Author: Alfredo Casuso

Media Contacts:
David Perry (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com
Isabelle Ortega-Lockwood (415) 570-3235 / iortega@uri.org

San Francisco-Based URI Marks July 4^th with “Peace Building”

Kicking off its 20^th Anniversary Year with last week’s

 “Accelerate Peace Conference”, International Non-Profit Challenges Americans to “Build Peace” this Independence Day

3 July 2019 – San Francisco: “The larger responsibility for all of us, and the next generation, is to create a situation where conflicts are prevented,” said General James Mattis, former Defense Secretary at last week’s unprecedented “Accelerate Peace” Conference at Stanford University, presented by San Francisco-based nonprofit URI. 

“Military leaders have responsibilities as much to support peace as they have to fight wars,” said Mattis. “We have as much a role in the military in peace keeping and peace making as we do in war, because the entire purpose in why we do it is to try and restore a better peace. I vote for peace. I vote for what URI is doing and I endorse it.”

Heading into the nation’s 243^rd birthday celebration, URI wants to make it clear: peace-building is the key to a better world. 

“The best way to celebrate our nation’s independence day is to recommit our world to independence from violence,” said Isabelle Ortega-Lockwood, Communications Director for URI, which kicked off its 20^th anniversary this year. “Our world is experiencing unprecedented levels of pollution, depletion of natural resources, and scarcity of clean drinking water. Hate crimes are on the rise and houses of worship go up in flames. Women’s rights are under attack. Communities are in turmoil, with neighbors living in fear of neighbors. There’s no denying the world is at a turning point. But a world-wide interfaith peacebuilding effort is pushing to turn it in the right direction.”

Responding to the increased fear and stress generated by current events, URI, the world’s largest grassroots interfaith peacebuilding network, hosted an unprecedented international conference at the Hoover Institution on theStanford University campus on June 26-27. Accelerate Peace: Interfaith Action in Global Peacebuilding gathered representatives of the world’s religious, spiritual, and Indigenous traditions to explore interfaith strategies for addressing humanity’s most pressing issues and find actionable solutions.

In addition to General Mattis, keynote speakers included:

• H.E. Adama Dieng, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the Prevention of Genocide; and Azza M. Karam, Senior Adviser at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Coordinator of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Religion and Development; addressing ending religiously-motivated violence

• Valarie Kaur, Founder of the Revolutionary Love Project, delivering the Call to Action Keynote to combat the rising fear, Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism, hate speech, and violent crimes that divide communities

• Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Secretary-General of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, addressing Women’s Empowerment and Environmental Sustainability in a time of global crisis for both

• Young leaders from around the world addressing the immediacy of youth impact on international events in “From NextGen to GenNOW: Young Leaders Bringing Interfaith Action to the World”

General Mattis’ words echo an earlier endorsement from former Secretary of State Hon. George P. Shultz, who singled out URI’s work in building bridges across religious and cultural differences as the kind of positive, non-military approach that must be supported to deal with the rising violence of religious extremism: “I think that things like this are to be encouraged because they get people of different religions together…and get them working together.”

URI (United Religions Initiative) is the largest grassroots interfaith peacebuilding network in the world. It cultivates peace and justice by engaging people to bridge religious and cultural differences and work together for the good of their communities. It implements its mission in 109 countries through local and global initiatives that build the capacity of nearly 1000 member groups and organizations, called Cooperation Circles, to engage in community action such as conflict resolution and reconciliation, environmental sustainability, education, women’s and youth programs, and advocacy for human rights. 

URI holds the prestigious distinction of being a non-governmental organization (NGO) with consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and has long-standing partnerships with several other UN agencies.

Learn more at URI.org.

Alison Healy

Executive Director of Alliance for Smiles

The seed for Alison’s career was planted early on, when her father was Peace Corps Director in Brazil and the Congo.  This was her first exposure to other cultures and the riches that come with learning new approaches to life and helping others who are less fortunate than yourself.

It wasn’t until much later that Alison got the “gotta give back” bug which led to her becoming Volunteer Director of the AIDS Walk Picnic for 30,000 people.  As a result, she started searching for a more meaningful career.  After selling her catering and special events business, Alison set out to sea as a deck hand and coordinator of the Soviet-American sailing exchange on board HMS Rose (in Master and Commander).  While overseas, she became forever changed by the magic of cultural exchanges which occurred on board.  She later founded the Pacific Rim Foundation (PRF), an international non-profit, which allowed her to recruit and host international tall ships from around the world while also working as a diplomatic liaison to embassies, naval attaches, and their ex-pat communities.  

Now as CEO of Alliance for Smiles, Alison feels right at home running a nonprofit organization which is dedicated to transforming lives and to creating international friendships and understanding as a platform for peace.  She is buoyed daily by the community of support surrounding Alliance for Smiles, allowing her to strategically plan for a successful future by implementing new programming and fundraising practices.

Alison was educated at Massachusetts College of Art and Design as well as Presidio and Stanford Graduate Schools.  She lives in Sausalito, CA with her Mexican-born husband and son and loves to sail on the weekends.  Alison is a Rotarian.

Interview with Alison Healy, CEO, Alliance for Smiles

1. Why is cleft a world-wide problem that often takes 10 operations to resolve?

Cleft lip and palate are the second most common birth anomalies in the world. Although we do not know all the reasons for cleft births, we do know that nutrition, iron, environment and genetic disposition play an important role in determining who will be born with cleft. The first operation on a cleft patient takes care of their lip or their palate, but after that there are many more steps to recovery. These can include multiple operations for bone grafting, rhinoplasty, orthodonture, dental care, as well as on-going speech therapy, all of which must continue until the facial bones have stopped growing.

2. What makes Alliance for Smiles different from other cleft organizations?

Alliance for Smiles (AfS), like all cleft organizations, orchestrates missions to other countries where we operate on cleft children’s lips and palates. However, unlike other organizations, AfS offers two other program options.  AfS offers educational missions to instruct and share knowledge with medical professionals such as medical students, doctors, nursing students and nurses. Additionally, AfS has long term treatment center programs which partner local medical professionals in four disciplines with four of our team members of the same discipline. These two teams work together twice a year, with communication in between visits, so that eventually the local team will feel confident to work on their own to handle cleft patients from the first operation to the last. This sustainable programming is what makes us unique.

We also have a medical fellowship program for adults 18 years and older. This two-week program offers an unique and hands-on opportunity to observe in the operating room, learn cleft techniques, transport and hold beautiful babies, speak extensively with our medial professionals in the OR and during meals, and more. 

3. How do you decide where to go operate on children?

We go wherever there is a need and a local partner which can help us with logistics and procuring the facility and patients we need. By the end of 2020, we will have been to 15 countries in our 16-year history. 

4. How do you fund your missions and how can people get involved to donate or volunteer?

We fund our missions through many corporations, foundations, and private donors.   We are always seeking new partners who are committed to demonstrating social responsibility – to help sustain our missions and to grow our treatment centers.

Volunteers can sign up to work in the office, at our annual gala or on missions online at allianceforsmiles.org. We take mostly medical personnel on missions, but we do have a few non-medical positions on each mission too. Because of our close ties to Rotary clubs and districts, many of our non-medical volunteers are Rotarians and are committed to the basic philosophy of Rotary which is “service above self” and “creating international bridges of understanding and goodwill”.

Donations can be made online at allianceforsmiles.org. 

5. How has working with Alliance for Smiles changed your life?

I feel more purposeful having a job that is also my passion. Helping others and creating bridges to intercultural understanding which I believe are the platform for building peace, makes me get out of bed raring to go every morning. I feel that we each have a duty to give back to others and to our planet and I always try to do my part. 

6. Talk to us about this year’s missions: where are you going and to which countries for the first time?

In the next year we have ten missions which is average for us. We are very excited to be adding several new countries to our list: Egypt, Honduras, Guatemala, and we are returning to the Philippines after a 10-year hiatus.  Each new country we enter requires a lot of groundwork to establish the in-county contacts and to determine what needs to be adjusted for a new site and a different culture. Sometimes it can take as long as two years to plan a mission and to raise the needed funds; the average mission costs $90,000 which covers an average of 90 children’s operations. 

7. What is the biggest misconception about cleft lip and palate anomalies and those who are born with it? 

Understandably, most people think the problem is just what you can see, the lip. As I explained earlier, it is often up to 10 surgeries that are needed, not just one. It is a long process that requires regular follow-up and a medical team dedicated to cleft care to ensure that a child finishes care with all the support services having been involved.

In less developed countries, it is common to hear that the devil or a bad deed in a past life has caused a child to be born with cleft.  This kind of thinking can be changed with education and indeed, many countries now have a better understanding of the myriad of reasons a child may be born with cleft. 

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

June 26-27, 2019

at the Hoover Institution

Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA

8:00 to 9:00 Registration

9:00 to 10:00 OpeningCeremony

Welcome Kiran Bali, MBE JP, Chair of the URI GlobalCouncil

The Rev. Victor H. Kazanjian Jr., Executive Director of URI

The Hon. George P. Shultz, Thomas W. and Susan B. Ford Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution

The Rev. Dr. Tiffany Steinwert, Dean for Religious Life, Stanford University

Rabbi Patricia Karlin-Neumann, Senior Associate Dean for Religious Life, Stanford University

Sughra Ahmed, Associate Dean for Religious Life, Stanford University

Indigenous Land Acknowledgement

A CantataofPeace From Sapient by Steve Chesne

Composer Steven Chesne spent a year unearthing ancient peace invocations and prayers from all over the world: words of the oneness of humankind, spoken by Buddha, Lao Tzu, Jesus, Mohammed, Sikhs, Hindus, Jews, Cheyenne, Kikuyu, and Baha’i.

Procession of Belief Traditions and Regions of the World

Leaders: Members of the URI Global Council and Staff

Remembering Victims of Violence and Injustice

Leaders: Rabbi Stephen Pearce, D.D., Ph.D. Sr. Rabbi Emeritus and Taube Scholar, TempleEmanu’el

Adeola Fearon, founder of the Charlotte Red Bench URI Cooperation Circle, Chair URI North America Leadership Council

Abraham Karickam, Regional Coordinator for URI-Asia, South Zone

Karimah Stauch, Regional Coordinator for URI-Europe

Enoé Texier, Professor Central University of Venezuela, Regional Coordinator, URI-Latin America and the Caribbean

Overview Kiran Bali, MBE JP, Chair of the URI GlobalCouncil

The Rev. Victor H. Kazanjian Jr., Executive Director of URI

10:00  to 10:30 Accelerating Peace Opening Appreciative InquiryActivity

Moderator: Sally Mahé, Senior Consultant,URI

Participants are asked to turn to a neighbor and ask their partner the following questions. Each person will have 15 minutes.

Appreciative Inquiry: Interfaith Action in Global Peacebuilding

1. To start, I’d like to learn a little about who you are. Please tell me your name, where you live and what drew you to this conference about interfaith efforts towards global peace building?
2. Our beliefs come from many places in our lives, religion, spirituality, culture. What is something you value deeply in your beliefs that informs how you think about and practice peace?
3. Though the story is still largely untold,  thousands upon thousands of people of different beliefs throughout the  world,  are reaching across boundaries to work together. In what ways have you seen or heard about interfaith peacebuilding in action?

10:45 to 12:00 Session I: Peacebuilding through Promoting Enduring, Daily Interfaith Cooperation: From Dialogue toAction

What is interfaith action? How does interfaith action fit into the larger framework of global peacebuilding? This session will explore the field of interfaith peacebuilding and the relationship between interfaith understanding, interfaith dialogue and interfaith action in the global and local peacebuilding process.

Moderator: The Rev. Victor H. Kazanjian, Jr, Executive Director,URI

Panelists: The Rev. Jennifer Bailey, Founder and Director of the Faith Matters Network Radia Bakkouch, President of Coexister, France, a URI Cooperation Circle Maria Crespo, Director of Cooperation Circle Support, URI

Audrey Kitagawa, Chair of the Parliament of the World’s Religions

Phil Lane, Hereditary Chief, Ihanktonwan Dakota and Chickasaw Nations, URI Trustee

Rabbi Daniel Lehmann, President of the General Theological Union

Michael Pappas, Executive Director of the San Francisco Interfaith Council, a URI Cooperation Circle

12:00 to 1:15 Lunch andKeynote

Speaker: H. E. Adama Dieng, Under Secretary General of the United Nations and Special Adviser to the Secretary- General of the United Nations on the Prevention ofGenocide

Introduced by Wambui Ngige, Human Rights Attorney, URI Global Trustee

1:15 to 1:30 Musical Performance – Pato Banton and Antoinette Rootsdawtah, Pato Banton’s Spiritual Family,  a URI CooperationCircle

1:30 to 2:30 Session II: Voices for a World Free of NuclearWeapons

Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons is a URI Cooperation Circle composed of dynamic voices from across the political, professional, and spiritual spectrums who have united in a single purpose: to eliminate nuclear weapons once and for all. This group of dedicated peacebuilders, which includes diplomats, scientists, lawyers and religious leaders created a video entitled “A Prayer from Voice s for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons” which we will view and then hear from our speakers during this session.

Speakers: Kehkashan Basu, Founder and President of Green HopeFoundation

Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute

The Rt. Rev. William Swing, Founder and President, URI

2:30 to 2:45 Break

2:45 to 4:15 Session III: Ending Religiously MotivatedViolence

Violence in the name of religion has become one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. This session will explore how interfaith efforts to confront this challenge are a critical component of the overall effort to counter violent extremism, prevent mass atrocity and genocide, rebuild communities and societies post-conflict, build the positive relationships between people of different beliefs and create the conditions that are essential to sustainable peace.

Video Case Presentation: Countering Violent Extremism in Nigeria Introduced by Emmanuel Ivorgba, West Africa Regional Coordinator, URI

Moderator: Azza Karam, Senior Advisor at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); Coordinator of the UN Inter- Agency Task Force on Religion and Development, UnitedNations

Panelists: Samira Barucija, Co-founder of Youth For Peace, Bosnia/Herzegovina, a URI CooperationCircle

Mussie Hailu, Former Ambassador, Director of the Global Partnerships and Africa Coordinator for URI

Mamoun Khreisat, Middle East and North Africa Regional Coordinator, URI

James Patton, President and CEO, International Center for Religion and Diplomacy Musa Sanguila, Director of Pakigdait, Philippines,  a  URI  Cooperation  Circle Jessica Trubowitch, Public Policy and Community Building Director JCRC –Jewish

Community Relations Council

Janessa Gans Wilder, Founder and Executive Director of the Euphrates Institute, a URI Cooperation Circle

4:45 to 5:30 Keynote Conversation – A Bishop and General Talk aboutPeace

Theologian Hans Kung wrote, “There will be no peace among nations, without peace among religions.” Throughout human history, religion has been used as a motivation and justification for war, while at the same time religion has been used to inspire people to seek peace. In this session, Bishop William Swing and General James Mattis discuss issues of religion, war and peace.

Speakers: General James N. Mattis, Davies Family Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Former United States Secretary ofDefense

The Rt. Rev. William Swing, Founder and President of URI, former Episcopal Bishop of California

5:30 to 6:30 Reception

6:30 to 8:30 URI Circles of Light Gala & AwardsCeremony

(Separately ticketed event)

1. Celebrating the kick off to URI’s 20th Anniversary Year
2. URI Awards Ceremony
   • URI Global Peacebuilder Awards
   • The URI Bowes Award

Thursday, June 27, 2019

8:00 to 9:00 Registration

8:00 to 9:00 Breakfast andNetworking

9:00 to 9:30 Waters of the WorldCeremony

The Waters of the World Ceremony, led by Indigenous peacebuilders, brings waters that come  from over 150 sacred water sources in 65 countries on all seven continents and from the Seven Seas. These waters have been mixed and added to in ceremonies of the United Nations, the United Religions Initiative, the Parliament of the World’s Religions, and the Goldin Institute for International Partnership and Peace. They are mingled as a blessing for all beings of the Earth, in the hope that we may live in peace.

Leaders: Don Frew, Elder and National Interfaith Representative of the Covenant of the Goddess, URITrustee

Phil Lane, Hereditary Chief, Ihanktonwan Dakota and Chickasaw Nations, URI Trustee

Sofia Painequeo, Mapuche Indigenous Leader and Founder of the Aflailai Foundation, a URI Cooperation Circle, URI Trustee

Vilma Palax Tuy, Descendientes de Guatamaya, a URI Cooperation Circle

Audri Scott Williams, Trail of Dreams Peacewalkers, a URI Cooperation Circle, URI Trustee

9:30    to 11:00 Session IV: Building Cultures of Peace, Justice andHealing

for the Earth and all Living Beings: Women’s Empowerment and Environmental Sustainability

As women’s lives and well-being continue to be disproportionately impacted by ongoing violence, injustice and oppression, and the Earth and her inhabitants suffer from the impact of environmental degradation, interfaith peacebuilders are engaging these critical issues on a global and local scale.  This  session will explore these issues through on the ground examples and invite participants into dialogue around strategies for women’s empowerment and environmental sustainability.

Speaker: Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Secretary General of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, a URI Cooperation Circle Introduced by Subhi Dhupar, URI Regional Coordinator for URI-Asia NorthIndia

Video Case Presentation: Women’s Empowerment and Environmental Sustainability

Presented by: Amira Diamond and Melinda Kramer, Founders and Co-directors of the Women’s Earth Alliance

Moderator: Kiran Bali, MBE JP, Chair of the Global Council of Trustees forURI

Panelists: Despina Namwembe, Regional Coordinator for URI-Africa GreatLakes

Swamini Adityananda Saraswati, Director of Programmes, Policy and Development of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA), a URI Cooperation Circle

Sofia Painequeo, Mapuche Indigenous Leader and Founder of the Aflailai Foundation, a URI Cooperation Circle

Monica Willard, URI Representative to the United Nations

11:15 to 12:30 Session V: Building Cultures of Peace, Justice and Healing for the Earth and all Living Beings: Global Organizations and GrassrootsPartnerships

Too often in the peacebuilding process a gap exists between global organizations and those at the grassroots engaged in work that seeks to address critical issues including conflict, violence and  injustice.  The session will explore strategies for closing this gap and why global organizations are prioritizing grassroots partnerships.

Moderator: Suzanne Siskel, Executive Vice President and COO, The Asia Foundation, URI President’sCouncil

Panelists: Kate Cumbo, Executive Director, PeaceJamFoundation

Mohamed Elsanousi, Director of The Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers

Rabbi  Serena Eisenberg, AJC Northern California Director

Brian Grimm, Religious Freedom and Business  Foundation

Susan Hayward, Senior Advisor, Religion & Inclusive Societies, United States Institute for Peace

Aqueela Jogee, Vice President of Programs, Give2Asia

12:30 to 1:30 Lunch

1:30 to 2:00 Call to ActionKeynote

Speaker: Valarie Kaur, Founder of The Revolutionary LoveProject

Valarie Kaur has become one of the most dynamic leaders in the  interfaith movement, challenging us to ground the movement in an ethic of love. In describing The Revolutionary Love Movement and calling us to action, Valarie Kaur says, “We believe  Revolutionary Love is the call of our times. In an era of enormous  rage, we must resist dangerous policies and acts of hate that threaten our most vulnerable communities. But resistance alone will not deliver us: We will burn out or even start to mirror the  rage we  are resisting.  So we are staging a cultural intervention to birth a new  future. Our mission: to equip our movements and  communities with tools to labor in love —  love  for others, our opponents, and ourselves. When we pour love in these three directions, then love becomes revolutionary.”

2:00 to 3:00 Call to ActionStorytellers

Responding to the Call to Action through love for others,  our  opponents and  ourselves,  these  interfaith leaders weave their stories together reflecting on their own traditions, that which calls them to action and how they in turn call us to be interfaith peacebuilders in our communities and in our world.

Storytellers: Subhi Dhupar, URI Regional Coordinator for NorthIndia

Daniel Eror, Youth for Peace, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a URI Cooperation Circle

Sari Heidenreich, URI North America Regional Coordinator

Vincent Leong, Young Leader URI SEAPAC, Malaysia

Johnny Martin, Youth Director, Arizona Interfaith Network, a URI Cooperation Circle

Wambui Ngige, Human Rights Attorney, Kenya, URI Trustee

Sarah Oliver, Youth Programs Coordinator Southern Africa for URI

Ishaq Pathan, Deputy Director, Islamic Networks Group (ING)

Vilma Palax Tuy, Descendientes de Guatamaya, a URI Cooperation Circle

Shayda Sales, URI Program Associate

Elle Segal, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Manager, JCRC San Francisco

Valeria Vergani, Director of the InterSpiritual Sustainability Society, Canada, URI Trustee

3:00 to 4:00 Call to Action WorldCafé

Using the World Café dialogue process, participants will engage three questions about their experience at the conference and how they intend to put their learnings into action. Discussion at Tables

1. What insights have you had or questions have arisen from our time together at this conference?
2. Has something changed in how you understand Interfaith Action and Global Peacebuilding?
3. What immediate and longer term actions are you inspired to pursue as you leave the conference?

4:00 to 4:30 Closing Ceremony

4:30 to 5:15 Closing Reception

Onsite Media Contact:David Perry (415) 676-7007
Media Advisory / Onsite Coverage Request: Wednesday, June 26: 9am – 8:30pm *

WHAT:On June 26 & 27 in Stanford, California, URI convenes an unprecedented international gathering of grassroots leaders and policy makers from around the world for the Accelerate Peace Conference, exploring interfaith strategies for global and local peacebuilding.
WHERE:Hoover InstitutionDavid & Joan Traitel BuildingStanford University Campus435 Lasuen Mall
WHO:URI’s Accelerate Peace Conference keynote speakers and panelists include:

• Kehkashan Basu, Founder/President of Green Hope Foundation
• H.E. Adama Dieng, UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide
• Dr. Azza Karam, Senior Advisor on Culture at the United Nations Population Fund
• Audrey Kitagawa, Chair of the Parliament of the World’s Religions
• Valarie Kaur, Human Rights Activist and founder of The Revolutionary Love Project
• The Rev. Victor Kazanjian, Executive Director of URI
• Rabbi Daniel Lehmann, President of the Graduate Theological Union
• Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Secretary General of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance

• The conference will also feature a special keynote conversation entitled “A Bishop and a General Talk about Peace” between former Secretary of Defense, General James N. Mattis, and The Right Rev. William E. Swing, Founder and President of URI.  

WEB / FULL PROGRAM:

• URI.org/acceleratepeace
  

WHY:URI works in 109 countries through local and global initiatives that build the capacity of over 1000 member groups and organizations, called Cooperation Circles. These groups engage in community action such as conflict resolution and reconciliation, environmental sustainability, education, women’s and youth programs, and advocacy for human rights. 

The evening culminates with the Circle of Light Gala, honoring George & Charlotte Shultz.