Dr. Karam will address the topic of interfaith cooperation with civil society
Dr. Azza Karam, the first woman Secretary-General of Religions for Peace International, will be the keynote speaker for the opening plenary session of the Religion Communication Congress 2020 (RCCongress 2020). RCCongress 2020 is a once-in-a-decade gathering of professional religion communicators set for March 17-21, 2020 in the Washington, DC area.
At an evening banquet on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, Dr. Karam will address the topic of interfaith cooperation with civil society and its guiding institutions to advance inclusivity, youth engagement and human rights. She will focus on how religion communicators can share this message in the public square to achieve tangible actions and impact.
She is the coordinator of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Religion and a Senior Advisor on Culture at the United Nations Population Fund. Dr. Karam is the lead facilitator for the United Nations Strategic Learning Exchanges on Religion-Development-Diplomacy since 2010, and she coordinates engagement with the UN’s Global Interfaith Networks of 600 faith-based organizations. She also serves as the secretary for the UN Multi-Faith Advisory Council comprised of 35 CEOs of the UN’s largest global faith-based partners. She recently received the 2019 URI (United Religions Initiative) Global Peacebuilder Award at URI’s Accelerate Peace Conference in June.
Since 1993, Dr. Karam has published scholarly works in several languages on political Islam, gender, conflict and peacemaking, education, and transnational religious dynamics. She is also a Professor of Religion and Development at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
RCCongress 2020 hosts a number of practical and informative workshops that cover a range of topics – from tactical strategy to thought-provoking advocacy. There will be hands-on opportunities to learn new technologies, academic and applied research, and tools and skills you can implement immediately. More details and information about this exciting professional development and networking opportunity are available on the RCCongress 2020 website at www.RCCongress2020.org.
All are welcome. Registration is open. The Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel at Reagan National Airport, located in Alexandria, VA is the RCCongress 2020 venue and has extended a special room rate for attendees. You can reserve directly with the hotel here. Take advantage of the early bird special: $395 for full convention registration before January 15, 2020.
Other confirmed speakers and workshop leaders throughout the conference include Wajahat Ali, CNN contributor and New York Times contributing op-ed writer; Dr. Clifford G. Christians, professor emeritus at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Dr. Simrat Jeet Singh, senior fellow for the Sikh Coalition and a visiting scholar at NYU’s Center for Religion and Media; Julie Zauzmer, religion reporter at the Washington Post; Lou Ann Sabatier, principal and lead consultant for Sabatier Consulting; and Rev. Shayna J. Watson, founder of TheoCon. A Faith Expressions program will be led by Ken Medema, musician, composer and storyteller who uses his improvisational skills to cultivate a custom musical experience.
Opportunities to sponsor or exhibit at this gathering are still available. You can share your message or mission with an estimated 500 influential communicators.
Use hashtag #RCCongress2020 to follow us on social media.
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Contact: Evelyn Warren, [email protected], 704-910-2800
