Amman Chapter. His higher education includes an LL.M in Comparative law from the Brigham Young University and an LL.M. from the University of Jordan/Amman.
Dr. Murtezaj is an international professor, leadership philosopher and a medical doctor. Dr.Murtezaj teaching specialties include: International Negotiation and Diplomacy, Applied Conflict Management Theory; Organizational Behaviour, Leadership and Management. For more than ten years Dr. Murtezaj has worked as senior expert in different capacities for many international projects. As a high quality expert, he has provided guidelines and consultancy support services to highest government officials in Kosovo and to various international agencies in the areas of leadership development and management, institutional development and cultural transformation, policy development and strategic planning, good governance, human rights and health. Dr. Murtezaj is from Kosovo, and actually lives in France.
The Reverend Dr. Thomas Philips is Senior Priest and Chairman of the Trustee Board of the Mar Thoma Syrian (Christian) Church in Malaysia. He speaks Malay, English, Tamil, and Malayalam. He was ordained a priest in 1980 and has served on the Council of Churches in Malaysia, as both Deputy President and President. He has been Secretary and Vice Chairman of the Christian Federation of Malaysia and President of the Malaysian Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism & Taoism. Actively involved in inter-religious dialogue, he was appointed by the Prime Minister of Malaysia to the National Committee for Promoting Religious Understanding.
Early in his life, Zaki attended school in Sultan Abdul Hamid College in Alor Setar, Malaysia; he furthered his studies at Anderson School in Ipoh and finally in English College in Johor Bahru. He became a Barrister-at-law through Lincoln's Inn in London, served at the Attorney General's Chambers from 1969 to 1970, and later served the subordinate courts from 1970 to 1973. In 1973, he returned to the Attorney General's Chambers serving as a Federal Counsel, and in 1976 he became a senior Federal Counsel under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Zaki was called to the Malayan Bar in 1983 and practiced as a lawyer at Shahrizat Rashid & Lee beginning in 1985. He also served as a legal adviser to United Malays National Organization (UMNO), where he was the party's Disciplinary Committee Chairman and had served the party in other areas as well. On September 5, 2007, Zaki was appointed as Federal Court judge. Later that year he became the President of the Court of Appeal. Justice Zaki finally became Chief Justice on October 21, 2008, having served little more than a year in Malaysia's superior court system. His appointment as Federal Court judge as well as subsequent promotions has sparked concern by various segment of the public due to his close ties with UMNO. This concern became more apparent as he has only served the judiciary for less than five years in total.
Lic. Abraham Madero Marquez graduated with a degree in law from the Universidad Panamericana, Campus Guadalajara, and has continued studies in Constituitional law at the Universidad de Salamanca, Spain. He is currently enrolled in a Masters of Constitutional Law and Human Rights degree program at the Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City Campus. During 2006 through 2009, he served as Legislative Assessor to the State Congresses of Jalisco and Aguascalientes. Since 2008 he has been a permanent member of the Parlimentary Research Network of the 61st Legislature of the Camera of Deputies in Mexico, in which he published “The Constitutional Legislative Agenda.” In June of 2009 he entered governmental service in the position of Subdirector of the General Direction of Religious Associations within the Department of the Secretary of the Intertior. Currently, he serves as the Director of Religious Ministers General Direction of Religious Associations.
Dr. Saldaña Serrano studied law in Mexico, obtained a doctorate in Spain, and pursued postdoctoral research in Spain and Italy with a focus on human rights and the integration of Roman legal thought within European and Latin American legal systems. He has taught in Chile, Spain, Argentina, and Mexico. At the Federal Judiciary Institute of Mexico he teaches judicial ethics, specializing in the circuit and district courts. Dr. Saldaña Serrano also serves as editor of the two-volume national report “Judicial Ethics in Mexico” and investigator at the legal research institute of the Nacional Autonomous University of Mexico. He has authored and coordinated several books, including Current Issues in Human Rights, Human Rights and Human Nature, State Power and Religious Freedom, Ten Years of Entry Into Force of the Law on Religious Associations and Public Worship in Mexico, and The Rules of the Law of Religious Associations and Public Worship. The Supreme Court of Mexico has published, as part of its Judicial Ethics series, two of his works: The Principles of Judicial Objectivity and Commentary on the Model Code of Judicial Ethics for Enforcers of Justice of the United Mexican States.
Dr. Nico Horn, professor,pastor, journalist, and human rights activist, is former Dean of the Law Faculty at the University of Nambia (2008-2010). Dr. Horn is well-published in the field of Human Rights and has been at the forefront of the battle against the remnants of apartheid in Namibia, working to create a sustainable system that facilitates communication and research within the judiciary. After receiving his law degree in 1975, Dr. Horn prosecuted for two years before becoming a pastor in churches in Fort Beaufort, Uitenhage, and Krugersdorp and then joining the Faculty of Theology of the University of the Western Cape as senior lecturer in Old and New Testaments. He also holds a BTh Honours from Unisa, a master of arts cum Laude from the University of Port Elizabeth, and a master of laws degree from the University of South Africa. He will soon complete a PhD in Law. When Namibia became independent, Dr. Horn moved with his family from South Africa to Windhoek. In 1995 he returned to the legal profession as a prosecutor in the High Court. In 2002 he joined the Law Faculty of UNAM as director of the Human Rights and Documentation Centre, where he would serve as dean and also as acting director of the Justice Training Centre. He has been a visiting scholar at Stanford University, and in the William Paton Fellow at the University of Birmingham, UK. Presently, he teaches Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence, Human Rights Law, Criminal Procedure, and Law of Evidence at the University of Namibia and is a research fellow of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Stellenbosch.In September 2007 he was one of the twelve prominent theologians from around the globe to be invited by the European Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Conference to speak on the future of Pentecostal/charismatic theology. Dr. Horn is also the Editor of the online journal Namibian Human Rights.
Mr. de Bres is the Race Relations Commissioner on the New Zealand Human Rights Commission. Since his appointment in 2002, he has actively promoted religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue as a human rights priority. The Human Rights Commission has facilitated the development of the New Zealand Statement on Religious Diversity, a document endorsed by a wide range of religious groups. The Commission developed the New Zealand religious diversity network, organized annual religious diversity forums, and published, in association with the Religious Studies Programme at Victoria University of Wellington, guidelines on religion in schools and religious diversity in the workplace. The Commission has also recently published a five-year annual review of human rights in New Zealand, including the right to religion and belief. Furthermore, the Commission publishes an annual Race Relations Report with a review of developments in religious diversity. Mr. de Bres has also participated in a number of Asia-Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogues in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Cambodia.
Justice Randerson graduated from Auckland University with LLB Honors in 1972. He joined the legal firm of Wallace McLean Bawden & Partners (later Kensington Swan) and remained with the firm as a senior litigation partner until 1989, when he commenced practice as a Barrister sole, and was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 1996. He was appointed a Judge of the High Court of New Zealand from 1 October 1997. He was appointed as Chief High Court Judge on 15 December 2004 and as a member of the Court of Appeals of New Zealand in January 2010.
Dora Maria Meza Cornavaca is an industrial engineer with a Masters Degree in Higher Education and Enterprise Computing. Since 2005, she is president of the University of Managua (UdeM) in Nicaragua, a private higher-education, nonprofit organization that she founded with her husband, Mario Valle Dávilla, and her family, with the aim of contributing to national development through training and attention to Guatemalan youth with limited economic means. With more than 10,000 students, 75% of them on scholarship, UdeM in just twelve years became the largest private university in Nicaragua.
Professor Is-haq Olarenwaju Oloyede assumed office as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin in 2007, the first Ilorin alumus to occupy this position. He is a Board Member of the International Association of Universities (IAU), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and was the first Nigerian to be President of the Association of African Universities (AAU). He received the B.A. Arabic with First Class Honours in from the University of Ilorin in 1981. In July 1982, he was appointed as Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Religions. He had his Doctorate degree in Islamic Studies, also from the University of Ilorin in 1991. Professor Oloyede won several scholarships and prizes during his days as a student, notably the Arab League prize for the best Certificate student in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Ibadan, the Federal Government undergraduate merit award, the Department of Religions Award, and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Award, University of Ilorin. Professor Oloyede has authored several books and articles in reputable local and international journals. He is a member of many professional and learned societies and is a Fellow, Academy of Religions; and Member, Editorial Board of the Centre for Islamic Legal Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. At the Universtiy of Ilorin, he was the Director, Academic Planning Unit, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration). Professor Oloyede was appointed as Co-Secretary of the National Political Reform Conference by President Olusegun Obasanjo and was appointed a Consultant on Education Reforms in Nigeria by the National Universities Commission. Currently, he is the Executive Secretary of the National Inter -Religious Council (NIREC).
Tore Lindholm is associate professor (philosophy) at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR), Faculty of Law, University of Oslo, and Chair of the Facilitating Freedom of Religion or Belief Project Group of the Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief. He is a member of the Human Rights Committee of Church of Norway and of the Academic Advisory Board of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies. His research interests focus on (1) the grounds for embracing universal human rights and in particular the right to freedom of religion or non-religious conviction, and (2) on the two-way traffic between human rights and religions (in particular with respect to Islam and Muslims). He co-initiated and sat on the steering committee of the Norwegian Research Council Ethics Program and co-edited a book on An-Naíimís Islamic reform thinking, Islamic Law Reform and Human Rights: Challenges and Rejoinders. Among the most recent of his more than 125 publications, is the chapter "Overlapping Justification," in the Cole Durham/Brett Scharffs casebook Law and Religion. National, International, and Comparative Perspectives. In May 2011 on the occasion of Professor Lindholm’s 70th birthday at an event, "Multiculturalism and Human Rights – a Symposium in Honor of Tore Lindholm," was held in Oslo, sponsored by the Human Rights and Diversity Working Group of the NCHR.
Mr. Arata Solís is a partner at Estudio de la Flor, García Montúfar, Arata & Asociados. His law practice concerns Constitutional law, contract law, civil rights, real estate, administrative law, and municipal law. He has consulted those preparing pre-feasibility studies for national competition, as commissioned by the Special Project of Land and Rural Registry, and co-elaborated on the statute creating the National Integrated System of Registry. He has also provided legal advice to the Peruvian Association of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on real estate, contracts, and registration since 1990. Within the academic field, Mr. Arata has participated in national forums analyzing civil rights and property rights. His book is titled “La Copropiedad en el Derecho Peruano” (Joint-Ownership Under Peruvian Law). The subjects of his many articles concern real estate, registration of property, and revisions to Peru’s Civil Code. The Brigham Young University Law Review published his 2004 article, “Advances in Religious Liberty in Peru.” He has taught law at three law schools.
Ms. Imbong is a practicing lawyer in family rights and media law, at the forefront of family rights advocacy in the Philippines. As well as being a university faculty member, she is a Church volunteer, heading the legal office of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, where she coordinates a network of prolife organizations nationwide that monitor family rights legislation in both houses of Congress. She is consultant to the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life and the Office on Women of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference. An Allied Attorney of the Alliance Defense Fund, she organized the St. Thomas More Society in the Philippines, an organization of Christian lawyers in defense of family rights, religious freedom, and traditional values. Among public interest suits the organization initiated are a taxpayer’s suit against the Secretary of Education to stop school-based sex education and a criminal complaint against the Cultural Center of the Philippines before the Office of the Ombudsman for the crime of Offense Against Religion. She is married to a lawyer, Manuel. They have eight children.
Professor Roque teaches Public International Law, International Humanitarian Law, and Constitutional Law at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law. He is also Professor 2 at the Philippine Judicial Academy. He was the director of the UP Law Center Institute of International Legal Studies. Professor Roque was admitted to the Philippine Bar in May 1991 and was admitted to practice before the UN War Crimes Tribunal for Rwanda in 2004. He was the first Asian admitted to practice before the International Criminal Court (2005). He is a member of the Executive Council of the International Criminal Bar, The Hague, and the Governing Council, Asian Society of International Law, Singapore. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Asia-Pacific Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law, jointly published by the Institute of International Legal Studies and the International committee on the Red Cross. He is also on the Editorial Board of the Asian Journal of International Law and the Asian Journal of Comparative Law. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science (University of Michigan, with honors) and a Master of Laws (London School of Economics, with merit).
Mr. Júdice is an attorney with practice emphases in arbitration / mediation, banks and financial institutions, defense and military equipment, foreign investment, international law, litigation, and public finance. He is an arbitrator of the Commercial Arbitration Centre of the Lisbon Commercial Association (Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry) and of the Oporto Commercial Association (Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Oporto). He has been both President and General Council of the Portuguese Bar Association (2001 - 2004) and well as Council of the International Bar Association, 2005 . He has been Vice-President of the Lisbon Commercial Association since 2007 and ITA (Institute for Transnational Arbitration) Portuguese Country Reporter since 2008. He received his law degree from University of Coimbra Law School in 1972. He was Assistant Professor of Political Sciences and Constitutional Law, University of Coimbra Law School (1972 -1979) and Assistant Professor of International Public Law and Political Sciences, University of Lisbon Law School (1979 -1981). Since 2004 he has been Visiting Professor, Lisbon Nova University.
Roman Lunkin, PhD, is Director of the Institute of Religion and Law, Senior Fellow, Institute of Europe RAS, Fellow of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society Institute of Europe, and a member of the Russian team at the Keston Institute (Oxford, England), a member of the Slavic Centre for Law and Justice, and a contributor to the Encyclopedia of Modern Life in Russia. In 1998 Mr. Lunkin graduated from the History Department of Moscow State University. From 1995 to 1998 he was a freelance writer of the social and political weekly Russian Idea. In 1998-1999 he was an employee of the Christian church and public broadcaster on Radio Sofia, as presenter of the Historical Calendar. From 1998 to 2000 he was a correspondent for the Keston News Service and the journal Frontier. In 2001-2002, he was editor and executive secretary of social and political weekly for the federal districts, Our Region-Wide Newspaper. In 2002-2003 he was editor-reporter for information service television "third channel" (JSC TRVK Muscovy), and a correspondent for the program Main Theme. Since 2004 he has been author, journalist, and commentator for the information and analytical website on religion, culture, and politics Portal-Sredo.ru. Since 2005 he has been Deputy Chief Editor of Modern Europe and since 2006 Executive Editor of Religion and Law. He has published several dozen scientific papers on the sociology of religion and socio-political issues in both Russian and foreign languages, and more than hundred articles on religious and social subjects.
Mariatu Bangura assumed the position of Director in the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs of Sierra Leone in 2011 with the responsibility of providing guidance and social cohesion among groups, families and the community at large. She is also a member of the advisory group on religious matters within the Ministry of Social Welfare. She received her bachelor’s degree in History and Sociology from Fourahbay College, University of Sierra Leone in 1988 and a Master degree in Gender Development from the same University in 2004. She had a stint in journalism as a female columnist in one of Sierra Leone local magazines. She worked in International Bank for Trade and industry between 1990 and 1993. She joined the civil service in 1996 as a Social development Officer. During which period she worked with women, children regarded as the most vulnerable in the society. She has also served as board member of various organizations including Christian Brothers Project, the Daily Preparatory school, Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood and United Methodist Women’s Organization. Mariatu Bangura has a passion for children wellbeing a position that propelled her to the head on the Children’s Affairs Directorate. She has attended many international conferences relating to Social Welfare, Women and Children’s Affairs. Mariatu Bangura is married with three children.
Vic van Vuuren started his working career at the South African Department of Justice as a public prosecutor and magistrate. Later he was appointed legal advisor in the commercial legal department of Transnet, a government parastatal company. He later moved into labour law at at Transnet and eventually headed up the company human resources portfolio, attaining the position of General Manager. From Transnet he took up the position of Chief Executive: Human Resources at Sanlam, a financial services company, where he represented private sector interests in national labour market consultations and was involved in the drafting of the new labour market legislation, including the Employment Equity Act. While at Sanlam, he was seconded for 2003 and 2004 to the position of Chief Operations Officer at the newly created Business Unity South Africa, which he helped establish. In 2005 he joined BUSA full time and was the representative for business at Nedlac (National Economic, Development and Labour Council). From 1995 until 2009 Mr. vav Vuuren was actively involved on behalf of organised business at the International Labour Organisation in Geneva. During this time he was appointed to the Governing Body of the ILO, serving two three-year terms. This appointment included leading international employers of the Committee of Freedom of Association. In February 2009 he was appointed Director of the International Labour Organisation, Southern Africa, based in Pretoria. He also serves on the Council for Higher Education and represented organized business on JIPSA (Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition). He is the Vice Chairman of a Professional Football Club, Santos, and a Director of the Spanish Dance Club, La Rosa.
Justice Zakeria Mohammed Yacoob has been a member of the South Africa Constitutional Court since 1998. As a practicing advocate for twenty-five years, Justice Yacoob was concerned with using the law in the struggle against apartheid and for democracy. As a member of the underground of the African National Congress and other community organizations, he helped organize and mobilize communities. He was a member of the Independent Electoral Commission and of the Independent Panel of Experts that advised the National Assembly on the drafting of the South African Constitution. Blind since the age of sixteen months, young Zak Jacoob attended Durban's Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind in his home town of Durban, South Africa, and later studied for a BA at the University College, Durban, majoring in English and private law. He obtained a law degree from the University of Durban-Westville, and he has received the degree LLD honoris causa from the University of Fort Hare, South Africa and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Justice Yacoob has attended dozens of international conferences and workshops on topics as varied as blindness, children, and democracy. In January 2008 he attended the African Regional meeting on the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Cairo. In February 2010 Judge Yacoob participated in the conference “Accountability Under Democratic Constitutions,” held at Wiston House in Sussex, where he was a speaker during the session on “Form and Content of Written Constitutions.” Justice Yacoob has a particular interest in the enforcement of socio-economic rights by courts and has written several judgments on the topic. He was for six years a member of the council of the University of Durban-Westville and served as chancellor of the university from May 2001 until 31 December 2003. He is married to Anu, and they have two children.
As a specialist in Interfaith Mediation, Mr. Ferrer Sanchez presents seminars at universities and negotiates between management and employees. Mr. Ferrer Sanchez has four degrees in social work, peace and conflict studies, and law and several certificates in management topics. In addition to working as a human resources manager, he is the Head of the Cabinet of Development and Social Action of the Municipal Patronage of Sports of the City Council of Granada (PMD). At present, Mr. Ferrer Sanchez also teaches U.S. students visiting Granada a course entitled, “Culture of Peace: Spain and the European Union and Political-Social Vision.” As a member of an UNESCO program in Andalucia, he gave presentations on ecology, religion, and interfaith dialogue. Mr. Ferrer Sanchez also collaborates with NGOs to carry out humanitarian projects among Saharawi refugees who have fled Western Sahara.
Mr. İlhan Yildiz is Head of the Philosphy Department at Karatekin University and Coordinator of the Bosnia Project, Prime Ministry, Government of Turkey. He holds BS and MA degrees in Divinity and Social Sciences and a PhD in Religious Education. He publishes and speaks widely on such topics as religion and family in changing Turkish society, family and child education, immigration, minorities and multiculturalism, women in the Middle East, socio-psychological aspects of folk beliefs, religious education, and Islam and women’s rights. Prior to his current appointments he was Associate Dean of the Department of Divinity, University of Yuzuncu, and teacher / scholar at both the University of Utah and Brigham Young University. His funded research activities have included Principal Investigator for Folk Beliefs in terms of Religious Education, Research Fund of University of Yuzuncu; for Connection of Modernity-Religion and Family in Salt Lake City (Utah-USA) and Van (Turkey); for “Mormonism,” including its doctrine, family organizations, family practices, polygamy, and hierarchy at Brigham Young University; and for “Religious, Sociological and Psychological Assessment of Honor Killings in Turkey.” He is a member of the World Family Policy Center, the Committee on the Elimination of Discriminaton against Women, and the Turkish Republic Prime Ministry General Directorate on the Status of Women, and he is Editorial Advisor for the Religious Education Journal, Istanbul.
Mr. Drukenko is Director for Central and Eastern Europe of Williams WorldWide Group. His work experience includes four years at the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine as a deputy director of the European and Comparative Law Center and two years at the Ukrainian Parliament as the head of staff of the Committee on European Integration. He obtained a Diploma in Theology from Christian Theological College (1993), Bachelor of Law from the International Science and Technology University (1999), and Master of Law from Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University (2000). After receiving an LL.M. in European Law from the University of Aberdeen (2008), he served as a Fulbright-Kennan Institute Research Scholar at the Kennan Institute in Washington, DC (2009-10) and as a Research Fellow at the at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Germany (2010). He has published a number of articles on religious freedom in Ukrainian, English, Russian, and Spanish.
David G. Campbell is a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on March 13, 2003 on the recommendation of Arizona Senators Jon Kyl and John McCain. He was confirmed by the Senate and received commission in July 2003. Judge Campbell was born in Salt Lake City and graduated from the University of Utah with his Bachelor's degree in 1976 and his Juris Doctor degree in 1979. He was a law clerk for Federal Appeals Judge Clifford Wallace of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1979 to 1980, and also clerked for then Associate Justice of the United States, William Rehnquist, in the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 1982. Judge Campbell was a private practice attorney in Arizona from 1982 to 2003. He served as an Adjunct Professor for Arizona State University Law School from 1985 to 1986 and again in 1988 and as a Visiting Professor at Brigham Young University in 1990.
As vice president for freedom and free enterprise at the John Templeton Foundation, Mr. De Lorenzo conceives and oversees large-scale initiatives on issues relating to the nature of freedom, the ethical foundations of free enterprise, the relationship between markets and character formation, entrepreneurial innovation, and enterprise-based solutions to global poverty. Before joining Templeton in September 2009, he was a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he remains as a visiting scholar. His research at AEI focuses on humanitarianism, foreign aid and the politics of developing countries, entrepreneurship and business-climate reform in developing countries, and China’s impact in the developing world. He has written about four countries—Rwanda, Georgia, Vietnam, and El Salvador—that are making it easier to do business and the lessons they offer for development policy. Mr. De Lorenzo also helps to oversee the Millennium Challenge Corporation as the official “plus one” representative of former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on its board of directors, and he contributes to the Brenthurst Foundation’s research and presidential advisory work in Africa. Prior to joining AEI, Mr. De Lorenzo worked or conducted research in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Liberia, Uganda, and elsewhere. He received his B.A. and M.A. in linguistics and cognitive science from the University of Delaware and his M.Sc. in development studies and social anthropology from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.
Judge Griffith was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals in June 2005. Previous to his appoinment, Judge Griffith was Senate Legal Counsel of the United States, the chief legal officer of the United States Senate; General Counsel to the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce, a congressional commission created to study the interplay between tax policy and electronic commerce; and a member of the United States Secretary of Education’s Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, which was charged with examining the role of Title IX in intercollegiate athletics. After graduation from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1985, Judge Griffith was engaged in private practice for four years in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he was an associate at Robinson, Bradshaw and Hinson, and for seven years in Washington, DC, where he was first an associate and then a partner at Wiley, Rein and Fielding. In private practice, his primary areas of emphasis were commercial and corporate litigation. From 2000 until his appointment to the United States Court of Appeals, Judge Griffith was Assistant to the President and General Counsel of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Judge Griffith is a member of the Executive Committee of the American Bar Association's Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative.
Mr. Grim, Ph.D. is Director of Cross-National Data and Senior Researcher in religion and world affairs at the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life in Washington, D.C. Dr. Grim is also the co-principle investigator for the International Religious Demography Project at Boston University’s Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs, where he co-edits the World Religion Database (Brill online). Dr. Grim is also co-author of The Price of Freedom Denied: Religious Persecution and Conflict in the 21st Century (Cambridge, 2011), based on an award-winning article in American Sociological Review. All major news outlets, including the BBC, CNN, Fox, the Associated Press, and Reuters have covered his findings on international religious demography and religious freedom. From 1982-2002, he lived and worked as an educator, researcher, and development coordinator in China, the former USSR, Central Asia, Europe, Malta, and the Middle East. He frequently presents to high level governmental and nongovernmental groups in the U.S. and abroad.
Judge Wallace is native of San Diego, a Navy veteran, and a 1955 graduate of the University of California Boalt Hall School of Law. He has devoted more than fifty years to the law, as partner in a San Diego law firm, as a United States District Judge for the Southern District of California, and as member, and from 1991-1996 Chief Judge, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Since assuming Senior Judge status in 1996, Judge Wallace has spent much of his time traveling every continent of the world to promote the rule of law in developing countries. A prolific writer, lecturer, and teacher, he has taught courses in judicial administration in the United States and throughout the world and has consulted with more than fifty judiciaries worldwide. He developed the concept of the Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific and originated the idea and developed the concept for the American Inns of Court. Throughout his long and distinguished career of professional, church, and community service, Judge Wallace has received a great many honors, recognitions, and awards, including the 2005 Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award, generally regarded as "the most prestigious honor conferred on a member of the federal judiciary," and the 2009 Distinguished Service Award for Religious Freedom from the International Center for Law and Religion Studies.
Dr. Chediak has been a member of the Supreme Court of Uruguay since 2009 . He trained at the University of the Republic (UDELAR) and received his Ph.D. in Law and Social Sciences on January 28, 1977. He joined the Judiciary in July 1978 as a magistrate in the town of Juan Lacaze, Colonia Department . After acting as justice of the peace in Durazno and Montevideo, he advanced to the position of Judge Counsel, a position he held in the departments of Salto, Maldonado, and beginning in 1984 in Montevideo, where he acted as judge in family and civil court. In April 1993 he was promoted to Minister of the Court of Appeals, being appointed first as part of a Family Court of Appeals, and then moving to the Court of Civil Appeals 2nd Shift. He remained there for 16 years, becoming the senior-most Minister of the Courts of Appeals. On 9 September 2009 he was appointed Minister of the Supreme Court by the General Assembly. Dr. Chediak has also taught at the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences at the University of the Republic (1977 and 1978, 1995 and 1996), in the Faculty of Law, Universidad de la Empressa (since 2005), and at the Center for Judicial Studies of Uruguay (since 1994). He has been an active participant in the Magistrates' Association of Uruguay (AMU) as a member of its board, as a delegate and member of the Tax Commission. He has represented the Supreme Court in numerous international events in which he participated as a guest and expert on matters of interest.
Nguyen Ngoc works in the External Relations Office (ERO) of the Vietnamese government. The ERO, also known as the International Relations Department, is responsible to oversee relations with outside organizations and entities.
Ms. Nguyen Thuy Hang is the Head of Officer Training for the Committee of Religious Affairs (CRA) of Vietnam, in which capacity she is responsible for all religious programs related to central and local authorities. Her office is responsible for developing the training guidelines of CRA in its management of religious organizations.
Dr. Ludwig Sanday Sondashi is a Senior Partner of the Law Firm, Sondashi and Company Advocates. He is President of the Forum for Democratic Alternatives Party (Opposition Party), Zambia, and is the Inventor and Founder of the SF2000, Sondashi Formula for the Treatment of HIV and AIDS. He specializes in good-governance, constitutional and administrative law and local government law and is extremely committed to genuine democracy and the adherence to the promotion of human rights (civil liberties) and the dignity of the individual. Dr. Sondashi holds Bachelor of Laws Degree (LL.B) (Zambia), and a Master of Laws Degree (LL.M) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) degrees (Warwick, England). He is a Fellow of the Institute of Local Government Administrators of Zambia and an Advocate of the High Court and Supreme Court for Zambia (Barrister and Solicitor). He has held many local and national governmental offices and appointments, including Cabinet Minister in both Ministries of Labour and Social Security and Ministry of Legal Affairs (Justice) and Chairman of Legal Committee of the Ruling Party MMD. He was a Member of the Central Committee and Vice-Chairman of the Political, Ideological and Legal Committee of the Central Committee in Kaunda’s Government, equivalent to a Senior Cabinet Minister in Britain. He has been a member of Parliament for 15 years, and was Solicitor - General of Zambia. Among his publications is the book “Marriages Is not for Weaklings.”