WAVE_Conference_Report

 Event Report First International Conference on World Against Violence and Extremism December 9-­‐10, 2014 Tehran, Iran 2 | www.ipis.ir Introduction The First International Conference on the World Against Violence and Extremism was held from the 9th to the 10th of December 2014 in Tehran by the Institute of Political and International Studies (IPIS), with the presence and participation of scholars and officials from over 40 countries. The following report outlines the most notable material presented and discussed during the two-­‐day conference. Opening Remarks The Conference opened with remarks from Mohammad Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mostafa Zahrani, Director General of IPIS, who both welcomed the event as “an effective and useful step towards reaching the goals laid out by the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the UN General Assembly” and further emphasised how this conference would be a vital tool in the implementation of the president’s proposal to combat violence and extremism. President Hassan Rouhani, presiding over the conference, began by addressing the need for dialogue on violence that persists in parts of the world, especially the Middle East. He stressed that both countries and movements must maximize their cooperation, understanding, coordination, and vigour to fight violent extremism and move towards more symbiotic and rational policy-­‐making. Rouhani continued by emphasizing that if powerful states can coordinate with each other, radical movements will be sidelined and violence can be eradicated in a short time: “All institutions and organs of the Islamic Republic of Iran are coordinated around this national aim and if the region’s countries reach consensus in this arena, they can impel such anti-­‐Islamic movements such as ISIS to the sideline in a short matter of time and release thousands of homeless men, women, 3 | www.ipis.ir and children who have been held captive by the violence.” He added that with sufficient regional coordination there is no need for foreign intervention. Considering extremist ideologies as just one of the paths leading to violence, Rouhani added that underdevelopment and unmet basic material needs, unemployment, poverty, and a lack of supportive public infrastructure paves the ground for violence, as is the case in the Middle East and other regions in the world. The exclusion and division of people in society at the national and international level automatically provides the conditions for a culture of violence and insecurity to develop at a global dimension. Other acts of structural violence Rouhani pointed to, including sanction and economic and political threats, are considered violations to human rights and basic freedoms and pose a serious security challenge in the international system. He added that growing inequality has furthered these challenges, bringing about 1) violence that has stemmed from despotic regimes that are not recognising nor responding to their people’s rights, 2) foreign intervention and various forms of neo-­‐
colonialism that has remitted those societies’ abilities to reduce poverty and eliminate violence on their own, 3) widespread corruption in administrative systems and development management, and 4) failed response to state despotism. In response to the manifestations of violence encountered, Rouhani emphasised the need to strengthen cultural and religious tolerance and recognise the cultural rights of all human beings in order to reduce the potential of violence based on cultural distinctions: “We must look beyond the obvious forms of violence and injustice and strengthen our mechanisms to overcome them…we invite the global community to adopt a strategy [to eliminate violence] in accordance with universal rationalism derived from the idea of justice and the rejection of extremism.” Efforts such as developing and deepening dialogue among states and civil society, developing public education, acknowledging the importance of women, youth, religious scholars, intellectuals, 4 | www.ipis.ir academics, and artists in the development of knowledge, and the promotion of cultural, economic, and political cooperation can quicken the process that promotes a culture of tolerance and peace in the fight against violence and extremism. The President announced ten proposals for immediate action against terrorism and extremism across the region and the world. His first proposal announced that countries that assisted the formation of terrorism must clearly announce their discordance from terrorists and cut their direct and indirect financial supports to these groups. The money should be relocated to aid the victim countries to fight against terrorism by providing them with financial, military, and informational assistance. Iraq and Syria have been exposed to unprecedented mental and material losses and the President stressed that the countries that assisted in causing these countries’ strife must take responsibility for the financial compensation of these losses. Other proposals put forth were: •
The need for international assistance to reconstruct destroyed houses, religious sites, and infrastructure destroyed by terrorist acts and damages arising from military operations; •
The establishment of an international fund to help develop employment and investment growth in countries that are victim to international terrorism; •
Regional cooperation to reform the public education system and religious schools to counter extremist, excommunication, and violent interpretations of religious teachings as well as regional cooperation in exchanging information to combat terrorism; •
The need for national and international media to seriously inform the public about the threats of terrorist activities and prevent the manipulation of the unemployed and marginalised; •
Global cooperation to counter the misuse of cyber space and social networks by terrorist groups and operations; 5 | www.ipis.ir •
Blocking the transit of terrorists and violent operations; •
Enhancing necessary mechanisms in this arena; •
Designating December 18 as the day of “World Against Violence and Extremism” which coincides with the anniversary of the UN General Assembly in 2014 He also noted that the United Nations has thus far been paralyzed from taking action and the inefficiency of the Security Council in cases of serious threats to international peace and security has encouraged aggressors on the one hand and disappointed victims on the other, paving the way for more violence. Reforms of the current UN processes should be considered with a firm will if the dialogue on violence is to take part at the international level. Rouhani expressed his hope that this Conference would provide effective and practical guidelines and recommendations in order to promote a culture of peace and tolerance and fight against violence and extremism by enhancing mutual understanding. 6 | www.ipis.ir Violence and Extremism: An International Perspective The general session opened with the first speaker, Sayyid Ali Khomeini, who distinguished between theoretical and practical aspects of extremism and stressed that although fighting terrorist and extremist groups requires practical ambition, there must be concern about countering them theoretically and intellectually. He stressed that international institutions and countries around the world should attempt to counter all aspects of terrorism and violence, including Israel’s violence, which threatens peace and stability in the world. The second speaker, Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan’s former President continued, pointing out Pakistan has experienced major injuries as a result of violence and terrorism, including the murder of Benazir Bhutto, one of the greatest leaders of the country. He believed a considerable problem in the region has been the violence resulting from the struggle between Shiites and Sunnis and said many of the terrorist activities have been directly related to the actions of great powers; the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1970s led to great national and regional instability and now, only through regional collaboration can any significant action take place to combat regional terrorist activities. The third speaker, Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Prime Minister of Norway enumerated several of the terrorist events occurring in Europe and around the world, including those of ISIS which he believes has painted a negative representation of Islam and contributed to the rise of Islamophobia. Bondevik believes the lack of sense of belonging and identity many European Muslim youth feel in the European Community, is a major factor of why many European youths have been joining ISIS. He also confirmed that dialogue between different religions and increasing mutual understanding are key factors for countering extremist groups’ attempts of recruitment. Dominique de Villepin, France’s former Prime Minister, also considered this conference as the symbol of Iran’s moderation and efforts to stabilise the region. According to Villepin, globalisation has weakened the nation-­‐state system allowing non-­‐governmental groups and services to grow; this has also allowed extremist groups to have a stronger voice in the international system. 7 | www.ipis.ir Villepin believes that if Iran resolves its nuclear issues, it will be seen as a stronger actor in developing regional peace and stability. Afghanistan’s deputy chief executive officer, Mohammad Mohaghegh, listed the lack of tolerance and acceptance of intellectual and cultural diversity, ignorance and unawareness, discrimination, tyranny, and poverty as the main reasons for violence in the Middle East. Accordingly, he believes spreading knowledge and awareness is one of the most important tools in combating violence and extremism. He stressed, reform of the education system should be on the agenda of all countries in the region given that the education taught in religious schools is one of the methods of recruiting and developing the ideas of extremist groups. He also believes cutting financial and logistics support to terrorist groups as well as military confrontation should be considered. Violence and Extremism, Terrorism and Globalisation 8 | www.ipis.ir The afternoon session opened with Alireza Moayyeri, head of the National Centre for Globalisation Studies, who spoke about the importance of ethical standards in combating violence. Hossein Joma, chairman of the Arab Writers Union in Syria followed explaining the politics of Islam as repetitively being skewed and misinterpreted, many times under the supervision of Western governments such as the rise of Wahhabism and the Al-­‐Saud family under the endorsement of the British government. The following speaker, Joshi Sunjoy, director of the Observer Research Foundation in India, briefly explained his notion of globalisation as creating two opposing worlds: one that encourages growth and technology, the other plundering it and bringing about more violence. Elshad Iskandarov, Azerbaijani statesman and former Chairman of State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations of Azerbaijan, underlined the principles that he believes terrorist movements are grounded on: •
Revenge: foreign interventions and resulting losses set the ground for revenge from affected nations •
Identity: youth who are seeking new identities and have been caught up in the trap of political movements •
Ideology: like identity, it is aimed at recruiting forces for excommunicating movements •
Adventure: the youth in many Islamic countries are socially limited and therefore in thirst of more adventure, resulting in an attraction to excommunicating groups He concluded stating the most important consideration must be the differentiation between religious radicalism and non-­‐religious extremism, condemning all forms of violence against innocent people, and seeking the establishment of a moderate Islamic collective. 9 | www.ipis.ir According to David Gorombolyi, Hungary’s State Department Counterterrorism Coordinator, terrorism has also evolved with globalisation, taking advantage of new technologies and communication outlets: “New weapons are in the form of software and most of the wars are cyber wars. In fact, the new IT system gave rise to a new form of terrorism.” He concluded that more coordination is needed from international organisations to better inform youth about the harm terrorism incurs, given the world is seeing the presence of so many young Europeans in terrorist groups. Hadi Khaniki, professor at Allama Tabatabai University, briefly outlined the two proposals Iran has put forth to the UN in the past fifteen years: the first by Mohammad Khatami concerning increasing dialogue between civilizations; the second by Hassan Rouhani concerning increasing dialogue and action for a world against violence and extremism. In regards to the second proposal, Khaniki believes the Muslim world should be at the front for discussions on ethnicity, language, and religion within the region as the greatest conflicts are being fought between Islamic countries. To this end, Khaniki mentioned dialogue has been increasing with the initiation of conferences such as Scholars of the Muslim World held in Qom, which addressed the roots and teachings of excommunicating movements and how to prevent their proliferation. 10 | www.ipis.ir Violence and Extremism: A Regional Perspective: Europe The first speaker, Georgios Iacovou, former Foreign Minister of Cyprus, expressed his concerns about the rising number of European youth joining terrorist organisations and contended that he is united with Iran’s president that the UN should prioritise the fight against terrorism as one of its primary goals. Budimir Loncar, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the former Yugoslavia, followed saying the role Tehran has played in holding this conference is already a sign that Iran is taking a more active role in the international scene, making use of its geopolitical and historical role. According to Loncar, problems due to globalisation which have led to increased violence and extremism include rising inequality due to neo-­‐liberal policies and lack of good governance, political stress and tensions in communities which has led to increasing ethnic differences and political instability, and social liberalisation. 11 | www.ipis.ir Austria’s former Defence Minister, Werner Fasslabend continued that the root of many conflicts in the Middle East stem from the European colonialists’ division of the region. In regards to fighting ISIS, Fasslabend believes increasing the affected areas’ border control, cutting ISIS’s communication lines, and introducing a stronger Iraqi and Syrian army to the war zone can help strengthen the fight against ISIS. Jan Oberg, Director of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research in Sweden emphasised the need to limit and end the international selling of weapons to propagate violence and Richard Bacon, Member of the British Parliament, added that due to the US and its allies’ activities in the region along with regional poverty and class differences, problems have worsened in the Middle East. He concluded stating that these problems will not be resolved “without taking Iran and its role into consideration.” The session ended with Fyodor Lukyanov, head of Russia’s Council on Foreign and Defence Policy, stating that weaknesses of state institutions in the region have been at the source of causing unusual activities leading to violence and extremism: “Some countries, democratic or not, aren’t able to generate systematic structures to meet the needs of people.” Violence and Extremism: A Regional Perspective: Asia Opening the session, Ashot Kovakimian, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Armenia, argued that Armenian minority groups have been among the most vulnerable groups ISIS has been attacking as ethnic and religious hatred against Christians becomes stronger in some areas. Atiqullah Atismal, Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan referred to the causes of terrorism and the role drug trafficking plays in supporting terrorist groups in the country. Deputy Foreign Minister of Tajikistan, Nizamuddin Zohidov pointed to the ongoing violence and strife in Afghanistan as one of the greatest threats to the region and asked the international community not to leave Afghanistan alone in the future. 12 | www.ipis.ir Referring to the experience of the Filipino government in making peace with internal Islamist groups after four years of war, Teresita Quintos Deles, Philippine’s Presidential Advisor, described peace as the product of four factors: leadership, trust, justice, and protection. Martin Fleischer, Vice President of the East-­‐West Institute of Brussels described interaction with all members of the UN and in particular the Security Council as one of the methods to eliminate ISIS’s resources. Varun Sahni of the Jawaharlal Nehru University considered mediation between religious and indigenous cultures along with the introduction of alternative options for youth as necessary strategies to combat violence and extremism. Day Two
Violence and Extremism: A Regional Perspective : Africa 13 | www.ipis.ir Arnold Luethold, Head of Operations of the Middle East and North Africa at the DCAF Institute expressed his belief in developing public awareness, an inclusive education system, and contact groups for sharing problems and finding solutions to better address security-­‐building. Referring to the historical situation of Africa regarding violence and terrorism, Mohammad Abdul-­‐Aziz, Dean of the Faculty of Political Studies, University of Algeria, considered ISIS and Boko Haram as groups who have the power to act at a continental level. He put forth proposals for fighting against terrorism, including giving importance to the economic and social demands of the people of Africa, preventing foreign intervention, resolving internal conflicts, and prioritising dialogue and collective security. Hesam-­‐Al Din Ali Abdullah, Sudan’s Ministry Coordinator for Counterrorism, pointed out that due to Sudan’s land and sea borders with nine neighbouring countries, the country has been the target of many terrorist attacks. Because of this, Sudan has developed a counter-­‐terrorism strategy that directly fights against terrorists through military and legal confrontations and international cooperation. Abdullah concluded that transparent information exchanges among all countries regarding terrorism and emphasising the role of clergymen, religious scholars, and mosques in intellectual counter-­‐terrorism must be a priority in countering violence and extremism. Violence and Extremism: A Regional Perspective: America The first speaker, Samuel Santos Lopez, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua condemned the use of different tools for generating instability in the region and believes leaders play a major role in overcoming violence and extremism. He concluded stating we should protest sanction policies and move towards global disarmament. Jim Slattery, former Member of US Congress stressed increasing dialogue among practitioners of different faiths and developing deeper connections awareness of the commonalities among human beings to better react against extremism and allows violence to be eradicated. Protogenes Pinheiro Queiroz, Member of Brazil’s Federal Parliament argued 14 | www.ipis.ir that in order to establish peace, “Strengthening of domestic measures such as strict control of borders and international cooperation in this area is needed, however none of these measures alone are sufficient.” He concluded emphasising that repressive measures cannot be a good solution. Violence and Extremism: Culture and Religion The first speaker, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick reiterated his belief for developing more common understanding, respect, and cooperation between people and states to achieve peace and patience. He also praised the North American Muslim community’s action in issuing a fatwa condemning terrorism. The next speaker, Archbishop Brayson Chin, explained that violence and terrorism are definitions of human failure, however religious authorities can help generate cultural peace and shared moral values. He condemned ISIS for their actions believing the group to be “against God and humanity” and 15 | www.ipis.ir reiterated that religions can rely on their commonalities through sharing and communicating with each other. Saba Naqavi, editor of Outlook magazine, explained how attributing violence to a single religion or state is wrong; instead she emphasised, we should be looking at the commonalities between religions and cultures to find the unifying elements of humanity. Mohammad Ishaq Madani, Iranian advisor on Sunni affairs underlined how the acts of violence occurring in the name of Islam are a great injustice to the religion and defy the very verses and laws Muslims abide by. Tanya Mikhailova, Director of the Diplomatic Institute of Bulgaria likened the role of diplomats to that of poets who can only work through words but with those words can work to remove borders. The session concluded with Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani who noted that though ISIS acts under the pretext of religion, the custodians of the world’s religions should not remain silent but should cry out against these barbaric acts and disown the organisation’s allegiance to any religion. Violence and Extremism: Poverty and Illiteracy The session opened with Paolo Cotta-­‐Ramusino, Secretary General of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs who expressed his concern that poverty and illiteracy plays an important role in extremism. He went on to mention other factors effective in spreading extremism such as social injustice and oligarchic power. Esther Kuisch Laroche, Director and Representative of UNESCO Tehran, emphasised the role of education in preventing extremism, believing “access to education should be provided for all especially children and women. Education generates and presents a new concept of tolerance and mutual understanding and helps eliminate discrimination and religious intolerance.” Former Minister of Youth, Sports, Women and Family of Tunisia, Fathi Tuzi believes the relationship between poverty, violence, and extremism cannot be raised as a causal link. 16 | www.ipis.ir Instead she mentioned lack of confidence and tranquillity, repression, and the instrumental exploitation of the poor by politicians and organised crime as motives that push people towards violence. She later went on to describe the challenges the world faces against combatting violence: absence of appropriate policies to counter violence, lack of involvement of people in the political arena, and corruption of regimes which leads to the degradation of a governing moral power. She concluded listing solutions that can counteract these challenges: designing family support plans, formulating new policies for healthy coexisting cities, and appropriately investing in classical and non-­‐
classical quality education as well as expanding youth opportunity-­‐building programs. Flavius Caba Maria, Director of the Department of Middle Eastern Political and Economic Institute, Romania, noted that terrorist activities in different regions occur for different reasons and affect the area in different ways; therefore the international community must find different ways to counter these movements: “In West African countries, terrorist activities occur mainly for political reasons but in the Middle East, especially in Egypt, the people of the lower classes with low incomes are engaged in terrorist activities and the economy plays a major role in this context.” He continued saying the creation of equal economic and future-­‐building opportunities for youth reduces terrorist activities as high unemployment rates have been found directly related to terrorist activities. The final speaker, Abdul Hamid Dashti, Chairman of the Human Rights Committee in the Kuwaiti Parliament concluded the session stating both Islam and Christianity reject terrorist activities and while in the current situation where the global community points the finger at Islam, the accusation is far from reality. Closing Remarks The final statements, presented by Dr. Mostafa Zahrani and Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, noted some of the fundamental points about violence and extremism discussed during the conference: violence and extremism are multifaceted, 17 | www.ipis.ir multilevel, and multifactor phenomena which are not new but have turned into a deep aspiration for some people, especially the youth around the world, and are being used as tools for personal, sectarian, and national interests. Zahrani reiterated violence and extremism are outcomes of wrong policies that have been especially affecting the Middle East. Zarif concluded stating the President’s proposal at the UN General Assembly last year represents Iran’s view in countering this phenomenon and expressed his belief that only through collective will, can extremism and violence be countered. 18 | www.ipis.ir Conference Agenda First International Conference on World Against Violence and Extremism December 9-­‐10, 2014 Tehran, Iran Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) Monday, December 8, 2014 Reception 18:00 Parsian Azadi Hotel (Zarrin Hall) Tuesday, December 9, 2014 7:45 Departure from Lobby of Azadi Hotel to the Summit Conference Hall 800-­‐9:00 Registration & Coffee Inauguration 9:00-­‐9:15 Recitation of the Holy Quran and National Anthem of the I. R. of Iran Welcoming Remarks: Mohammad Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Iran Mostafa Zahrani, Chairman of the Conference, Director General of IPIS 9:15-­‐10:00 Opening Remarks: H.E. Dr. Hassan Rouhani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran 19 | www.ipis.ir Plenary Session Violence and Extremism: International Perspective 10:00-­‐12:00 Hojjat al-­‐Islam Sayed Ali Khomeini Asif Ali Zardari, Former President of Pakistan Kjell Magne Bondevik, Former Prime Minister of Norway Mohammad Mohaghegh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Afghanistan Dominique de Villepin, Former Prime Minister of France Moderator Mohammad Nahavandian, Head of Presidential Office, I.R. Iran Conference to be Continued at IPIS: Shahid Aghayee St., Niavaran Ave. 12:00 – 14:00 Lunch Session 1 (Panel 1) Violence and Extremism: A Regional Outlook (Middle East) Venue: Alborz Hal 14:00-­‐15:30 Ibrahim al-­‐Jáfari, Minister of Foreign Affair, Republic of Iraq Walid al-­‐Muallem, Minister of Foreign Affair,Syria Adnan Mansour, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Lebonon Ali Akbar Velayati, Former Minister of the Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Iran Jean-­‐Marie Guhenno, President, International Crisis Group Habib bin Mohammad Alriami, Deputy Foreign Minister, Oman Saleh Zawawi, Ambassador of Palestine, Dean of Diplomatic Corps, Tehran Moderator Ali Dabagh, Former Iraqi Government Spokesman Session 1 (Panel 2) Violence and Extremism: Terrorism and Globalization Venue: Aras Hall 14:00-­‐15:30 Husein Juma 'a, President of Arab Writers Union, Syria Joshi Sunjoy, Director, Observer Research Foundation, India 20 | www.ipis.ir Elshad Iskandarov, Secretary General, Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation, Azerbaijan David Gorombolyi, Counter-­‐Terrorism Coordinator, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hungary Qotaiba Aljebori, Minister of Environment, Iraq Hadi Khaniki, Alame-­‐Tabatabaee University, Islamic Republic of Iran Moderator Alireza Moayeri, Chairman, National Center for Globalization Studies, Islamic Republic of Iran 15:30-­‐16:00 Coffee Break Session 2 (Panel 1) Violence and Extremism: A Regional Outlook (Europe) Venue: Aras Hall 16:00-­‐17:30 Georgios Iacovou, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cyprus Werner Fasslabend, Former Minister of Defense, Republic of Austria Jan Oberg, Director, Transnational Foundation for Peace & Future Research, Sweden Richard Bacon, Member of Parliament, United Kingdom Fyodor Lukyanov, Chairman of Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Russia Budimir Loncar, Former Minister of Foreign Affair of Former Yugoslavia, Croatia Moderator Herald Kindermann, German Council on Foreign Relations Session 2 (Panel 2) Violence and Extremism: A Regional Outlook (Asia) Venue: Alborz Hall 16:00-­‐17:30 Atiqullah Atismal, Acting Foreign Minister, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Teresita Quintos Deles, Minister, Advisor to the President on Peace Process, Philippines Nizomiddin Shamsiddinzoda Zohidi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Tajikistan Ashot Hovakimian, Deputy Foreign Minister, Armenia 21 | www.ipis.ir Varun Sahni, Professor, Jawaharalal Nehru University, India Martin Fleischer, Vice President of East-­‐West Institute, Brussels Moderator Henrik Preben Syse, PRIO, Norway, Nobel Peace Prize Committee 20:00 Dinner Reception hosted by H. E. Dr. Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Iran (Parsian Azadi Hotel, Zarrin Hall) Wednesday, December 10, 2014 Session 3 (Panel 1) Violence and Extremism: A Regional Outlook (Africa) Venue: Aras Hall 8:30-­‐10:00 Arnold Luethold, Head of Operations Middle East & North Africa, DCAF, Switzerland Mohammed Abdolaziz, Head of Algerian School of Diplomatic Studies, Algeria Kareem Abdulfatah, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Egypt Esam Aldin Ali Abdollah, Coordinator for Counter Terrorism, Interior Ministry of Sudan Moderator Thore Ottar Vestby, Mayor for Peace, Norway Session 3 (Panel 2) Violence and Extremism: A Regional Outlook (America) Venue: Alborz Hall 8:30-­‐10:00 José Vicente Rangel Avalos, Executive Vice President, Venezuela Samuel Santos López, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Nicaragua Flix Carlos Bieber Ponce de Leon, Head of Foreign Affairs Committee, Uruguay Edward Pardes, Advisor to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ecuador Jim Slattery, Former Congressman, USA Proto – Genes Pinheiro De Queiroz, Federal Parliament Member, Brazil Moderator Tanya Mikhailova, Director, Diplomatic Institute of Bulgaria 10:00 – 10:30 Coffee Break 22 | www.ipis.ir Session 4 (Panel 1) Violence and Extremism: Religion & Culture Venue: Alborz Hall 10:30-­‐12:00 Cardinal Theodore Mc Carrick, USA Mohamed Shaheem, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Republic of Maldives Saba Naqavi, Editor of Outlook, India Mohammad Eshagh Madani, Molavi, University Professor, Islamic Republic of Iran Mark D. Siljander, Quest to Bridge the Muslim Christian Divide, USA Moderator: Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani, Director, Center for Jurisprudence of A'emmeh Athar (PBUT) Session 4 (Panel 2) Violence and Extremism: Poverty and Illiteracy Venue: Aras Hall 10:30-­‐12:00 Esther Kuisch-­‐Laroche, UNESCO Representative to the Islamic Republic of Iran Fathi Touzri, Former Minister of Youth, Sports, Women and Family, Republic of Tunisia Flavius Caba Maria, Director of the Economic Department Middle East Political and Economic Institute, Romania Abdulhamid Dashti, Chairman of the Human Rights Committee, Parliament of Kuwait Moderator: Paolo Cotta Ramusino, Secretary General of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs 12:00 – 14:00 Lunch Closing Session Venue: Alborz Hall 14:00-­‐15:30 Concluding Report by Chairman of the Conference Remarks by: Mohammad Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Iran 23 | www.ipis.ir List of Speakers (in Alpapetic Order) •
Mohammad Abdul-­‐Aziz, Dean of the Faculty of Political Studies, University of Algeria •
Hesam Al Din Ali Abdullah, Ministry Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Sudan •
Atiqullah Atismal, Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan •
Richard Bacon, Member of British Parliament •
Brayson Chin, Anglican Archbishop, United States •
Abdul Hamid Dashti, Chairman of the Human Rights Committee in Kuwaiti Parliament •
Teresita Quintos Deles, Presidential Advisor on Peace Process, Philippines •
Kjell Magne Bondevik, Former Prime Minister of Norway •
Werner Fasslabend, Former Defense Minister, Austria •
Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani, Head of Department of Jurisprudence Centre of Pure Imams, Iran •
Martin Fleischer, Vice President, Director of the East-­‐West Institute Brussels Center •
Ashot Hovakimian, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Armenia •
David Gorombolyi, State Department Counterterrorism Coordinator, Hungary •
Elshad Iskandarov, Chairman of the Youth Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation, Azerbaijan •
Hussein Joma, Chairman of Arab Writers Union, Syria •
Hadi Khaniki, Professor at Allama Tabatabai University, Iran •
Seyyid Ali Khomeini, Grandson of Former Supreme Leader of Iran 24 | www.ipis.ir •
Herald Kinermann, Chairman of the German Council of Foreign Relations •
Georgios Lacovou, Former Foreign Ministeer of Cyprus •
Esther Kuisch Laroche, Director and Representative of UNESCO Tehran •
Budimir Loncar, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Former Yugoslavia, Croatia •
Arnold Luethold, Head of Operations Middle East and North Africa, DCAF Institute, Sweden •
Fyodor Lukyanov, Director of Russia’s Council on Foreign and Defence Policy •
Samuel Santos Lopez, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicaragua •
Mohammad Ishaq Madani, Chief Advisor of Sunni Affairs, Iran •
Flavius Caba Maria, Director of the Department of Middle Eastern Political and Economic Institute, Romania •
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church •
Tanya Mikhailova, Director of the Diplomatic Institute, Bulgaria •
Alireza Moayeri, Director of the National Center for Globalisation Studies, Iran •
Mohammad Mohaghegh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Afghanistan •
Saba Naqavi, Editor of Outlook Magazine, India •
Mohammad Nahavandian, Iranian President’s Chief of Staff •
Jan Oberg, Director of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, Sweden •
Proto-­‐Genes Pinheiro De Queiroz, Member of Brazilian Parliament •
Paolo Cotta Ramusino, Secretary General of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, Italy 25 | www.ipis.ir •
Hassan Rouhani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran •
Varun Sahni, Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, India •
Jim Slattery, Former Member of US Congress •
Joshi Sunjoy, Director of the Observer Research Foundation, India •
Fathi Tuzi, Former Minister of Youth, Sports, Women, Family, Tunisia •
Dominique de Villepin, Former Prime Minister of France •
Mostafa Zahrani, Director General of the Institute for Political and International Studies •
Asif Ali Zardari, Former President of Pakistan •
Mohammad Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Iran •
Nizamuddin Zohidov, Deputy Foreign Minister of Tajikistan 26 | www.ipis.ir