G20 Interfaith Summit: Economic Development and Religious Freedom

Griffith University would like to invite you to an:

Interfaith Summit - Ecomomic Development and Religious Freedom

• Religious Freedom and the Unleashing of Social Capital

• Religion, Social Cohesion and Economic Factors in Development

• Finding Economic Synergies through Interfaith Cooperation

Location: Crowne Plaza - 2807 Gold Coast Highway Surfers Paradise, Queensland Australia  Dates: November 16-18, 2104

To register for the conference, or more information go to: griffith.edu.au/conference/g20-interfaith-summit

The G20 Leaders Summit being held in Brisbane in November 2014 aims at promoting global development in a variety of ways.  Yet the latest empirical research demonstrates that in most parts of the world, development objectives cannot be optimized without taking the role of religion into account.

The  G20 Interfaith Summit addresses this challenge by enabling prominent politicians and religious leaders together with some of the world’s foremost experts on these issues for three days of discussion and dialogue.

Exploring the Religious Dimension of Development
Following this year’s G20 Leaders Summit in Brisbane, the G20 Interfaith Summit is being convened on Queensland’s Gold Coast from November 16-18 to bring global and national experts together to discuss the role of religion and religious freedom in enhancing development. Confirmed speakers are coming from an array of countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India, Malaysia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, USA, and Uruguay, with many others invited and expected.

Speakers Include:

• Brian Adams, Director, Centre for Interfaith & Cultural Dialogue, Griffith University
• Carmen Asiain, President, Latin American Consortium for Law and Religion Studies
• Paul Babie, Associate Dean and Director, Research Unit for the Study of Society, Law and Religion, Adelaide Law School
• Des Cahill, Professor of Intercultural Studies, RMIT University, Australia and Co-President  of Religions for Peace, Asia
• Ram A. Cnaan, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, and Chair of the Doctoral Program in Social Welfare at the University of Pennsylvania
• W. Cole Durham, Jr., President, International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (Milan, Italy)
• Neil Foster, Newcastle University Law School
• Brian Grim, President, Religious Freedom and Business Foundation; previously, Senior Researcher, Pew Research Center’s forum on Religion and Public Life
• Rachael Kohn,  Ph.D., Producer and Presenter with ABC Radio National
• Andrew Markus, School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies, Monash University
• Juan Navarro Floria, Professor of Civil Law, Pontificia Universidad Catolica Argentina
• Katrina Lantos Swett, Chair, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
• Tim Wilson, Australian Human Rights Commissioner
• Augusto Zimmermann, Senior Lecturer, Murdock University and Commissioner of the Law Reform Commission of Western Australia
• Members of National Parliaments
• Representatives of major religious humanitarian aid organizations
• An interfaith panel from the United Arab Emirates will consider the extent and impact of religious freedom in the Middle East

Registration Pricing:

General Admission Fee: $AUD 100 per day or $AUD250 for the whole conference.

Concession Fee (For Students, Pensioners, Griffith University Staff, Government Officials and Not-for- Profit Organizations):  $AUD 75 per day or $AUD 190 for the whole conference.  An “Early Bird” 10% discount is available for registrations completed by September 30, 2014.

Registration fee includes access to all workshops, panels and plenary sessions, plus Sunday evening dinner and reception, Monday lunch and dinner, Tuesday lunch and all conference refreshment breaks, as well as conference materials.

To register for the conference, or for other information about the hotel or the conference, go to: griffith.edu.au/conference/g20-interfaith-summit