Hon. Justice Dr. Dr. h.c. Adel Omar Sherif
Deputy Chief Justice, Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt

Dr. h.c. Adel Omar Sherif is the Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt and a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at Dedman School of Law, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. He also serves as a Vice President of the International Judicial Academy in Washington, D.C. USA.

Prior to his arrival to the bench as a DCJ in 2002, Justice Sherif, had occasionally been delegated to serve, in addition to his main judicial work, as a part-time legal adviser to several government agencies, including the Prime Minister's Office, the Egyptian Antiquities Organization, the Cultural Palaces Organization, the Real-Estate Bank of Egypt, and the Cairo Regional Center for International Commercial Arbitration. At the time-being he is a member of the Specialized National Councils, Administrative Development Sector, faculty member at Helwan university law school in Cairo and many other legal associations and academic institutions both inside Egypt and outside. At the international level, Justice Sherif is a council member of Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law (CIMEL) at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London, a member of the International Board of Judicial Advisers for the Judges Newsletter of The Hague Conference on Private International Law and a member of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights' Judicial Reference Group.

In the environment area, Justice Sherif is a member of both the judicial advisory board to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); a member of the specialist judicial group and the soil specialist group at the International Union for Conservation of the Nature (IUCN). In addition, Justice Sherif serves as a Secretary General for the Arab Supreme Courts Union for the Protection of the Environment, and he is also a member of the Executive Planning Committee of the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, INECE, Washington, DC, USA. Further, Justice Sherif has recently been selected as a member of the Steering Committee of the Commission on Environmental Law at the IUCN.

Justice Sherif was a Visiting Fellow at the Human Rights Law Centre of the College of Law, DePaul University in Chicago, IL in 1992, the Human Rights Centre of the University of Essex from 1993—94, the Federal Judicial Center in Washington D.C. in 1996 a Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Law, McGill University from 1998-99. As of the Spring Semester of 2008, Justice Sherif has been a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Comparative Law at Dedman School of Law, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA.

Justice Sherif has contributed significantly to the development of the international judicial cooperation movement, especially throughout his direct engagement in the activities of various international judicial forums, including his membership of the Judicial Group on Strengthen Judicial Integrity, who developed the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct. In addition, he often represents the Egyptian judicial community in international events, conferences and seminars. Moreover, he has served as the Rapporteur of a series of international human rights conferences known collectively as "The Cairo Conference" and for two regional and international conferences on capacity building of judges on environmental law.

In 2005, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan awarded Justice Sherif the Medal of the Constitution of Kazakhstan. In addition, in 2007, the Ateneo de Davao University in the Philippines conferred upon Justice Sherif an honorary doctorate degree in laws.

He has written and published widely on various legal aspects including human rights, constitutional issues, Islamic law and environmental law.

Hon'ble Mr Justice Eugene Cotran
LLD, FCIArb, Chartered Arbitrator

Eugene Cotran was called to the Bar in 1959 and practiced principally in the Privy Council, Commonwealth law and Immigration law at 2 Paper Buildings. He is also a member of the Bar of several Commonwealth African Countries. At the same time he joined the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) where he carried out extensive research in African law and a Restatement of African Law for the Kenyan Government. He thereafter became a Lecturer at the School. His extensive publications resulted in an LLD awarded by the University of London.

In 1977 he was appointed a High Court Judge in Kenya and served there until 1982.
On return to London and until 1992, he resumed his practice in the same fields at 2 Paper Buildings and rejoined SOAS as a Visiting Professor and Chairman of the Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law. During practice he acted as Constitutional Advisor in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya, Brunei and Palestine (where he has been serving on the Board of Commissioners of the Palestinian Independent Commission of Human Rights).

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Chartered Arbitrator and acted as Chairman or member of various international arbitrations conducted by the ICC, LCIA and the Euro-Arab Arbitration system.

He was appointed a Recorder in 1989 and a Circuit Judge in 1992. He also sat as a chairman of the Immigration Appeal Tribunal. He retired from the Circuit bench in 2007 and pursues his work at SOAS, sits as an International Arbitrator and provides legal consultancy in the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf. He is a Consultant to the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Civil and Commercial Court and its Judiciary.

His Excellency Michel de Salaberry
Former Ambassador
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Canada

Michel De Salaberry is a former Canadian Ambassador to Egypt , Iran and Jordan . He also served as former Deputy Director, Middle East Division, Chief of Staff to the Minister for Constitutional Affairs, and Director, Middle East Relations Division at Foreign Affairs Canada. Since retirement in January 2005, he returned to active service as Canadian Government representative in Southern Afghanistan for part of 2007. He is now engaged in a number of civil society activities with L'Arche communities of the mentally handicapped in both Gatineau and Bethlehem-Azzarieh, Future Generations Canada (community development in Bamian province, Afghanistan), and the New Day Foundation for cultural dialogue between Canada and Iran.

Professor Nihal Jayawickrama

Consultant to United Nations Agencies on Governance & Judicial reform and Co-ordinator of the UN-Sponsored Judicial Integrity Group

Dr Nihal Jayawickrama practised law in Sri Lanka before serving as Attorney General and then Secretary for Justice. He was Vice-Chairman of the Sri Lanka Delegation to the UN General Assembly, a member of the Judicial Service Advisory Board of Sri Lanka, and a Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. Professor of Law at the University of Hong Kong (1984-1997) and the Ariel F Sallows Professor of Human Rights at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada (1992-1993), he was Executive Director of Transparency International in Berlin (1997-2000). He is currently a consultant to United Nations agencies on governance and judicial reform, and Co-ordinator of the UN-sponsored Judicial Integrity Group.

Mr. Anwar Fazal
Professor

Professor Dato' Anwar Fazal is a "comprehensivist" who makes things happen. He is a catalyst, a multiplier and accelerator of ideas and movements with a passion for pioneering global citizen's networks on public interest issues affecting peace-peace with oneself, peace with others and peace with the planet.

He has taught economics at the Royal Military Academy and served with the city of George Town (a UNESCO Heritage Site) and the United Nations, where he worked on issues of urbanization in Asia and the Pacific. He is a founder and key player in several global citizens' consumer and environment networks, including being President of the International Organisation of Consumers Union (IOCU), The Hague, Netherlands and Environment Liaison Centre International, Nairobi Kenya. He initiated several popular mobilization days- World Consumer Rights Day (March 15), World Wetlands Day (February 1st) and World Migrants Day(18th December).

Currently, he co-chairs the USM/United Nations University Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development and also is Vice-Chairperson of SahabatAlam Malaysia (SAM).

Forhis work, Anwar has received the Right Livelihood Award (popularly known as the"Alternative Nobel Prize"), the United Nations Environment Programme Global 500honor, Mother Earth News Hall of Fame, the Gandhi-King-Ikeda Community BuildersPeace Award and the Malaysian Government's Langkawi Environment Award.

Anwaris currently the Director of the Right Livelihood College, which aims todisseminate and strengthen wisdom and skills for a positive future. He is basedat the Centre for Policy Research and International Studies(CenPRIS),Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.

Professor Dr. Mohammad
El-Shahat l-Gendy

The Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs & Member of Islamic Research Academy of Al- Azhar

Professor Dr. Mohammad El-Shahat El-Gendy is the Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and a member of Islamic Research Academy of Al- Azhar. He also serves as a Professor and Head of Department of Shari`ah and Law- Faculty of Law- Helwan University in Cairo where he used to be the former Dean of that department.

. He has authored and published extensively in Islamic Shari'a field and conducted a number of comparative studies between Islam and international law.

Mr Nasri Marco, Ph.D.
President & Founder, Sharm El Sheikh International Arbitration Center, Egypt, "SHIAC", Member of the Board of Directors of the European Court of Arbitration "ECA", Member of the Executive Committee of the European Court of Arbitration

Dr. Nasri Marco is a lawyer at the Court of Cassation and the High Constitutional Court of Egypt. He has special expertise in the fields of commercial arbitration, corporate law, civil and international law. Moreover he is Founder and President of the new Sharm el Sheikh International Arbitration Centre (SHIAC), Sharm el Sheikh/Egypt. He is an attorney with long and extensive experience in commercial arbitration. As an international arbitrator, Dr. Marco is accredited on the panel of the Comibasal Arbitration Center – Egypt. He is also an accredited sole arbitrator in front of the Egyptian courts since 1987.

In the year 2000 Dr. Nasri Marco took over as Managing Partner the law firm Loris Nasri & Partners from Loris Nasri, a lawyer in Egypt in the fourth generation of her family, an Officer of the British Empire and Officier de la legion d'Honneur of the French Government, and renamed the law firm Nasri Marco & Partners.

Dr. Marco is also a media counselor for the Egyptian Newspapers El Sheoub and B.T. Business Today, as well as a member of the Foreign Press Association (FPA). In the years 1987 till 1997 he was Honorary Consul of the Republic of Uruguay in Alexandria/Egypt. Previous roles in his career includes member of the Board of Directors of Misr Refrigeration Company, an affiliate of Banque Misr in Egypt and of SMARCO Recruiting and Consulting Company.

Dr. Nabil Abdel Fatah Mohamed
Vice President, Ahram Center for Strategic Studies Ahram Newspaper, Cairo, Egypt

Dr Nabil Abdel Fatah Mohamed is the Head of the Sociological and Legal Research Unit at the Al Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies since 1990 and the Assistant to the Director of the Al Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies since the year 2000. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of 'State of Religion in Egypt Report'.

Dr Mohamed is a regular writer in the Al Ahram Newspaper, Al Ahram Al Arabi Magazine, and other Egyptian and Arabic Newspapers and has published extensively in the areas of state, religion and Islamic Christian relationship.

He was a visiting Researcher at ORSTOM French Institute in the year 1993.

Mohamed Hassan El-Banna
Managing Editor of Al-Akhbar Daily Newspaper, Cairo,Egypt

Mohamed Hassan El-Banna is renowned for being one of the active members in syndicates and NGOs activities in Egypt. He is the Managing Editor of Al-Akhbar daily newspaper and serves as a member of a numbers of NGOs working in the areas of human rights, consumer protection, media, economy, environment and sustainable development. He frequently conducts extensive research studies and lectures in those areas.

He holds High Studies Diplomas in Environmental Administration & General Management.

Mr Gamal Zayda

is the Managing editor of the Egyptian national daily newspaper Al-Ahram and Columnist (weekly column in Al-Ahram entitled "Political reflections- Ta'amulat Siyasiyya)., " daily column in Al –Ahram Al Messai "and another weekly column in the business magazine " Ahram – iktisadi ".As the Bureau chief of Al-Ahram in Canada from 2002 to 2007, he covered Canada-US relations,Nafta, US-European relations, and North America's ties with the Arab and Islamic worlds post-September. 11

Mr Zayda has participated in political and economic coverages of Egyptian American ties, and published interviews with experts and politicians.

Prof. Dilip Loundo
Associate Professor, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (Minas Gerais), Brazil

An erudite in Brazilian and Indian Philosophies, who has earlier worked as professor at University of Rio de Janeiro and Goa, India, Prof. Dilip Loundo is presently associate professor of Indian religions and philosophy at the Postgraduate Programme of Religious Studies, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (Minas Gerais), Brazil. He is an author of several books on Brazilian and Indian Philosophies as well as on Brazil-India comparative studies.

Prof. Mohammad Akhtar Siddiqui
Chairperson of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)
New Delhi, India

The Central Government appointed Prof. Mohammad Akhtar Siddiqui as the new Chairperson of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) in the year 2008.

Earlier, a dean and professor at the Faculty of Education, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University, Prof. Siddiqui acquired his academic qualification in Education and Commerce from Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), and also studied at the University of Delhi (DU), Himachal Pradesh University (Shimla) and University of Leeds (UK).

Prof. Siddiqui has 30 years experience in teaching and research in the field of Education and specializes in education of minorities and marginalized groups, and educational administration.

He is an eminent scholar and academician and has worked in important positions earlier in JMI i.e. as Dean, Faculty of Education; Director, University Grants Commission (UGC) - Academic Staff College, and Head of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Education.

Mr Sharan Srinivas
Programme Manager
Right Livelihood College, Malaysia

Having lived, studied and worked in Malaysia, India and the United States, it is perhaps no surprise that Sharan Srinivas' passion lies in the promotion and advancement of international relations, human rights and international law.

Mr. Sharan Srinivas currently serves concurrently as Programme Manager of the Right Livelihood College Global Secretariat based at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang, Malaysia. Previously, Sharan worked with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, an international NGO based in New Delhi, India as a Research Officer working on police reforms.

Mrs Shimmi Kher
India Consultant, Tony Blair Faith Foundation

Working as a consultant with the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, Mrs. Kher truly believes the faith can be used as a force for good, hence promotes respect and understanding about the world’s religions through education and multi-faith action.

Mrs. Simmi Kher is a very inspiring educational leader with a vision and purpose and a person truly dedicated to her profession. She has experience in teaching, teacher training, teacher recruitment and curriculum development; program design and pedagogy.   She is a multi-talented educator, who has great contribution in the field of Information Technology, International Understanding, Multicultural dialogues, Interfaith and Peace education. She has been regularly writing columns for journals of international repute.