World Peace Forum 2003

Who are the speakers at the World Peace Forum?

The speakers are highly respected International and Australian leaders from the social, environmental, humanitarian, spiritual & indigenous communities; gathered to acknowledge unity in diversity and to determine the necessary steps forward for a peaceful and sustainable world.

The speakers will discuss how the principles of the Earth Charter and Gandhi's peace philosophy can be practically applied to settle present conflicts & environmental crisis and ensure a future life in peace. 'Be the Change you want to See' will be the theme running through the day.

Chair of Morning Session
	Councillor Kathryn Greiner AO MAICD Chairman of the Sydney Peace Foundation City of Sydney Council Councillor Kathryn Greiner was elected to the City of Sydney Council in September 1995, when she secured the highest primary vote. One of the foundation members of Sydney Alliance, Councillor Greiner represents the many interests and concerns of the City of Sydney. She was re-elected in September 1999, along with her colleague Councillor Nick Farr-Jones. A renowned communicator, her professional career has focussed on community development and services for children. She has also had extensive media experience in both radio and television, hosting her own summer radio program for 3 years. She has been a member of the International Council of the Asia Society since 1991, and was a Foundation Member of the Advisory Council of the Australasia Centre, Melbourne. She is a Director of the Australian Ireland Fund; Chairman of the Sydney Peace Foundation, established to encourage public awareness of initiatives to achieve peace and award the Annual Sydney Peace Prize; and was Chairman of the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal 1998-2001. She is also a member of the Advisory Council of CEPA Trust and a Director of the University of NSW Foundation. In June 2001 Kathryn was appointed an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia in the Queens Birthday Honours List in recognition of her valued service to the community and to local government. Back to Top
Chair of Afternoon Session
	The Hon Justice (retd) Marcus R. Einfeld AO QC PhD The Honourable Marcus Einfeld was Justice of the Federal Court of Australia for almost 15 years (retired 2001), and has also served as a Justice of the Supreme Courts of New South Wales, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. He is presently a Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. As Foundation President of the Australian Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission, Justice Einfeld launched and headed the seminal inquiry into Aboriginal discrimination and dispossession on the NSW and Queensland border which led to substantial changes in the situation and conditions of Aboriginal people. Known as the Toomelah Inquiry, this important initiative was also the origin of the later inquiry by the Human Rights Commission into the Stolen Children. Justice Einfeld has many times been a member of the Australian delegation to international conferences including the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, and has also led several international missions of inquiry and investigations of human rights and refugee issues, including Eastern Europe, The Philippines, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Sri Lanka. As AUSTCARE's Ambassador for Refugees and UNICEF's Ambassador for Children, the Judge has led rescue and relief missions to Bosnia, Kosovo, Vietnam and Pakistan. He is also the President of Australian Legal Resources International, a non-profit independent corporation of judges and lawyers supporting democracy, human rights and the rule of law in developing countries and emerging democracies. In 2002 Justice Einfeld was given the United Nations Peace Award in recognition of his lifetime contribution to law, justice and human rights. He lectures widely on corporate, legal, social justice and equity issues in Australia and many other countries. Back to Top

Confirmed Speakers

His Holiness Vishwaguru Mahamandaleshwar
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda
Initiator of World Peace Forum 2003

Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda was born in Rajasthan (India), and has lived in Austria since 1972. He is one of the world's most loved and respected spiritual Masters, who brought yoga to to the countries of Eastern Europe during communist times. Swamiji has lectured widely for the last thirty years througout Europe, India, and Australia on universal spiritual values, religious tolerance, and nonviolence. His system of Yoga in Daily Life promotes the following principles: physical, mental, social and spiritual health, respect for life of all living beings, tolerance of all religions, cultures and nationalities, protection of human rights and the environment.

Swamiji has been acknowedged by Presidents and Governments alike as a tireless advocate of world peace and commended for the selfless dedication of his life to ease the suffering of humanity. President Vaclav Havel speaks of Swamiji's "selfless spiritual and practical help for the people of Czechoslovakia through the difficult times of the last 18 years." In 2002 the President of Croatia Mr Stjepan Mesic acknowledged Swamiji's humanitarian service to Croatia over the last 30 years with that country's highest award. In Australia he has met with the heads of Christian Churches to foster tolerance and understanding between religions and cultures.

For the last 30 years, Swamiji has been initiating humanitarian aid projects to improve human welfare. Swamiji founded the Gyan Putra Children's Education Scheme in India which aims to provide education to disadvantaged children. Recently Swamiji presented his Desert Rainwater Harvesting Initiative to the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, as a Type II Partnership Initiative.

The first International World Peace Conference initiated by Swamiji was held on October 5, 2002. World Peace and the Message of Mahatma Gandhi took place in Vienna, Austria with 2,000 participants attending from 40 countries, including Ambassadors from 25 countries. It was an impressive 10-hour long event held to promote world peace through understanding, respect and tolerance between religions, cultures and nations.
The World Peace Forum 2003 on peace, ethics and sustainability is part of an ongoing dialogue for world peace. Through these forums Swamiji wishes to unite all people in the spirit of brotherhood and forgiveness and inspire humanity to seek 'inner peace for world peace.'

Senator Aden Ridgeway

Aden Ridgeway was born in Macksville in northern NSW and is from the Gumbayngirr people of that area. Aden spent 14 years in the NSW Public Service working his way from park ranger though policy positions to management. During this time he served on the Sydney ATSIC Regional Council for its first two terms. For five years, he was Executive Director of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council. He was a member of both Indigenous Native Title negotiating teams following the Mabo and Wik decisions and was a member of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation for its last two years.

Aden joined the Australian Democrats in 1990 and was elected as a Democrat Senator for NSW in October 1998. He entered the Senate as Australia's only Indigenous Federal politician in July 1999. He was Australian Democrats' Deputy Leader from April 2001 till October 2002 - the nation's first Indigenous politician to hold a Federal political leadership position.

Aden is the Chairman of Bangarra Aboriginal Dance Company and a board member of the Tikkun Australia Foundation, the Lumbu Indigenous Community Foundation and a trustee of the Charlie Perkins Children's Trust.

Imam Sheikh Mansour Leghaei

Imam Sheikh Mansour Leghaei is the founder and the religious director of the ‘Imam Husain Islamic Centre’ and the ‘School of Islamic Theology’ in Earlwood, Sydney. (www.ihic.org.au).

He has been representative of the Islamic community in many interfaith seminars such as: ‘Spirituality of Great Traditions’ at St. James’ Church, ‘Religious Therapy’ on the occasion of World Day of Cancer @ Sydney University, Ecumenical Service on ‘The Dead Sea Scrolls’ held at the Sydney Art Gallery, and he won the year 2000 Community Service Award from Australian MEFF Consortium Inc.

He was born in 1962 in Abadan-Iran and has a PhD in Islamic Theosophy from Tehran University. Migrated to Australia in early 1994. He is the father of 4 children. And fluent in three languages: Farsi, Arabic and English. Imam Sheikh Mansour Leghaei is the author of many books and articles especially in mysticism and philosophy of religion.

Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp

Awraham Soetendorp was born in 1943 in Amsterdam and survived as a "hidden child". He is Rabbi of the Liberal Jewish Community in The Hague (The Netherlands). He presides over the European Region of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Awraham Soetendorp is Earth Charter Commissioner and a Founding Board Member of Green Cross International.

Awraham Soetendorp is co-chair of the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders, with Sheikh Ahmed Kuftaro, Grand Mufti of Syria. He is also a member of International Advisory Committee of World Peace Summit. He acts as advisor to the American Jewish World Service and is the founder and chair of Hope Foundation for Children for Universal Education.

Awraham Soetendorp participates as a key discussion partner of the World Economic Forum in his function of Religious Leader. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the World Council of Religious Leaders, launched in Bangkok in June 2002.

Visit Green Cross International at www.greencrossinternational.net

His Excellency Most Reverend William Morris

Bishop William Morris has been the Catholic Bishop of Toowoomba for ten years. His huge
diocese covers most of south-western Queensland, extending from the Darling Downs to the
South Australian border. Bishop Morris also has national responsibilities in his Church. He is a
member, and Secretary, of the Bishops’ Committee for Justice, Development, Ecology and
Peace. And he is the Chairman of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council – the Catholic
Church’s national justice and peace agency. It is in this capacity as the Council’s leader that he
will speak top the World Peace Forum.

Bishop Morris’s address will draw on the teaching of two famous Popes – the late Pope John
XXIII (1958-63) and the present Holy Father, Pope John Paul II (elected in 1978).
Less than three months before he died, the much loved John XXIII wrote the encyclical letter
Pacem in Terris (“Peace on Earth”). It was virtually his last will and testament. Addressed not
only to Catholics but (unlike any previous papal encyclical) to all people of good will, it
appeared on 11 April 1963, just forty years ago.
Peace on Earth teaches that peace must have a four-fold basis. It must be “founded on truth,
built according to justice, vivified and integrated by charity, and put into practice in freedom”.

Lama Choedak Rinpoche

Lama Choedak is the founder and Spiritual Director of Sakya Losal Choe Dzong. Born in Tibet, he escaped to Nepal in the early 1960's with his parents and completed his secondary education in Nepal. He was a Sakya Tibetan Buddhist monk and underwent twelve years of rigorous monastic training. During this time, Lama Choedak trained under the guidance of H.E. Chogye Trichen Rinpoche.

In 1980, Lama Choedak completed the traditional three and half year solitary meditation retreat on the Lamdre teachings sponsored by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He has translated for some of the most important teachers of all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism including the late tutors of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Lama Choedak taught and translated at Dorje Chang Institute in Auckland. He has also helped to design teaching programs for many Tibetan Buddhist centres in Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

Having graduated with a Litt. B. in Asian Studies from the Australian National University, he is currently working on his thesis for his Ph.D with the Department of Sociology in Newcastle University.

One of the finest Tibetan teachers living today, Lama Choedak is one of the few Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Masters living in Australia. He has been teaching meditation in the West for over ten years and has an excellent understanding of the western mind. His teachings are lucid, practical and fun!

Read Lama Choedak's Tesimonial for the World Peace Forum

Fleur Nassery Bonnin

Fleur Nassery Bonnin is a Sufi Murshid, a clinical psychologist and the founder of The Australian Centre for Sufism. Originally from Persia, she has practiced in the United States for many years and now lives and works in Australia, focusing on Sufi psychology and spiritual teaching. She believes that psychological and spiritual development are inseparable; both are necessary components in the pursuit of the path to enlightenment.

In Sufism, self-knowledge is the path that leads to the knowledge of God. Therefore, self-realisation as a vehicle for spiritual unfoldment is at the centre of Fleur's teaching. Her emphasis is for the seeker to apply the gained knowledge in every day life experience, in order to develop Divine Consciousness.

Visit the Australian Centre for Sufism at www.australiansuficentre.org

Pearl Wymarra

Pearl Wymarra is a teacher and researcher in the Restoration of people's emotional health and social well-being. She holds a Masters degree in Health Science (Primary Health Care), a Diploma in Primary Teaching and is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Western Sydney. She is the winner of the 1997 Award for University Teaching: Indigenous Education.

Bill Mollison

Founder and director of the Permaculture Institute, Bill is the most experienced Permaculture teacher and designer today. He has taught and developed projects from the Arctic through Sub-tropics and Equatorial regions of the planet. There are few countries left in the world where he has not personally planted the seeds of Permaculture. The Peoples of the Pacific, South East Asia, South Africa and seven Amazonian language groups have been inspired by and acted on his teachings, embracing Permaculture as a dynamic tool. He has also given Courses in the drylands and developed projects with Native Americans, Indigenous Australians, tribal women of the Deccan, Kalahari, San groups and Pima people of the Sonora. In the USA, Europe and Scandinavia, Bill has lectured and helped to develop ecological designs for urban and rural properties, including many city-farms and CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture).

Bill Mollison has been vitally concerned with the environment for over 40 years. His many roles include: scientist, naturalist and University professor. Later he became a vigorous campaigner against environmental exploitation which lead him to develop Permaculture as a positive solution. Since then, Bill has devoted his energies towards designing sustainable systems, writing books and articles on Permaculture, and most importantly teaching.

Permaculture now laps the globe, resulting in hundreds of independent associations involved in the areas of sustainable agriculture, reforestation, education and village economics. His enduring commitment and endless enthusiasm continues as the span and scope of Permaculture broadens. True to his vision, throughout the world, Permaculture is becoming an everyday part of life.

Máire Sheehan

Máire Sheehan is the Mayor of Leichhardt Council, a Program Director at Sydney Tafe and also the mother of two teenage children. Máire was born and raised in Cork, Ireland but came to Australia to live permanently approximately twenty one years ago.

Máire has a Masters in Education and has over fifteen years experience providing customised training to community organisations and government departments. In addition, she also has approximately eight years experience in managing applied research and product development in the VET sector, particularly in the development and delivery of training to groups and individuals with difficulties accessing VET and operator level training.

Máire is a great advocate of local communities, believing that local residents should have a real say in decisions affecting their neighbourhood. She is the co-founder of the state-wide network called Protectors of Public Lands, which opposes the sell-off of historically protected parkland sites. Máire also actively supports the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and the continuous improvement of Sydney's public transport system.

Father Frank Brennan SJ AO

Frank was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1985 and is also a lawyer. Frank returned to Australia from working in East Timor as the Director of the national Jesuit Refugee Service office to re-establish Uniya as the Associate Director in February 2002. Since then he has been working as a legal advocate for Asylum seekers as well as focusing on changing Australia's asylum policy. He is currently writing "Tampering with Asylum" to be published by University of Queensland Press.

The author of many books, Frank's main interests have been in the field of reconciliation and indigenous rights, social justice issues and in constitutional reform. He is a Visiting Fellow in Law at the Australian National University and the University of New South Wales. Frank was the founding Director of Uniya, a Christian Centre for Social Research and Action sponsored by the Australian Jesuits. Some of his writings may be found at the Uniya website. Frank has also been awarded an Order of Australia (AO).

Dr Brendan Mackey

Dr Brendan Mackey is an environmental scientist at The Australian National University involved in research and teaching in the fields of greenhouse science and ecological conservation. He was a member of the Earth Charter core drafting team, and currently serves as Chair of the Earth Charter education advisory committee. Brendan is co-chair of the IUCN (World Conservation Union) Ethics Specialist Group. He is an inaugural member of Catholic Earthcare Australia, the environmental advisory body of the Bishops' Committee for Justice, Development, Ecology and Peace.

Monsignor David Cappo

David Cappo is a Catholic Priest of the Archdiocese of Adelaide. He was given the title of Monsignor by Pope John Paul 11 in 2002. He is currently the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Adelaide. He has qualifications in social work and has worked for both the local and national Church in social policy areas for the most disadvangated and vulnerable in the community.

In the 1970s Monsignor Cappo spent ten years in the delivery of social welfare programs for the State Government Department for Community Welfare. In 1994 he was appointed a member of the executive of the National Council of the Commonwealth Government for the International Year of the Family. He has also served on Commonwealth Government Advisory Boards regarding homelessness and poverty in Australia. In 2002 Monsignor Cappo was appointed by the South Australian State Government to Chair the Social Inclusion Board, a major initiative in bringing about equality of opportunity for citizens to live in dignity.

Monsignor Cappo has also made a public commitment to inter religious dialogue and spoke in 2002 at the World Peace Conference in Vienna. He is a strong advocate for authentic dialogue between religions of the world.

His Excellency Rajendra Rathore
Indian High Commissioner

Mr Rathore is currently the High Commissioner of India, in Canberra. He has extensive experience in the area of foreign and external affairs and has served as Ambassador of India to various countries. His experiences with living abroad have provided him with a deep understanding, insight and respect for the different cultures, religions and beliefs of the world. Mr Rathore is passionate about the cultural and spiritual heritage of his country and strongly advocates Gandhi’s message to the world for peace and tolerance.

Peter Mullins

As CEO of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Peter Mullins has a challenging task. Responsible for advancing Greenpeace's interests in a region covering the North and South Pacific, the Indian Ocean and Antarctica. His office engages the Government, Industry and Communities in 22 countries including Australia. His staff deals with the diverse array of environmental problems across this broad region.

Peter's previous work experience includes diplomatic postings to New Zealand and India when he was with the Department of Foreign Affairs, and a stint running the Rural Lands Protection Board, the largest rural organisation in NSW. At the latter, he was exposed to the full range of land management issues and feels very strongly about them. Peter has a particular interest in ocean and land management.

Jacqueline Furtado

Jacqueline Furtado is 17 yrs old and a student, in yr 12, at Hurlstone Agricultural High School. She is currently involved in many community service events that involve getting young people heard. Jacqueline is a member of the Liverpool Youth Council and is on the organising taskforce of the NSW YMCA Youth Parliament. Jacqueline has a keen interest in politics, and hopes to use her community service as a way into the political world. At university Jacqueline wants to study education because she believes that young people are the future. "The people making decisions about war and peace are making decisions about our future. I think that we, as young people, should be given the opportunity to have our say! We are the future ambassadors of peace!" Jacqueline believes very strongly that violence is not a solution to conflict that peace is the only way. Peace is inevitable!

Gulab Kothari

Mr Gulab Kothari is Editor & Managing Director of a major Indian Newspaper - the Rajasthan Patrika. He is a prolific writer, authoring over ten books on a diverse range of subjects. He is particularly interested in the workings of the human mind and has written a 3 volume series “Manas” – Human Mind. He has also written on ‘The Principles of Communication’, Photojournalism and Newspaper Management. He has won many awards including the National Unity Award and in the year 2000 he won a special award in recognition of his photography.

Mr Gothari is committed to raising awareness of people worldwide about the need for peace and harmony between races, religions and nations.

Format of the Forum

The day begins at 9:00 am with registration and Exhibition viewing.
The speakers program begins at 10:00am opened with an Aboriginal performance and introductory remarks from the Master of Ceremonies.
Speaker modules running for an hour each will be comprised of four speakers speaking for 10 minutes each and then a 20 minute question and answer session. There will be a total of four of these speaker modules for the day.
Throughout the day, between the speaker modules, there will be traditional performances from different faiths. Click here to find out about the performers!
The Forum will close with the signing of the Resolution and a peace candle lighting ceremony.

The Exhibition will also be held along side the Peace Forum to provide a showcase for the peace-inspired work from a variety of Australian humanitarian, environmental, spiritual, business and social service groups. This Exhibition will allow attendees to learn more about the work of these groups and how they can support and contribute to the work of these groups. Click here to see who is exhibiting at the Forum!