International Center for Law and Religion Studies

Omar Al Kaddour holds a degree in International Relations and Political Science from the Universidad del Salvador. He is co-founder of the Argentine Consensus for Peace between Palestine and Israel, and participates in the Institute of Interreligious Dialogue in Argentina. Omar was Coordinator of the Human Promotion Area of Fundación Contemporánea where he dedicated himself to the formation of political leaders and promoted the design and implementation of microcredit programs for microenterprises. He served as an advisor to the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina, and as the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Relations and Worship, where he advised on matters of international security. Currently, he is Director of Freedom and Religious Diversity, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship.  

Dr. Juan G. Navarro Floria graduated in law from Pontificia Universidad Católica of Argentina, where he teaches civil law, ecclesiastical law, and law and religion in Latin America. He also earned a PhD in Law from Complutense University (Spain). He is also a lawyer, litigator, and legal advisor in the fields of law and religion. He was Chief Advisor to the Secretariat of Religious Affairs of the Argentine Government, founder, board member, and past president of the Argentine Council of Religious Freedom (CALIR), and also founder and past-president of the Latin American Consortium for Religious Freedom. He is a member of the Academic Advisory Board of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS–BYU), of the National Committee "Justicia y Paz" at the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in Argentina, and founder and member of the Steering Committee of the International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (ICLARS–Milan). Publications include books, chapters of books, and articles in scientific reviews in Argentina and other countries in America and Europe.

Juan Martin Vives is a professor of undergraduate and postgraduate courses at Universidad Adventista del Plata. Previously he served as General Counsel for the university and has held various positions of academic management. In 2015 he was appointed Director of the Center for Studies on Law and Religion (CEDYR) at the Universidad Adventista del Plata, and Editor-in-chief of the academic journal DER - Derecho, Estado y Religión. He earned a JD (National University of Córdoba), a diploma in Law Teaching (Universidad Adventista del Plata), an LLM in Corporate Law (Austral University), and a PhD in Public Global Law (Autonomous University of Barcelona). He was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship by the Center for Comparative Constitutional Law and Religion (University of Luzern). Professor Vives is the author of several articles and book chapters, and is a regular speaker on matters related to law and religion, religious freedom, and relations between church and state. He recently appeared as amicus curiae before the Argentine Supreme Court in a case involving freedom of religion and belief. 

Paul Babie holds a personal chair of law at the Adelaide Law School of the University of Adelaide. He is currently Associate Dean (International) of the Faculty of the Professions at the Adelaide Law School and Director of the Law and Religion Project of the Research Unit for the Study of Society, Ethics, and Law. He holds a BA in sociology from the University of Calgary, a BThSt from Flinders University, an LLB from the University of Alberta, an LLM from the University of Melbourne, and a DPhil in law from the University of Oxford. He is a barrister and solicitor (inactive) of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta (Canada), and an associate member of the Law Society of South Australia. His primary research interests include private law theory, property theory, and law and religion. He has published and spoken extensively in these fields. He teaches property law, property theory, law and religion, and Roman law.

Neville Rochow holds adjunct professorships at the law schools of Notre Dame Australia and the University of Adelaide where he teaches jurisprudence, remedies, and economics and law. He practices from Howard Zelling Chambers, which grew from the chambers that he, with Steve Roder (now Supreme Court Registrar), founded in 1992. He appears at first instance and on appeal in a variety of areas of commercial law specializing in trade practices and competition matters. He has had broad commercial litigation experience. He has most frequently appeared in the Federal Court of Australia (Adelaide Registry) and the Supreme Court of South Australia. He also appears in other registries of the Federal Court. Mr. Rochow has also appeared in the High Court of Australia, District Court of South Australia, South Australian Industrial Relations Court and other state and territorial jurisdictions. He has appeared before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, the Australian Competition, and Consumer Commission, Australian Competition Tribunal, and the Delegate for the Registrar of Trade Marks. He recently served as Government Relations Representative at the European Union Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brussels, acting as an advisor and advocate to the EU and the UK in matters relating to FoRB.

Keith Thompson is Associate Professor and Associate Dean at the University of Notre Dame Australia's Sydney Law School, where he currently teaches constitutional law, law and religion, civil procedure, and contemporary legal issues and supervises post-graduate dissertations. Previously he worked as a partner in a large commercial law firm and as area legal counsel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Pacific and then on the African continent for 20 years. He has published in legal history, evidence law, anti-corruption law, and vicarious liability in tort and insolvency law. He also published Religious Confession Privilege and the Common Law (Brill) in 2011. 

Dr. Khalid Hajji is the Secretary General of the European Council of Moroccan Ulema (CEOM), and President of the Brussels Forum of Wisdom and World Peace. He is very involved in the training of imams in Europe. As such, he is regularly invited to attend the European Commission’s annual high-Level meeting with religious leaders. Dr. Hajji has a PhD in Anglo-American studies from Paris-Sorbonne. His research interests include renewal of Islamic discourse, Muslims in Europe, art and religions, and geo-politics and geo-poetics. He is a published author and his books include Lawrence d’Arabie ou l’Arabie de Lawrence: geographie, politique, poetique, sagesse; From the Narrowness of Modernity towards a New Space of Islamo-Arabic Creativity; and Abderrahman and the Sea. Dr. Hajji is Vice President of Maghareb Center for Studies in Civilization. 

Daniela Araujo Espurio is a coordinator (senior lawyer) in the Real Estate and Litigation Department at Cerqueira Leite Advogados Associados since 2005. She specializes in civil, arbitration, contracts, and real estate. She received a postgraduate degree in Real Estate Business from Fundação Getúlio Vargas. She has a specialization in real estate law from the Getulio Vargas Foundation. She also has a postgraduate degree in Public Law from the Catholic University of Minas Gerais. She obtained her Bachelor in Law from Universidade São Francisco. Since 1996, she has been a member of the Order of Lawyers of Brazil - OAB / SP. 

Aroldo Cavalcante is a member of the Law and Religious Freedom Committee at the Brazilian Bar Association. He is affiliated with the Bar Association of Pernambuco and Ceará, Brazil. Aroldo is a managing partner of Barreto Cavalcante Advogados and a former city attorney. He holds an LLM in Administrative and Tax Law and a bachelor´s degree from UFC Law School. He is currently the J. Reuben Clark Law Society’s Area Director for South America.

Prof. Babalawô Ivanir dos Santos has a bachelor's degree in Pedagogy and School Supervision from the Anglo-American Integrated College and a PhD in Comparative History from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (PPGHC / UFRJ). He is a member of the Brazilian Association of Black Researchers (ABPN), the Laboratory of History of Religious Experiences (LHER-UFRJ), and the Laboratory of Studies of Atlantic History of Colonial Societies (LEHA-UFRJ). Professor dos Santos is Coordinator of the Coordination of Traditional Religions of Africa, Afro-Brazilians, Racism, and Religious Intolerance (ERARIR / LHER / UFRJ); a Researcher at the Laboratory of History of Religious Experiences (LHER / UFRJ); and Strategic Advisor of the Center for Joints of Marginalized Population (CEAP). Additional experience includes Interlocutor of the Commission to Combat Religious Intolerance (CCIR); Advisor to the Cais do Valongo; Vice-President of Latin America at the International Council of African Traditional Religious Organizations, the Ancient Religion Societies of African Descendants International Council (ARSADIC), Nigeria. He has experience in the following areas: Ethnic-racial education and African issues; Human Rights and Citizenship; International relations; Traditional religions of West Africa and Afro-Brazilian.

Montero Valdetario is a Brazilian lawyer. He specialized in Business Law at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC). He taught public law at Christus School of Law in Fortaleza. He is a member of the Ceará Academy of Legal Letters and the Institute of Lawyers of Ceará. From 2004-2006 he served as Secretary General of the Brazilian Bar Association. He was President of the Caixa de Assistência dos Advogados do Ceará (2007-2009); President of the Brazilian Bar Association, Ceará Section (2010-2015); and Federal Counsel of the Brazilian Bar Association (2016-2017). He is currently Advisor to the National Council of Justice (2017-2019). He was awarded the Fortalezense Citizen's Title 2009, Title of Citizen Tauaense in 2012, and the Citizen Iguatuense Title in 2011.

Rafael José Nadim de Lazari, lawyer and legal advisor, earned a post-doctorate degree in Democracy and Human Rights from the Human Rights Center of the Faculty of Law of the Universidade de Coimbra/Portugal, and a Doctor of Constitutional Law from Pontifícia Universidade Católica, São Paulo. He also earned a Master in State Theory from the University Center "Euripides Soares da Rocha", Marília. He is a professor of law at the University of Marília. He has been an invited professor of postgraduate studies (LFG, Projuris Juridical Studies, IED, among others) of the Superior School of Advocacy, and of preparatory courses for public examinations and examination of the Brazilian Bar Association (IED, IOB, PCI Contests among others). He is professor of the "Saber Direito" and "Academia" programs, on TV Justiça, in Brazil. Professor Nadim de Lazari is a member of the State Commission of Law and Religious Freedom of OAB / SP, and a representative (representing OAB / SP) of the permanent Interfaith Forum for a Culture of Peace and Freedom of Belief, linked to the Secretariat of Justice and Defense of Citizenship of the Government of the State of São Paulo. He is also a member of UJUCASP - Union of Catholic Jurists of São Paulo / Brazil. He has been involved in numerous legal works as an author, organizer, and participant, and has spoken at events in Brazil and abroad.

Dr. Odacyr Prigol is Chair of the Curitaba Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society. He is an attorney at law and a managing partner of Prigol Advogados Associados. He is a member of the Religious Freedom Commission of the Brazil Bar Association in his state. He is also a founding member/director of the Brazilian affiliate of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, which actively promotes religious freedom in Brazil. Dr. Prigol graduated from Faculdade de Direito de Curitaba and earned an LLM from Academia Paranaense de Estudos Juridicos.

Dr. Andrew P.W. Bennett is Senior Fellow at the Canadian research and educational institution Cardus, and Chair of the Cabinet of Canadians for Cardus's Faith in Canada 150 program. He served as Canada's first Ambassador for Religious Freedom and was Head of the Office of Religious Freedom from 2013 to 2016 at the same time serving as Canada's Head of Delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. An academic as well as a public servant, Dr. Bennett holds degrees in history from Dalhousie and McGill as well as a PhD in political science from the University of Edinburgh. Prior to his appointment as Ambassador for Religious Freedom, Dr. Bennett served in a variety of roles in the federal public service. He is active as a sub-deacon and cantor in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church through St. John the Baptist parish in Ottawa.

John Carpay earned his BA in political science at Laval University in Quebec City, and his LLB from the University of Calgary. Fluent in English, French, and Dutch, John has been an advocate for freedom and the rule of law in constitutional cases across Canada. As the founder and president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, John has devoted his legal career to defending courageous and principled clients who take great risks – and make tremendous personal sacrifices by resisting the unjust demands of intolerant government authorities. The Justice Centre is based in Calgary, Alberta. In 2010 John received the Pyramid Award for Ideas and Public Policy in recognition of his work in constitutional advocacy, and his success in building up and managing a non-profit organization to defend citizens’ freedoms. He serves on the Board of Advisors of iJustice, an initiative of the Centre for Civil Society, India.

Daniel Cere is Associate Professor of Religion, Law, and Public Policy in the Faculty of Religious Studies. He also chairs the CREOR Religion and Globalization committee as well as the Catholic Studies committee in the Faculty of Arts. Cere collaborated with former Dean Ellen Aitken in forging a McGill partnership with an international network of universities, the Faith and Globalization Initiative. He has directed the international summer course for the Faith and Globalization Initiative that networks with over 30 universities across the world. He also helped to design and direct the Birks Forum on the World’s Religions and Public Policy launched in 2011. His work on religion and public policy has focused on debates over issues related to gender, sexuality, and marriage. He is the director of the Institute for the Study of Marriage, Law, and Culture, and a founding director of the Newman Institute of Catholic Studies.

Professor Diana Ginn joined the law faculty at Dalhousie University in 1992. Before that, she worked with the Law Reform Commission of Nova Scotia and as legislative counsel with the Government of the Northwest Territories. At Dalhousie, she has taught in a number of areas, including property law, administrative law, law and religion, alternative dispute resolution, gender and the law, and health care and ethics. Her current research focusses primarily on on law and religion and administrative law, although she continues to write in other areas as well. She has previously served as associate dean of the law school.

Víctor M. Muñiz-Fraticelli is Associate Professor of Law and Political Science at McGill University. He received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Chicago in 2008, and his JD from the University of Puerto Rico in 1999, where he also served on law review. In 2000 and 2001 he clerked at the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico for the Hon. Antonio S. Negrón-García (until the Justice's retirement) and the Hon. Federico Hernández-Denton. His interests range across philosophy, politics, and law. He is currently working on the justification and institutional requirements of associational autonomy. He also works on contemporary liberal theory, with special emphasis on the work of John Rawls, on intergenerational justice, and on the relationship of private law to sovereignty and constitutionalism.

Beatriz Lorena Rios Cuellar graduated from Rosario University with a specialization in Environmental Law and a master's degree in Administrative Law. Since 2000 she has been conducting studies and research on religious freedom in Colombia, and the need for the creation and implementation of public policies. She acts as an advisor to different churches, faith denominations, confessions, federations, confederations, and religious organizations in Colombia. She served as legal advisor for the Environment Department in the Bogotá Mayor’s Office for 13 years.

Francoise Angeline Delphine Kaudjhis-Offoumou is an Advocate at the Court and an International Consultant. She is also a trainer in democracy (elections), human rights, good governance, gender, development, and conflict resolution. She is the President/Founder of the International Association for Democracy in Africa (AID-Africa). She is the initiator and editor of several model legislative projects on women’s and children’s rights. In 2000 she was Chair of the Sub-Commission in charge of drafting the "Charter of Freedoms" of the Consultative, Constitutional and Electoral Commission of Côte d'Ivoire. She is founder and/or member of several NGOs and trade unions, in particular, the Association of Women Lawyers of Côte d'Ivoire (AFJCI) and the National Union of Lawyers of Côte d'Ivoire (SYNAV-CI) (founder). She is the author of 5 books - Marriage In The Coast Of Ivory: from polygamy to monogamy - Reflection on Excision; The Rights Of Women In The Coast Of Ivory; Trial Of Democracy; Woman, Gender And Power In Africa; and The Guide To The Deputy. In 2011 she was chosen by the Conference of Bishops of Cote d'Ivoire to coordinate the National Commission for Justice and Peace Awards including Commander in the National Order of Merit, and Distinguished Woman of the Year 1999 by the American International Institute of Biography.  She was appointed a member of the Executive Board of the National Reconciliation Forum of 2001. She also contributed to the return of peace in Côte d'Ivoire on the occasion of the election crisis in 2011. She has served as the Central Commissioner of the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CDVR).

Kouyaté Zoumana graduated from the University of Cocody, Abidjan with a post-graduate diploma in sociology. After graduation he attended the higher cycle of the Normal School of Administration. In 2004 he began working as a research officer for the cabinet of the Ministry of Home Affairs. In 2007 he was appointed sub-prefect in Bondo. In 2009 he worked for the General Direction of Decentralization and Local Development as a senior officer in charge of training and internships. After three years he was appointed Director of the Department of Regulation, Research, and Planning at the Ministry of Human Rights and Civil Liberties. Since 2013 he has been working for the General Direction of Religious Affairs as the Head of the Department for the Promotion of Religious Freedom and Secularity.

Dr. Vanja-Ivan Savić earned a first law degree (cum laude), a master’s degree in Science in Law, and a PhD in Legal Theory and Corporate Criminal Law from the University of Zagreb. In 2005 he was British Chevening Scholar at The University of Edinburgh, where he clerked for Rt. Hon. John Robert Reed, now judge of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, and in 2010 he was an International Fellow at DePaul University’s International Human Rights Law Institute. Most recently he served as Distinguished Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide’s Research Unit for the Study of Society, Law and Religion, a visiting scholar at the Buffett Center at Northwestern University, and a guest professor at DePaul University. Dr. Savić was also visiting researcher and lecturer at the University of Vienna, and serves as an assistant professor at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Law where he works as Head of the Legal Theory Department. His area of expertise includes legal theory, theory of law and state, law and religion, corporate criminal law, and human rights. He has published articles in Croatian, English, and Vietnamese including a textbook on criminal liability of juristic persons, and co-created an academic blog. He is co-editing a book with Paul Babie that is forthcoming. In 2016 he was a Croatian representative for the European Consortium for Church and State Research, and a consultant for OSCE’s platform for making Guidelines for FoRB practices in OSCE member states. Dr. Savić has conducted workshops on combatting human trafficking in Vietnam and in Croatia, and has been a participant and speaker at various conferences and workshops including the "Religion and The Rule of Law" training program in Myanmar 2017.

Born in Barcelona, Spain, Victor Emilio Masalles Pere moved to the Dominican Republic as a child. He earned a degree in economics from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo and completed his ecclesiastical studies in philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Seminary of St. Thomas Aquinas. He was ordained a priest on July 7, 1991. Between 1991 and 1994, he carried out his priestly ministry in the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo. In 1996 he moved to Italy to obtain a doctorate in Biblical Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He also specialized in spirituality at the Pontifical Teresianum Theological Faculty of Rome. Returning to the Dominican Republic in 2001 he held the positions of Dean of the Pontifical Seminary of St. Thomas Aquinas, teacher of sacred scripture, rhetoric, and spirituality, Rector of the seminary, and from 2003-2006 was Vicar Episcopal of the Clergy. On 8 May 2010 Pope Benedict XVI named him titular bishop of the Tunisian Diocese of Yerba (or Girba) as well as the new auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo, being consecrated on June 29 of that same year at the hands of Cardinal Nicolás de Jesus López Rodríguez. On 14 of December 2016 Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of the Diocese of Baní. He took canonical possession of his diocese on 11 February 2017. 

Raquel Caballero de Guevara was sworn in as Attorney General for the Defense of Human Rights in September of 2016. She previously served as Deputy Attorney for the Defense of the Rights of Women and the Family. A graduate of the Central American University José Simeón Cañas, she has served as a Coordinator of the Ibero-American Network of Women's Defenders, as an Usulután family judge, on the National Judicial Council, and as designer, manager, coordinator, and executor of the Campaign for the Consolidation of the Human Rights of Women in El Salvador in 2009, sponsored by the Government of Italy. She has taught law courses for several years at José Simeón Cañas University. She is the author of articles and books, including compilations related to the human rights of women and girls. She was nominated for the 2010 Marissa Belisario Prize and the Simone de Beauvoir Prize that Italy and France respectively award to outstanding women in the world. 

Solomon Negussie is an Associate Professor and Dean of the College of Law and Governance Studies at Addis Ababa University. He earned an LLB from Addis Ababa University, an LLM from Amsterdam University, and a PhD from Utrecht University. Professor Negussie's research interests are Federalism and the management of resources, tax and development, and constitutional law and intergovernmental relations. His published articles include "A Constitutional Overview of Fiscal Federalism in Ethiopia," 2010 Indian Journal of Federal Studies (No. 21/2010); "Intergovernmental Transfers and the Problem of Imbalances in Regional Development in Ethiopia: The Need for Benchmarking the Right-Based Approach" (FSS, 2014); "Intergovernmental fiscal relations from a human rights perspective: The Ethiopian context," in Ethiopian and Wider African Perspectives on Human Rights and Good Governance (NWV, verlag, recht, Graz, 2014); "Intergovernmental relation and Fiscal Issues in Federations: The Case of Ethiopia", Constitutionalism and Human Securities in the Horn of Africa (Addis Ababa, 2009); and "The Role of the House of Federation in Promoting Fiscal Accountability in Ethiopia," in Fiscal Federalism and Economic Development (Forum of Federations, Shama Books, 2012).

Yonas B. Adinew is the Head of the School of Law and Pro Tem Dean of the College of Law and Governance Studies. He is a lecturer at the School of Law of Addis Ababa University (AAU). He obtained his degree in law from the Faculty of Law of Addis Ababa University in July 1998. He also completed his Master of Arts in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights at the Norwegian Center for Human Rights (University of Oslo). He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Martin Luther (Germany).

Merete Bilde is policy advisor at the European External Action Service (EEAS) of the European Union in Brussels. Prior to her current position, she worked in the policy unit of EU High Representative Javier Solana on issues related to political aspects of Islam and cross-cultural relations. She has been involved in a number of initiatives at the cross-section of religion and politics within the EU, including issues related to freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief as well as the defamation debate. In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, her work has focused heavily on the new political actors and the new regional dynamics at play, including between the new Middle East and the United States and Europe. Prior to her current appointment, Merete Bilde served as a Danish diplomat. 

In May 2016 Ján Figeľ was nominated by the European Commission as the first Special Envoy for promotion of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) outside the European Union. Formerly European Commissioner for Education, Training & Culture, Mr. Figeľ has also held other positions such as State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was the Chief Negotiator for Slovakia's accession into the EU. He joined the Christian Democratic Movement party in 1990 and was elected in 1992 as an MP to the National Council of the Slovak Republic, serving on its Foreign Affairs Committee and becoming a member of Slovakia's delegation to the Council of Europe. In 1998 he was appointed State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was also the representative of the Slovak government in the European Convention which drafted the European Constitution. From 2004 to 2009 he served as European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism, with a brief stint as Commissioner for Enterprise and Information Society. In 2009 he was elected leader of the Christian Democratic Movement in Slovakia. He stepped down from his Commission post in 2009 following his election as leader of the Christian Democratic Movement in Slovakia.

Fearghas O’Beara is the Adviser to the Vice President and Secretary General of the European Parliament. Irish by birth, Fearghas spent the last two decades in Brussels working in the European Parliament, including as adviser to two presidents, Hans-Gert Pöttering and Jerzy Buzek, and two vice presidents. In his current role with Vice President Mairead McGuinness, Fearghas coordinates the European Parliament’s dialogue with religious and philosophical organizations, provided for by Article 17 of the EU treaties. He also advises Parliament's Secretary General on transatlantic relations. His previous positions include European Affairs Journalist, Political Group Adviser, Adviser to the Deputy Secretary General, and Adviser to the Director General of the European Parliamentary Research Service. Fearghas holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Trinity College Dublin and a master’s degree in economics from University College Dublin.

The Honorable Robert Underwood is a former Member of the United States Congress and is currently the President of the University of Guam. As an educator, he has served as a high school teacher, curriculum writer, administrator, dean of the College of Education, and academic vice president. He is a distinguished scholar with many publications to his credit. He served as the Congressional Delegate from Guam from 1993-2003. For his civil service, he was awarded the Presidential Merit Award from President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines, congratulatory resolutions from the Pohnpei, FSM, and Northern Marianas Legislatures, Citizen of the Year from the National Association of Bilingual Education, and Alumnus of the Year by Cal State University Los Angeles, among others. He was appointed to the National Advisory Council on Bilingual Education by President Jimmy Carter, and to the National Board of Education Sciences by President Barack Obama. He served as Chairman of the Chamorro Language Commission for over a decade and is a leading authority on cultural, educational, and linguistic issues in Guam and Micronesia. He was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Guam Humanities Council and is the only professor emeritus of Bilingual-Bicultural Education of the University of Guam. In 2003 he helped create the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund and served as the first chairman of the board. He has worked on several research projects with the East West Center, the University of Hawaii, and the Asian Pacific Center for Security Studies. He received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in history from Cal State University, Los Angeles, and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Southern California.

José Antonio Alvarado Correa is Senior Partner of Alvarado y Asociados. Since January 2012 he is a member of the Central American Parliament. Past experience includes serving as Minister of Health (2003-2004), Minister of Defense (1999-2000), Minister of Education, Culture and Sports (1998-1999), and Minister of Government (1997-1999). He is Administrative Vice Dean of Catholic University Redemptory Matter since 1993. He has been Executive Director, Housing Bank of Nicaragua; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, AIBC; and Director, International Investment Banking Group, First Equity Corporation. He was a consultant to the Chairman of American Express International Banking Corporation. Alvarado Correa has served as a financial assignments consultant for international organizations as well as European and United States multinational corporations. From 1978-1980, he was the Nicaraguan Ambassador to the United Nations. Prior to that, he was a member of the Delegation to the United Nations (Geneva), and Charge d' Affaires to the Holy See, Republic of Nicaragua. He served on many boards including as Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees, Miami Dade Community College, as a member and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, Miami Children's Hospital, the Board of Trustees, United Way, Dade County, and as Chairman, University of Miami Nicaraguan Research Project. Alvarado Correa was a member of the Harvard Faculty Club and the Florida Supreme Court Blue Ribbon Racial & Ethnic Bias Study Commission. From 1989-1992 he was Member Advisor, U.S. Senate Commission on Hispanic Affairs. He specializes in business and commercial law including acquisitions, disposals, MBOs, corporate re-organizations, banking, and other funding arrangements.

Silvio Mora Mora is currently serving as the Nicaraguan ambassador to Guatemala. After attending National Autonomous University (UNAN) in Nicaragua and the Ñico López School in Cuba, he worked as an educator in elementary and secondary schools. He later worked in the field of print and broadcast journalism for El Nuevo Diario and Canal 2 in Nicaragua, and is a published author. In addition to his current government post, Mora has served as Ministry of Education, Assistant to President Daniel Ortega, and Representative of the Central America Parliament.

Chancellor Carl Singh taught for two years after graduating from the Teachers Training College in Guyana. He then earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Guyana and an LLB from the University of the West Indies. He began practicing law in Guyana in 1983. For the next 13 years he practiced privately while also serving as a magistrate and a commissioner of title. Chancellor Singh was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Guyana in 1995 and was subsequently appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He later performed the functions of Chancellor and Head of the Judiciary of Guyana. He has represented the Supreme Court of Guyana at international legal conferences. For dedicated service to Guyana’s judiciary, Chancellor Singh was awarded Guyana’s Second and third highest national honors, the Order of Roraima and the Cacicque Crown of Honor. 

Bernard Gousse is the Dean of the Law School at Quisqueya University. He studied law in Haiti and in France. He is a member of the Port-au-Prince Bar Association. He teaches contract law, torts and liabilities. and conflict of laws. Mr. Gousse was a Minister of Justice and Security (attorney general) and helped establish an independent judiciary. As a scholar, Mr Gousse has written on many subjects on constitutional, civil, and commercial law and published an article on the secular nature of the State as a necessary space for freedom of religion. 

András Sajó was elected Judge of the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Hungary in February 2008. He was Vice-President of Section from 1 January 2015 to 31 July 2015, President of Section from 1 August 2015, and Vice-President of the Court from November 2015 until his retirement from the Court at the end of January 2017. Judge Sajó received his law degree at the ELTE Law School of Budapest in 1972, after which he held various research fellow positions at the Institute for State and Law, Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He received his PhD and Habilitation at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1977 and 1982; he was founder and spokesperson of the Hungarian League for the Abolition of the Death Penalty, Budapest, 1988-1994; Legal Counselor to the President of Hungary, 1991-1992; Chair of Comparative Constitutional Law, University Professor, Central European University (Budapest), 1993-2007. He was named a member of the American Law Institute and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He has been since 1990 Recurrent Visiting Professor, Cardozo School of Law, New York, and of the Global Faculty, New York University Law School, since 1996. From 2001-2007 he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Open Society Justice Initiative of New York.

Cekli Setya Pratiwi has a Bachelor of Law, Brawijaya University of Malang, an Advocate License, the High Court of Surabaya, and a Master of Laws (LLM), Utrecht University. She is Head of the Legal Office of the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) and a senior law lecturer teaching human rights law, international law, and public interest litigation subjects. She recently was a resource for the master level course on Syariah and Human Rights, coordinated by the Center on Religion and Multiculturalism of UMM, the Oslo Coalition on Human Rights – Norway, and the International Center for Law and Religion Studies- BYU-Utah. She participated in "Religion and The Rule of Law," a certificate training program in Myanmar, Vietnam, Beijing, and Jakarta, and in February 2017, was a speaker in the East Java Training Program sponsored by Surabaya Legal Aid, the Asia Foundation, and USAID. She was a chief researcher on The Judges Verdicts Research, sponsored by the Center for Human Rights Study of Law Faculty of UMM and the National Judicial Commission of Indonesia; a senior researcher on The Doctrinal Research about The Principles of Good Governance in Indonesia; and a researcher on A Socio-Legal Research of Good Governance Principles in Indonesia, both coordinated by the Judicial Support System Program – Supreme Court of Indonesia and the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, and supported by the Van Vollen Hoven Institute, University of Leiden. She has multiple publications on human rights, religion, and law. Her most recent book is The Guidance Book of UNGPs on Business and Human Rights, INFID (2016).

Budi Hartawan was appointed as Secretary of Directorate General of Labor Inspection and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in March 2017. He has held several senior positions in the Ministry of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia, such as Secretary of Directorate General of Manpower Placement and Employment Creation (2015), Director of Labor Inspection for Women Workers and Elimination of Child Labor (2014), Director of Labor Market (2011), and Head of Public Communication (2010) in the ministry. Since working with the Indonesian government in 1989, Hartawan has contributed his knowledge in various areas such as vocational training, apprenticeship, competence certification, and manpower research analysis. He obtained his master's degree in Population and Human Resources from the University of Adelaide, South Australia in 1996. He also has a bachelor’s degree in economics and a bachelor’s degree in informatics. Early in his career, Hartawan worked with a private enterprise in a retail business in Jakarta. 

Luigi Lacquaniti graduated in law from the State University of Milan. Since 1997 he has worked at the Confersercenti di Milano. He also worked as an administrative manager of a subsidiary company. He was a member of the Commission of Economic Development, Commerce, and Tourism, and was a member of the Defense Committee. He is currently on the Agriculture Committee and a member of the governing body of the parliamentary elections. He is also a member of a parliamentary committee investigating uranium and heavy metal poisoning. 

Dr. Thaer S.A. Al-Adwan, General Director of the Judicial Institute of Jordan, was the first PhD graduate from the Faculty of Law at the University of Jordan. He also holds a master of laws with merit from the University of Kent, UK, and a degree in law from the University of Jordan. Dr. Al-Adwan began his legal career as a clerk at the First Instance Court in 1989. Since 1993 he has been a judge specializing in competition issues and intellectual property issues. His past experience includes Attorney General of the High Felony Court, Attorney General in Amman, Head of North Amman First Instance Court, Director of the Legal Department at the Ministry of Justice, and Director of the Studies and Planning Department at the Ministry of Justice. He is a member of many judiciary committees and has spoken at and participated in numerous international conferences. Dr. Al-Adwan is lecturer at the Jordanian Judicial Institute, the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy, and the Faculty of Law, University of Jordan as well as specialized educational centers. He has published two books.

Khalifeh Al-Suleiman is the Chief of the High Administrative Court of Jordan. Since 2012 he has served as President of the Supreme Court of High Court of Justice. He has served as Judge of the Court of Cassation (2003-2012), Judge of the Court of Appeal in Amman (2002-2003), and President of the Irbid Court of First Instance (2000-2002). He has been a Judge of the Court of Appeal in Irbid and of the Court of Appeal in Amman, and was Attorney General Irbid from 1981-1990. He earned a bachelor of law degree from the University of Beirut and a master of law degree from the University of Jordan. 

Fayyad Alqudah is the Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Jordan, as well as a professor of commercial law and an attorney-at-law. He is a managing partner of Alqudah Law & Arbitration since 1995. From 2010-2013 he was a board member of the Anti-Corruption Commission at the University of Jordan.  He earned an LLB with honors from the University of Jordan, and later an LLM and a PhD in Law from the University of Edinburgh.

Fr. Nabil Haddad, Dean of Saints Peter and Paul Old Cathedral in Jabal El-Weibdeh, Amman, a Greek Melkite Catholic Church, is the Founder and CEO of the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center (JICRC). He has brought JICRC to the forefront for discussing the issues of tolerance, coexistence, religious freedom, interfaith dialogue, human dignity, human rights, women’s empowerment, and the rights of children and minorities in the Middle East and in the Arab world. He uses his vast experience as an Arab Christian in tandem with The Amman Message, The Common Word, and World Interfaith Harmony Week Initiative calling for tolerance and cooperation between Muslims and Christians to promote peace. He served as the Director of Rights and Humanity International at the Jordan Project and as Chairperson of the Justice, Peace and Human Rights Committee for the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), as Director General for Caritas Jordan, and as a member of the Caritas MENA Executive Committee. He is a past member of The Royal Commission for Human Rights appointed by His Majesty Abdullah II, who awarded him the Independence Order of the First Class. He received the Joint Service Achievement Medal from the U.S. Secretary of Defense. He was elevated to the Title of Ekonomos and is a member, Royal Commission of the Baptism Site at the River Jordan; Chairman, Greek Catholic Welfare Society; Secretary General, Arab Group Against Emigration of Arab Christians; member & Jordan representative, Assembly of Eastern Christians (Beirut headquarters).

Chongsuh Kim is a professor of Religious Studies at Seoul National University in Korea. He was educated at Seoul National University and earned his PhD in Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has gained extensive academic experience as a professor at The Academy of Korean Studies in Korea and as a visiting scholar at Harvard University, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Tokyo. In addition to serving as Vice President of Seoul National University and President of The Korean Association for the History of Religions, he has been a consultant for the Korean Ministry of Culture regarding issues of interreligious conflicts and constitution. 

Bobby Keokhamdy is currently Chief of the Division Administration of Personnel and Protocol, Department of Foreign Affairs of Vientiane Capital. She holds a bachelor of law in Administration Law. Past positions in the Office of Vientiane Capital have included Official of Planning Investment and Official of Foreign Affairs. 

Somlek Vongsa is Deputy Director of the Home Affairs Department of Vientiane Capital. His previous experience included working at the Commerce Department in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Forestry as well as working in the private sector. Prior to becoming Deputy Director, he worked for the Party-inspection Committee of Vientiane Capital. He has a master’s degree in administration law. 

Manuel Ignacio Acosta Gutiérrez is the Mayor of Hermosillo. From 2012 to 2015 he served as Chief Director of the National Agrarian Registry (RAN) in Mexico. He has been a Federal Deputy in the LXI Legislative Congress of Mexico, a Federal Deputy in the state of Sonora, Mexico, and was previously the President of the Human Rights Commission, State Congress of Sonora. He received a law degree from the University of Hermosillo. 

Batdelger Uranchimeg is a specialist in the Foreign Labor Force Movement Division, General Office of Labor and Social Welfare since 2012. In addition to working with the various aspects of foreign labor and work visas, she also works with related organizations such as the Ministry of Education and the Immigration Office. Previously, she worked as Education Coordinator at the Governor’s Administration office, Khan-Uul District, Ulaanbaatar Mongolia. She has 12 years of experience in education and child protection. She graduated from Mongolian National University with a degree in philosophy. In 2016 she earned a master's degree in law. 

The Venerable Dr. Sutacaralankara was ordained a Novice (Community of Novices) at age thirteen. In 1995, he entered the Order of the Sangha (Community of Buddhist Monks). He completed a course of monastic training and education in Burmese, Pali, Buddhist Religion, History, and Buddhist Philosophy. He pursued higher monastic education at Mahasubodhayon Pali University (Sagaing Division), New Masoeyein Pali University (Mandalay Division). He earned a diploma in English and Buddha-Dhamma, and he passed the Dhammacariya Examination held by the Department of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Religious Affairs, and Government of the Union of Myanmar in 1998. As a result, he was conferred with the degree of Sasanadhaja Dhammacariya which is equivalent to the degree of Arts. He obtained a Master of Arts from Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka as well as Kelaniya University (Sri Lanka) and earned a PhD Degree from Nalanda University (India). As a Pali professor at Sitagu International Buddhist Academy, he conducts Diploma, BA, and MA classes as well supervising MA and PhD theses.

Thein Than OO is a renowned lawyer and former political prisoner. As a university student, he was sentenced in 1976 to seven years in prison under General Ne Wins' military government. He graduated from Rangoon University in 1982 and began his career as a lawyer in 1983. In 1988 he led a nationwide uprising in Mandalay and as a result, was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment in 1990. In 2001 he was released from jail and dismissed from the Bar. He was once again detained in 2007 due to the Saffron Revolution. Thein Than OO founded the Myanmar Lawyers Network in 2011 and was reinstated to the Bar in 2012. He continues to be active in protesting injustice including exposing the use by Myanmar police of incendiary weapons on Buddhist monks in November of 2012. He has attended Myanmar constitutional reform conferences in London, Berlin, Sydney, China, Serbia, Seoul, and Colombo. He has provided pro bono legal aid to Muslim minorities, ethnic minorities, farmers who have had their land forcibly taken from them, and other marginalized people of Myanmar.

Ashin Ukkamsa joined the Buddhist Sangha Order and graduated in Buddhism. For further study, he went to India and obtained an MA and an MPhil Degree in Philosophy. With East-West Center Fellowship, he studied library science at University of Hawaii at Manoa. He is currently a librarian and a lecturer at Sitagu Academy. He has attended conferences in America, Nepal, Iran, Israel, and Singapore. In 2015 he took part in a workshop on Religion, Women, and Citizenship at Singapore Management University. He is a coordinator of a workshop on Religion and Rule of Law co-organized by Sitagu International Buddhist Academy (SIBA), the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE), and the International Center for Law and Religion Studies.

Prof. Dr. S.Ch. Sophie Christine van Bijsterveld graduated in law from the University of Utrecht and received a doctorate in Law at Tilburg University. She was Assistant Professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law, Associate Professor of European and International Public Law, and Professor of Religion, State and Society at Tilberg's School of Humanities. Since September 2014 she has been Professor of Religion, Law and Society at the Radboud University in Nijmegen. She has lectured and published extensively in the fields of (international) human rights protection, religious liberty, constitutional law, and hybrid governance, with more than 200 publications to her credit. Since June 2007 she has been a member of the Dutch Upper House of Parliament [Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal] for the Christian Democratic Party (CDA). She was a Member of the Board of the Scientific Institute of the CDA from 2008-2015 and was a founding editor of the Dutch Journal of Religion, Law and Policy.

Hans-Martien ten Napel is an associate professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law at Leiden University in the Netherlands and a research fellow of the Leiden Law School. He was a post-doctoral fellow at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University and was a research fellow in Legal Studies at the Center of Theological Inquiry (CTI) in Princeton, NJ. He is a member of the editorial board of the Tijdschrift voor Religie, Recht en Beleid (Journal for Religion, Law and Policy). His latest book, Constitutionalism, Democracy and Religious Freedom. To Be Fully Human (Routledge), was published in 2017.

Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi is a lecturer in the Department of Public Law, University of Lagos, founding Director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC), and currently is the acting Secretary, West African Law and Religion Society. A former student leader and dedicated human rights defender, she specializes in gender, climate justice, peace, security, and international human rights law. In recognition of her commitment and efforts on behalf of her fellow citizens, particularly women, the International League for Human Rights named her a recipient of the 1999 Defenders’ Day Award, presenting the award on December 9, 1999, the first anniversary of the United Nations Defenders Declaration. A graduate of Law from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Dr. Akiyode-Afolabi has a master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School, Center for Civil and Human Rights, Indiana, USA. She attended the course on a full tuition scholarship, and was awarded a fellowship for her distinction in performance and professionalism. She later earned a doctoral degree from SOAS, Faculty of Law and Social Science, University of London. She has produced several research materials and publications in the areas of her specialization and has worked as a consultant to local and international organizations on several projects including gender and climate change. She was part of Nigeria Negotiators at the Conference of Parties (COP) of the UNFCC at Copenhagen and Mexico. A delegate of the 2014 National Conference and also a prominent member of the ongoing 2016 Presidential Electoral Reform Committee, Dr. Akiyode-Afolabi is the Chair of the subcommittee on Review of Relevant Laws and Constitutions affecting electoral reforms in Nigeria. She is also the Chairperson of the Transition Monitoring Groups and leads a UN Democracy Fund Project, Safe and Secure Schools Initiative, in the North East of Nigeria.

Professor Chijioke Ohuruogu is the current Dean of the Faculty of Law at Baze University in Abuja. He is an alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Lagos. He has attended several international and national courses on international law, human rights law, international humanitarian law, international humanitarian law, etc. He was a visiting scholar /teaching fellow at the Human Rights Institute, Columbia University Law School in New York City in 2002/2003. He teaches international law, human rights law, constitutional law, and international humanitarian law. He serves on the Board of Access to Justice, a human rights NGO in Nigeria.

Tore Lindholm is Emeritus Professor (philosophy) at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Oslo and board member of the Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief and of the Human Rights Committee of Church of Norway. His research interests focus on the grounds for embracing universal human rights, in particular the right to freedom of religion or non-religious basic conviction, and on the ongoing two-way traffic between human rights and religions/basic convictions, in particular with respect to Islam and Muslims. He co-edited Facilitating Freedom of Religion or Belief, now published in Indonesian and Russian. He edited Islamic Law Reform and Human Rights: Challenges and Rejoinders and made a study of Muslim immigrants to Oslo, Religious Commitment and Social Integration: Are There Significant Links? Other writings include "The Cross-Cultural Legitimacy of Universal Human Rights: Plural Justification Across Normative Divides", in Francioni & Scheinin, eds., Cultural Human Rights and "Magna Carta and Religious Freedom", in Magraw & Martinez, eds., Magna Carta and the Rule of Law.

His Most Reverend Monsignor José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, OSA, was ordained a priest on 17 December 1983 by the then Bishop of Chitré, Bishop José María Carrizo Villarreal, in the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista de Chitré. He entered the Order of St. Augustine in 1987, making his solemn vows on 28 August 1991. On 26 February 26 2004, Pope John Paul II appointed him titular Bishop of Naratcata and Auxiliary of Panama. His episcopal consecration was held in the Metropolitan Cathedral, on 17 April 2004, in a ceremony presided over by Monsignor José Dimas Cedeño, then Archbishop of Panama. Pope Benedict XVI named him as archbishop of Panama on 18 February 2010, and his inauguration was on 18 May of the same year. He is the Seventh Archbishop of Panama and current President of the Panamanian Episcopal Conference.

The Honorable Justice Peter Chanel Toliken is a judge of the National and Supreme Courts of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. His Honor’s current judicial work is mainly in the criminal and civil jurisdictions at both trial and appellate levels in both the National and Supreme Courts. Apart from their normal powers these courts also have original jurisdiction in the enforcement of human rights, either on application or by the courts' own initiative. Justice Toliken holds a bachelor’s degree in law (Hons.) from the University of Papua New Guinea. 

Guillermo García Montúfar has a law degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru, and he was admitted to the Bar of Lima in 1982. He holds a master's degree in civil and commercial law from the Universidad San Martín de Porres and an LLM in the US Legal System from the University of Wisconsin School of Law. He received training in negotiation, mediation, and conciliation from Harvard Law School. A professor at the University of Lima, he is a specialist in property rights, contracts, and guarantees. He has developed specialized legal consulting programs for the formalization of property in Peru and other countries such as El Salvador, Haiti, and Egypt. He is also an arbitrator of the Lima Chamber of Commerce and American Chamber of Commerce of Peru (AmCham) and the conciliatory court. He has advised the Ministry of Justice on issues of reconciliation and mediation. He provides expert legal advice in administrative law and civil law, among others, the World Bank and the Instituto Libertad y Democracia (ILD).

Aldo Alejandro Vásquez Ríos is a lawyer and university president. He has a master's degree in journalism from the University of San Martín de Porres and a degree in social sciences from ILADES (Santiago de Chile) and the Pontifical Gregorian University (Rome). He completed doctoral studies in Law at the University of Deusto (Bilbao) and graduated as Doctor of Law at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He has specialized in information law and labor law. In the public sector, he was Chief of the Cabinet of the Minister of Justice in 1988, during the first government of Alan García, and advisor to the office of the Deputy Minister of Communications from 1990 to 1992, during the first government of Alberto Fujimori. After 1992 he was Director of the School of Communications of the University of San Martín de Porres, professor of law at the University of Piura; Director of the Law Degree and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University Antonio Ruiz de Montoya. On 21 October 2015 he was sworn in as Minister of Justice and Human Rights. He served in this position until 28 July 2016.

Pablito A. Baybado, Jr is an associate professor at the Institute of Religion and a researcher at the Center for Religious Studies and Ethics of the University of Santo Tomas, Manila.  His research interests are in the areas of philosophy of dialogue, interreligious dialogue, and religion and conflict studies. He currently serves as the Associate Secretary General of the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace, and the Coordinator of the Uniharmony Partners Manila.

Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas is the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan having assumed the post since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 8 September 2009. He is also the current President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines since 2013. He is a member of the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) and a perpetually professed member in the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Dominic in the Philippines. He was a synodal father in the Synod of Bishops in Rome in the years 2012 and 2014. In the secular field, he was one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM) in the year 2000 and a Catholic Authors Awardee in 1994. He has authored nine books of homilies and spiritual meditations since he was priest of the Archdiocese of Manila until now. He was ordained a priest on 5 October 1985.

Nikolai Shaburov joined the History faculty of Moscow State University in 1970, where he specialized in Ancient History, graduating in 1975 with a final project concerned with the politics of Greek orator and philosopher Dio Chrysostom (II AC). From 1975-1979 he studied at the Oriental Institute of the Academy of Sciences. He worked at the State Public Historical Library in Moscow (1975-1984), and then served at the Institute for Information Transmission at the Academy of Sciences (1984-1992). Since 1992 he has been a professor and the Director of the Centre of Religious Studies at the Russian State University for the Humanities where he lectures on History of Christianity, Geography of Religions, History of Freethinking, gnostical and hermetic texts, and religious subjects in Cinema. In addition, he is a professor at the Higher School of Economics (Moscow) where he lectures on Religion in the Contemporary World, Religion in Contemporary Russia, and Theory of the Esoterics. In 1997 he submitted a doctoral thesis on the relation of Myth and Philosophy in Christian and Hermetic texts of the II-IV centuries. However, in recent years, his interest lies in religion in contemporary Russia.

Dr. Lev Simkin is a professor at Law, Russian State Academy of Intellectual Property. He practices in the area of Russian constitutional, civil, and intellectual property law. He is also an expert in the Russian court and arbitration systems. Dr. Simkin is an author of books and numerous articles on intellectual property and religion-state relations in Russia. He was awarded the title of Honorable Advocate of Russia. He is the former president of the International Committee for Facilitating Legal Reform in Russia.

For more than 20 years, Afamasaga Faamatala Toleafo served as a diplomat for Samoa in places such as the EU, UK, Germany, and France. He later spent five years in parliament before taking on various roles including National Advocate for Children when Samoa first became a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). As founding Chairman of the Men Against Domestic Violence advocacy group, Afamasaga continues to be engaged on questions of human rights including religious freedom, and is a regular commentator on the subject in both the print media and on radio and television. As a practicing "Matai" or holder of a traditional chiefly title in his village and district, Afamasaga has over the years also taken a keen interest in the subject of democratic governance and democratic human rights and their interplay with customary law and practices in his country. Local government in Samoa relies almost exclusively on Samoa’s customs based on village institutions and governance values and practices. Understandably, this has become a fertile area for conflict between Samoa’s two cultures, one based on the rule of law and the other on custom and tradition. Afamasaga’s work in this area has taken him to other Pacific states with similar issues of governance. Afamasaga is an honors graduate in economics and management from Otago University, New Zealand. He currently serves in a voluntary capacity as founding Chairman of the Pacific Islands Farmers Organization Network (PIFON) and as Chairman of the SDA Mission Translation and Editorial Committee in Samoa. In addition, he works as a consultant on governance, in particular the interface between democratic and customary law and practices.

As the current Director of Social Welfare, Francis Kabia monitors key interventions covering religious affairs, anti-human trafficking, disability, disaster risk management, and older persons. His overarching responsibilities are to ensure that all divisions within the directorate fulfill their mandated tasks and ensure the development and implementation of legal frameworks on the aforementioned intervention areas. As part of the National Hajj Committee and the National Pilgrimage Committee, Kabia ensures that the two major religions in the country are represented at pilgrimages to the Holy Land of Mecca and Israel.  In collaboration with the Inter Religious Council, he works for religious tolerance in Sierra Leone. He has a master's degree in gender and development studies from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. 

Anton Knoetze began his studies in Theology in 1979 at the University of Pretoria and obtained a BA, BD, and a post-graduate theological diploma. He was subsequently ordained as a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church in 1985. In 1994, he completed his DTH (Doctor of Theology) at the University of South Africa in Church History and Canon Law. He became involved with the drafting of the South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms and envisaged, as a member of the continuation Committee, a formal acceptance of the Charter by the South African Parliament. In 2009, he was appointed by the State President of South Africa as Commissioner of the Chapter Nine Commission (Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Linguistic and Religious Communities) and reappointed in 2014 for a second term.

Reverend Peter Garang Thieel is a devoted and focused Christian from the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS). Orphaned at the age of ten, Peter was cared for by his maternal uncle who also died before Peter could complete his primary school. Through hardships and struggle, Peter managed to complete his formal and high education. Peter now holds a Bachelor of Divinity degree and a master’s degree in public administration and management. Thieel currently works for the National Bureau of Statistics in the Republic of South Sudan as Director for Administration, and with ECSS church as a voluntary preacher and a consultant. 

Vita Tytarenko graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy, Kyiv National University (1999). She was awarded the Scholarship of the Presidium of NAS of Ukraine for young scientists (2004-2006). She pursued a doctorate at the Institute of Philosophy named after G.S. Skovoroda of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (2009-2013). Professor Tytarenko has about 80 scientific publications to her credit. Her primary areas of research are new religious movements of Christian and non-Christian orientation, their characteristics and peculiarities of functioning in society, formation of inter-confessional and state-confessional relations, and forecasts of religious processes in the world and in Ukraine. She is currently an assistant professor in the Religious Studies Department at the National Academy of Sciences. 

Larysa Vladychenko graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy at Kyiv National University with a specialization in religion studies in 2003. She became an associate professor in 2014 and earned a Doctor of Philosophy in 2015. She is currently the Deputy Director of the Department for Religious Affairs and Nationalities–the Head of the Division of Religious Studies and Analytical Work at the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. She has contributed 95 scientific publications on the topics of theoretical and methodological basis for research of relations between public and religions institutions, legal regulation of relations between the state and the church, the dynamics of change and the current state of religious networks in the world and in Ukraine.

Dmytro Vovk, PhD in Law (2008), is currently Kennan-Fulbright Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (USA), and Associate Professor at the Yaroslav the Wise National Law University (Ukraine). He is an expert on human rights and religious freedom for the OSCE/ODIHR, the Council of Europe, and Freedom House. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal Philosophy of Law and General Theory of Law He has provided translation from English for Ukrainian academic journals, including authors such as Ronald Dworkin, Norbert Horn, Martin Krieger, Kaarlo Tuori, and Carl Schmitt. He has written articles and books including Ethics versus Politics: Ukrainian Churches’ Doctrines on Family, Gender and Sexuality in the Context of the European Integration Policy (2017, forthcoming), Tolerance in Transitional Societies: philosophical, legal, political and social dimension (2016), Balancing Religious Freedom in the Context of Secularity: Analysis of Court Practice in Ukraine (2015), and Religious Freedom and Freedom of Expression after Charlie Hebdo (2015).

Mohammed Amin MBE has on several occasions been listed as one of the hundred most influential Muslims in the UK. Amin graduated in mathematics from Clare College, Cambridge and obtained a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from Leeds University. He is a chartered accountant, an associate member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT). He served on the CIOT Council from 2003-2015 and was the first Muslim to do so. Professionally Amin is a tax advisor, and he was the first Muslim partner in the UK at Price Waterhouse, now PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He was also an elected member of PwC's Supervisory Board and the first Muslim in that role. Before his retirement at the end of 2009, Amin was PwC's head of Islamic finance in the UK. As well as chairing the Conservative Muslim Forum, Amin is active in a number of other organizations including being Co-Chair of the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester, a patron and Chair of Donors of Curriculum for Cohesion, and a member of the Consultative Council of the Three Faiths Forum. From 2012-2014 he served as a member of the Council of Salford University, but resigned to give more time to the Conservative Muslim Forum. He speaks and writes regularly on Islamic finance and on issues connected with politics and social cohesion.  In the Queen's Birthday Honours List 2016, Amin was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for services to Community Cohesion and Interfaith Relations in Greater Manchester.

Grace Davie is professor emeritus in the Sociology of Religion at the University of Exeter UK and a senior advisor to the Impact of Religion Research Programme at Uppsala University. She is a past-president of the American Association for the Sociology of Religion (2003) and of the Research Committee 22 (Sociology of Religion) of the International Sociological Association (2002-06). In addition to numerous chapters and articles, she is the author of Religion in Britain since 1945 (Blackwell 1994), Religion in Modern Europe (OUP 2000), Europe: the Exceptional Case (DLT 2002), The Sociology of Religion (Sage 2007/2013) and Religion in Britain: A Persistent Paradox (Wiley-Blackwell 2015); she is the co-author of Religious America, Secular Europe (Ashgate 2008), and co-editor of Welfare and Religion in 21st Century Europe (2 vols) (Ashgate 2010 and 2011).  

Dr. David Landrum is the Director of Advocacy at the Evangelical Alliance UK. His work involves public policy, theology, research, and media. He is a frequent contributor on Christian and secular media on a range of social and political issues. He has an academic background in political philosophy and has worked in Parliament for over ten years for Bible Society. He is passionate about Christian social and political engagement, and his interests include public leadership, religious liberty, citizenship and religion, identity in plural society, post-secularism, and post-liberalism. 

Philip Sherwood leads on AMAR International Charitable Foundations’ strategic engagement around the world. AMAR partners with LDS Charities in delivering lifesaving aid and training to refugees and others in the Middle East. Before joining AMAR, he was running his company Purple and Red. Phil was Head of Volunteering and Workforce Training for the London 2012 Olympics and was responsible for the recruitment and training of 70,000 volunteers. Phil had a long and successful career in the British army, achieving the rank of Colonel at a young age. He worked at the Directorate of Special Forces, and as a member of Defense’s Strategic Lessons program he reported to the Secretary of State on the lessons identified from operations that would shape British international policy. In his final government post he was the Army’s advisor on people issues, with specific responsibility for ensuring senior leaders were able to communicate strategic objectives to every level. Previously he had been responsible for implementing the performance management program across the Army; developed organizational structural models to meet long-term strategic challenges for defense; and implemented within his Regiment the return to basic values and standards in an organization shackled by culture at a time when the Army was facing significant public criticism and associated reputational risk. Having been selected to lead the Pentagon’s Global Stabilization division, he attended the US Army War College to complete a course in Strategic Studies as an international fellow before being recruited by the Organizing Committee of London 2012.

Judge David G. Campbell is a United States District Judge for the District of Arizona. Following his graduation from the University of Utah Law School, he served as a law clerk for Judge J. Clifford Wallace of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice William H. Rehnquist of the United States Supreme Court.  He worked as a commercial litigator for 20 years with the Phoenix law firm of Osborn Maledon before joining the bench.  He serves as chair of the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Judge Campbell has worked with the courts of Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia on judicial case management, and has taught civil procedure and constitutional law at the Arizona State and BYU Law Schools.    

As Associate Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, Elizabeth Clark has co-organized and taken part in dozens of conferences and academic projects with other scholars and with government leaders from around the world. From the beginning, she has played a major role in organizing the Annual International Law and Religion Symposium at Brigham Young University. She has taken part in drafting commentaries and legal analyses of pending legislation and developments affecting religious freedom, and drafted amicus briefs on international religious freedom issues for the United States Supreme Court. Before joining the Center, Professor Clark was an associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Mayer, Brown & Platt, where she was a member of the Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Group. Professor Clark also clerked for Judge J. Clifford Wallace on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Professor Clark graduated summa cum laude from BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the BYU Law Review. Drawing on her multilingual talents in Russian, Czech, German and French, Professor Clark has been active in writing and lecturing on church-state and comparative law topics. She has taught a variety of classes at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. She has published numerous articles and chapters on church-state issues and is the author, with Brett Scharffs, of Religion and Law in the USA, a 2016 contribution to Wolters Kluwer’s International Encyclopaedia of Laws. Professor Clark has also testified before Congress on religious freedom issues.

Gary B. Doxey, Associate Director, International Center for Law and Religion Studies, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, joined the Center in 2005 and serves as regional advisor for Latin America. He also heads the Center’s development effort. He has co-authored several commentaries on draft legislation, and a number of amicus briefs in Latin America. He also teaches in the History Department at Brigham Young University. Professor Doxey’s career has been divided between academia and public service. Prior to joining the law school, he was chief of staff and general counsel to Utah governors Mike Leavitt and Olene Walker and served as deputy commissioner of financial institutions and as associate general counsel to the Utah Legislature. He has a PhD in History from Cambridge University and a JD from Brigham Young University. He speaks or reads several languages and has authored several scholarly publications.

Cole Durham is the immediate past President of the International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (ICLARS), and Susa Young Gates University Professor of Law and Founding Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS), at the J. Reuben Clark Law School of Brigham Young University. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, where he was a Note Editor of the Harvard Law Review and Managing Editor of the Harvard International Law Journal. He has been heavily involved in comparative law scholarship, with a special emphasis on comparative constitutional law. He is a founding Editor-in-Chief of the Oxford Journal of Law and Religion. He served as the Secretary of the American Society of Comparative Law from 1989 to 1994. He is an Associate Member of the International Academy of Comparative Law. He served as a General Rapporteur for the topic "Religion and the Secular State" at the 18th Congress of the International Academy of Comparative Law, held in July 2010. He served in earlier years as Chair both of the Comparative Law Section and the Law and Religion Section of the American Association of Law Schools.

Judge Roger Hunt, currently on senior status, served as a US Magistrate Judge from 1992-2000 and was the Chair of the Executive Board of the Ninth Circuit Magistrate Judges Conference when appointed to the District bench. He has served as United States District Judge since May 2000. He was the Chief Judge of the District of Nevada from 2007-2011, when he took senior status. Judge Hunt served on the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council while Chief Judge. He obtained his JD degree, with honors, from George Washington University in 1970 and his BA degree from BYU in History. 

Scott Isaacson is Senior Fellow with the International Center for Law and Religion Studies and a member of the International section of the law firm Kirton McConkie. He advises domestic and foreign businesses and not-for-profit organizations regarding all aspects of international trade and business, with specific emphasis in Latin America. He previously served as International Legal Counsel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, supervising all of the church's legal work in South America. As part of this position, he managed international real estate acquisitions and construction, complex litigation and international arbitration, international tax compliance for not-for-profit organizations, government relations, and legal implementation of new programs. On a regular basis, he makes presentations at international seminars held in countries such as Chile, Argentina, and Mexico about legal matters related to non-profit and religious organizations.  Isaacson is recognized as one of Utah's Legal Elite in international law.

Dr. Azza Karam serves as the Senior Advisor on Culture at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), where she coordinates Fund-wide outreach with faith-based partners and chairs the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on FBO partners on the MDGs and development. Before she joined UNFPA, she was the Senior Policy Research Advisor at the United Nations Development Program in the Regional Bureau for Arab States. Karam also worked as Special Advisor on Middle East and Islamic Affairs and Director of the Women’s Programs at the World Conference of Religions for Peace and as a Senior Program Officer at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. She has served as lecturer at the University of Amsterdam and as the Program Manager at the Centre for the Study of Ethnic Conflict at the Queens University of Belfast. Karam also served as consultant to international organizations in the Arab region, Central Asia, and Europe. Her publications include Transnational Political Islam (2004) and Islamisms, Women and the State (1998).

David Kirkham is Academic Director and a professor at the Brigham Young University London Centre. He serves concurrently as Senior Fellow for Comparative Law and International Policy at the BYU Law School International Center for Law and Religion Studies. He came to BYU in July 2007 from the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, where he served as Associate Dean and Professor of International Politics and Democratic Studies. David has also been an associate professor of History, Director of International History, and Director of International Plans and Programs at the United States Air Force Academy. He conducted international negotiations and diplomatic activities for several years for the US Government and United Nations, including as Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva (with duties primarily in Africa). He has lived seventeen years of his adult life in five European countries (Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France, and Belgium) and officially represented the United States and the UN in some fifty nations on six continents. David's writing and teaching address international human rights, constitutionalism, diplomacy, the United Nations, and the global challenges posed by ideological extremism. He is the editor of the book State Responses to Minority Religions (Ashgate, 2013) as well as co-editor of two recent books on Islam, law, and politics in Europe. He speaks French and German and holds a PhD from George Washington University and a Juris Doctorate from the J. Reuben Clark Law School.

Denise Posse Lindberg was a judge for the Third Judicial District Court in Salt Lake County, Utah. She was appointed to the court by former Governor Michael Leavitt in November 1998 and retired from the bench on January 1, 2015. Lindberg earned her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Utah. She went on to receive her JD degree from Brigham Young University in 1988. Lindberg served as a law clerk for Judge Monroe G. McKay of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor of the United States Supreme Court. Prior to her appointment to the Third Judicial District, she practiced appellate and healthcare law in Washington, D.C., and in Salt Lake City. 

Erlend "Pete" Peterson recently retired from Brigham Young University as Associate International Vice President and fifty years of full-time employment at BYU. For thirty-five years, Pete served in several professional positions in Admissions and Records, with twenty-seven years as Assistant Dean, Associate Dean, and Dean of Admissions and Records. For the past fifteen years he was Associate International Vice President, which included many international roles and hosting. Pete became involved in Brigham Young University’s international efforts in 1973 when he was named assistant dean of the Division of Admissions and Records and given responsibility for Brigham Young University’s special international scholarship programs.  In 1985, he was appointed an "associate" to the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies. In 1996 Pete began the BYU Ambassador Lecture Series and he has invited and hosted over 260 foreign ambassadors from 104 countries. In 1985 Pete was instrumental in establishing the BYU Jordanian Undergraduate Scholarship Program, and in 2006 he established the BYU Jordanian Judges Scholarship Program. Pete managed both scholarship programs until retirement, which included thirty trips to the country of Jordan. Pete’s love for the Middle East began when he lived with his parents in Tehran, Iran from 1951-1954. In 1997, King Harald of Norway recognized Pete for his lifelong service to Norway by knighting him Knight First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, Norway’s highest commendation to a non-Norwegian citizen. Pete began his full-time employment at Brigham Young University in 1966 and holds three degrees from Brigham Young University: a bachelor’s degree in business; a master’s degree in Sociology; and a doctor’s degree in Educational Administration.

Brett G. Scharffs is Rex E. Lee Chair and Professor of Law and Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University Law School. He received a BSBA in international business and an MA in philosophy at Georgetown University and, as a Rhodes Scholar, earned a BPhil in philosophy at Oxford. He received his JD from Yale Law School, where he was senior editor of the Yale Law Journal. He is a recurring visiting professor at Central European University in Budapest and at the University of Adelaide Law School. He has for several years helped organize certificate training programs in religion and the rule of law in China and in Vietnam and has taught and helped organize programs at several Indonesian universities on sharia and human rights. Author of more than 100 articles and book chapters, he has made more than 300 scholarly presentations in 30 countries. His casebook, Law and Religion: National, International and Comparative Perspectives (with Cole Durham, 2nd English edition forthcoming 2017), has been translated into Chinese and Vietnamese, with Turkish, Burmese, and Arabic in process. He is author with Elizabeth Clark of Religion and Law in the USA, a 2016 contribution to Wolters Kluwer’s International Encyclopaedia of Laws.

Dean Smith is a leading figure in the field of law and entrepreneurship and has done foundational work on fiduciary theory. He has also made important contributions to the academic literature on corporate governance and transactional lawyering. During his five years as the Associate Dean of Faculty and Curriculum (2009-14), BYU Law School developed a large number of new course offerings, including a Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic. He has taught at six law schools in the U.S., as well as law programs in Australia, China, England, Finland, France, Germany, and Hong Kong. Before entering academe, Dean Smith clerked for Judge W. Eugene Davis in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and was an associate in the Delaware office of the international law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. He has been the Dean of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University since 2016.

Judge J. Clifford Wallace is 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, Chief Judge, and Senior 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. He has received 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.

Chief Judge B. Lynn Winmill was appointed a United States District Judge for the District of Idaho on August 14, 1995, and entered duty on August 16, 1995. He graduated from Idaho State University in 1974 and from Harvard Law School in 1977. Upon graduation, he practiced law in Denver, Colorado, from 1977-1979, and in Pocatello, Idaho, from 1979 to 1987. He was then appointed as a district judge for the Sixth Judicial District of the State of Idaho in 1987, and served as Administrative District Judge for the Sixth Judicial District from 1992 to 1995. He served as Chairman of the Idaho Evidence Rules Advisory Committee from 1992 to 1995. Judge Winmill was an adjunct professor at Idaho State University and adjunct faculty for the University of Idaho School of Law. He participated in the creation of the Idaho Legal History Society and the Idaho Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Judge Winmill served as a mentor judge at the Federal Judicial Center’s training program for new District Judges and as an instructor at judicial education programs. He has also been involved in training judges and prosecutors from other countries. Since July of 1999, Judge Winmill has served as Chief Judge for the District of Idaho. In addition to those duties, Judge Winmill previously served on the Information Technology Committee for the Judicial Conference of the United States, and has also served as Chair of the Ninth Circuit Information Technology Committee. He previously chaired the Ninth Circuit Conference of Chief District Judges, and is a past President of the Ninth Circuit District Judges Association. He currently serves on the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and on the national board of the Federal Judges Association.

Jane Wise is an associate director at the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School. She comes most recently from twenty years as an adjunct professor (advocacy faculty) at the Law School, where she served on the legal writing and external relations committees. She taught legal writing, lawyering skills, and law and literature courses in the classroom, as well as legal writing classes online. She developed curricula for the American legal academy including materials for English as a–second-language law students, and the writing curriculum she helped design for BYU Law's Rex E. Lee Advocacy Program was ranked 17th in the nation for legal writing programs in law schools by U.S. News and World Report in 2000, and continues to the present. Wise has edited all print publications at BYU Law School for the past fifteen years, and has been editor of the Clark Memorandum, BYU Law School's alumni magazine published bi-annually, since 2001. She is currently a commentor on Public Radio International and National Public Radio, a featured columnist for Salt Lake Tribune and Utah Valley Magazine, and an essayist for the "Music and the Spoken Word", the Sunday morning radio and television broadcast of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Wise holds BA/BFA and JD degrees from the University of Utah. Prior to entering academia she clerked for the Utah Supreme Court and maintained a general practice of law. 

Kevin J Worthen began serving as the 13th president of Brigham Young University on May 1, 2014. He previously served as BYU’s advancement vice president and as dean of its J. Reuben Clark Law School, where he was the Hugh W. Colton Professor of Law. President Worthen was born in Dragerton (now East Carbon–Sunnyside), Utah, and grew up in nearby Price. After serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Monterrey, Mexico, he earned an associate degree at the College of Eastern Utah (now USU Eastern). He then received his bachelor of arts in political science and his juris doctorate from BYU. Following his graduation from the BYU Law School, President Worthen served as a law clerk to Judge Malcolm R. Wilkey of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Justice Byron R. White of the U.S. Supreme Court. After three years of private practice with the law firm of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon in Phoenix, Arizona, President Worthen joined the BYU Law School faculty in 1987. In 1994, he was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Chile Law School in Santiago. He has published extensively on a number of legal topics, with particular emphasis on federal Indian law and the rights of indigenous peoples. 

Mr. Nguyen Cao Dau is Vice Director of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, Ministry of Public Security, and a Member of the Committee of Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations, in charge of facilitating and governing international non-governmental organizations’ operations in Vietnam. He has been working with many religion followers who are heads or representatives of foreign religion charities on how to legally implement charity projects in Vietnam, especially in the southern provinces. In addition, Mr. Nguyen Cao Dau is a researcher on religion issues in Vietnam, studying the diversity of religion development in rural and urban regions for many years.

Le Trung Dun is the Deputy Department Head of Public Security. As such he oversees governmental management of religious activities in Viet Nam. He has conducted professional research on religious subjects and attended many religious conferences throughout the world. He graduated from the University of Security Ha Noi with a degree in People Security and earned a master degree in law from the University of Law Ha Noi. 

Nguyen Duc Tuan is Vice Chairman of the Committee for Religious Affairs, Hanoi City. He served from 2000-2005 as Justice Officer, Vinh Tuy Ward, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi, and in November of 2005 he transferred to the Hanoi Committee for Religious Affairs. In November 2009 he took the position of Deputy Manager of Operations until May of 2010 when he moved to Deputy Head of Administration and General Affairs. In August 2011 he was Head of Administration, General Department, Religion Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, a position which he held until December of 2015 when he became Vice Chairman.

Hien Duy Vu is Head of Specialty Affairs division (SAD) at the Religion Department of the Department of Home Affairs of Hanoi city (DHA/Hanoi). He is in charge of overall state management over the activities of religion in Hanoi city. He has held several positions at the DHA/Hanoi before leading the SAD. His experience includes managing overall administration and Catholicism at the DHA/Hanoi. Mr. Vu has a bachelor's degree in Informatics and a master's degree in Oriental Studies from Hanoi National University. In addition, he participated at several conferences on religion-related topics and religion surveys conducted by Governmental Committee for Religious Affairs, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, the Central Commission for Mass Mobilization, the Institute of Religious Studies, and Hanoi city. 

Justice Ahmed Ebrahim studied law in the United Kingdom where he was admitted as a barrister in 1962. He worked in Zimbabwe’s legal system for decades, starting as a clerk at the Criminal Court in September 1962. He was at the Attorney-General’s Office for 19 years, rising to the position of Director of Public Prosecution, before he was appointed High Court judge in 1984. After serving on the High Court bench for seven years, he was elevated to the Supreme Court where he spent 12 years before he retired in 2002. At his retirement, he was the second most senior judge on the bench behind current Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku. In 2004 he was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award by the Indian government for his outstanding role in fostering good relations between Zimbabwe and India. He is currently one of the five international judges of appeal in Swaziland and is current Chair of the committee set up to probe the Asiagate match-fixing scandal in football.