News Releases

Jan. 13, 2005

Registration Ends Jan. 24 for International Conference
on Unity and Diversity
Event to Include U.N. Representatives, Scholars, Artists
and Religious and Community Leaders

Seattle — Jan. 24 is the deadline to register for the upcoming International Conference on Unity and Diversity in Religion and Culture. The conference will occur Jan. 27 to 30 at the Seattle Center. Program information and online registration are available at www.networkforpeace.org. The registration fee is $200.

The conference offers a unique opportunity to engage in dialogue with prominent scholars, UNESCO representatives, center directors, artists, religious leaders and community leaders from around the world. Participants include:

  • Liubava Moreva, national officer for culture of the UNESCO Moscow Office
  • Rosa Guerreiro, head of the UNESCO Interreligious Dialogue Program
  • and Raymond Sommereyns, director of the United Nations Outreach Division in the Department of Public Information, who will give a lecture on the United Nations Program “Dialogue Among Civilizations.”

Nine universities and colleges in the Pacific Northwest will co-host the conference, in partnership with the UNESCO Chair on Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, Their Specific Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue.

The presentations and dialogue will focus on the psychological and philosophical issues underlying the dynamics of contemporary culture. The goal is to develop a “new paradigm of communication” — new ways of understanding and addressing the problems facing humanity. The program consists of academic and artistic presentations interwoven with dialogue, in plenary sessions and four focus groups. The work of each focus group culminates with a focal event.

The Four Focus Groups with Focal Events

Being in Transition: The focal event of this track is a roundtable discussion moderated by Liubava Moreva, national officer for culture of the UNESCO Moscow Office, and Stephen Shankman, director of the Oregon Humanities Center of the University of Oregon. The discussion will focus on the psychological and philosophical challenges of the dynamics of contemporary culture.

Identity: This group will focus on issues of identity related to national, cultural and religious identity, culminating with a discussion on the question: “What changes in consciousness are required for humankind to develop a global identity?” The focal event will include presentations by Jeffrey Rediger, director of McLean Hospital SE (Harvard); and James O’Dea, president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences. O’Dea is the former director of the Washington, D.C., office of Amnesty International.

Trustworthiness (& Justice): The trustworthiness and justice focus group will examine the relationship between trustworthiness, forgiveness and justice. The group’s work will culminate in a workshop titled “Forgive for Good,” offered by Fred Luskin, director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project Dialogue. Participants will include Erich Schellhammer, director of justice studies of the Peace and Conflict Division of Royal Roads University.

Notions of Truth: This focus group will include leading thinkers such as Vincent Shen, Lee chair of Chinese thought and culture of the University of Toronto; James Wellman, professor of Western religion of the Jackson School for International Studies, University of Washington; and Mohamed Mestiri of the International Institute for Islamic Thought. The focal event will involve the arts.

Community: Each day will end with a plenary session designed to integrate the findings of the separate focus groups. The conference will conclude Sunday, Jan. 30 with a plenary session to explore the possibility of future collaborations and program.

For more information:
Skye Burn, Project Director
360-527-3006
skyeburn@onebox.com
www.networkforpeace.org

The media is welcome at this event.
To make arrangements, please contact Skye Burn.