We are delighted to be partnering with the Commonwealth Secretariat for what promises to be an interesting and informative webinar.

We will explore the causes and effects of war and militarism in different settings, and showcase innovative approaches being used to support youth-led, intergenerational peacebuilding efforts at global, regional, national, and local levels.

The webinar will offer cross-cultural perspectives on militarism and war from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. It will feature inspiring speakers from World BEYOND War, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and their respective youth networks: the World BEYOND War Youth Network (WBWYN) and the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network (CYPAN). The webinar is designed to be a place for sharing, learning, and envisioning new possibilities for action.

Panelists:

• David Swanson - Co-founder and Executive Director. World BEYOND War - USA

• Dr. Terri-Ann Gilbert-Roberts - Research Manager, The Commonwealth Secretariat – Jamaica

• Chiara Anfuso – young peacebuilder and activist, and member and Co-chair of the World BEYOND War Youth Network – Italy

• Christine Odera – Coordinator of the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassador Network, CWPAN) – Kenya

• Tareq Layka - Dentist, activist, peacebuilder, and member of the WBW Youth Network - Syria

• Fahmida Faiza - Lawyer, Youth Policy Advocate, Peacebuilder – Bangladesh

• Angelo Cardona - Human rights defender, peace and disarmament activist, and member of World BEYOND War Youth Network and Advisory Board - Colombia

• Epah Mfortaw Nyukechen - Founding President of the University of Buea International Relations and Conflicts Resolution Students' Association – Cameroon

Moderator:

• Dr. Phill Gittins - Education Director, World BEYOND War - England

David Swanson is an author, activist, journalist, and radio host. He is cofounder and executive director of WorldBeyondWar.org and campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org. Swanson’s books include War Is A Lie. He blogs at DavidSwanson.org and WarIsACrime.org. He hosts Talk Nation Radio. He is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and was awarded the 2018 Peace Prize by the U.S. Peace Memorial Foundation. Longer bio and photos and videos here. Follow him on Twitter: @davidcnswanson and FaceBook, Longer bio.  Sample videos. Areas of focus: Swanson has spoken on all variety of topics related to war and peace. Facebook and Twitter.

Terri-Ann is the Research Manager (Economic, Youth and Sustainable Development) at The Commonwealth Secretariat. She has over 17 years of experience in research, policy and programme formulation in international development, regionalism and youth participation in labor markets, justice systems and governance processes. Terri-Ann holds a Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Sheffield, an MSc in Development Planning (Distinction) from the University College London and a BSc (First Class Honours) in International Relations from the University of the West Indies.

Chiara Anfuso, a member and among the founders of the World Beyond War Youth Network, is a young peacebuilder and activist from Italy. She currently is in her final academic year of a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and Organizations (BSc) at the Leiden University.

Christine Odera is a fierce youth advocate for peace, she is the Coordinator and among the founders of the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network which brings together young people from across the Commonwealth to upscale and optimize grassroots, national, regional and Pan-Commonwealth efforts to promote peace, respect & understanding and preventing violent extremism

Tareq Layka is a dentist, activist, and peacebuilder. He is one of the founding members of the World BEYOND War Youth Network (WBWYN) . His work focuses on the interdisciplinary nature of issues facing the world ranging from Global Health to peacebuilding and human rights activism. His interests originated from living through the conflict in Syria and witnessing the dynamics of the war and its effects on all aspects of life.

Fahmida Faiza is a youth peacebuilder and social activist from Bangladesh. After completing her legal education from the UK, she is currently working as a safeguarding expert drafting and implementing policies to protect women and children in the South Asian football industry from all kinds of harassment and abuse. As a youth leader from her community, Fahmida has dedicatedly worked with the Commonwealth, UN, OIC and other international stakeholders to ensure an environment for young people to thrive and free from violence.

Angelo Cardona, a member of World BEYOND War’s Youth Network and Advisory Board, is a human rights defender, peace and disarmament activist. He is representative of Latin America in the Council of the Nobel-peace prize winning International Peace Bureau (IPB). Co-founder and President of the Ibero-American Alliance for Peace, member of the International Steering Committee of the Global Campaign on Military Spending.

Epah Mfortaw Nyukechen is a final year student at the University of Buea, Cameroon reading a BSc in International Relations and a minor in Conflict Resolution. He is a former student of War, Diplomacy and Global leadership at King’s College, London, UK. He believes in learning through understanding numerous perspectives as a necessary tool for not only transforming ideas into workable solution that would work for all but providing sustainable development of an individual, community, society and the world as a whole.

Moderator:

Phill Gittins is the Education Director for World BEYOND War. He is a practitioner-scholar with over 20 years’ leadership, programming, and analysis experience in the areas of peace, education, psychotherapy, and youth and community development. He holds a PhD in International Conflict Analysis, MA in Education, and BA (First Class Honours) in Youth and Community Work.

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