PCRC2026 Speakers
Wold Peace is Possible
This presentation explores the possibility of achieving lasting world peace and bringing an end to war as a recurring feature of human history. Drawing on Alberto Portugheis’ long-standing engagement with peace advocacy, international dialogue, and the idea that war is neither inevitable nor an unavoidable condition of human society, the session will examine the political, social, cultural, and psychological assumptions that continue to sustain armed conflict. It will consider what changes would be required at both individual and collective levels to move beyond systems based on fear, rivalry, militarization, and retaliation, and toward structures that prioritize cooperation, dialogue, mutual understanding, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. The presentation invites participants to challenge the belief that permanent peace is unrealistic and to consider practical and ethical pathways through which societies, institutions, and citizens can contribute to a world in which conflicts are addressed without resorting to war.
Alberto Portugheis is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. By profession a concert pianist and pedagogue, he is an active peace campaigner, whose anti-military stance earned him two nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize, in 2008 and 2014. Portugheis wrote Dear Ahed…..The Game of War and a Path to Peace – a book that received critical acclaim and another successful book, It's In Their Hearts. In 2015 he founded the Movement HUFUD-Humanity United For Universal Demilitarisation, which has many followers worldwide. In 2018 HUFUD Latin America was born and in 2020 HUFUD Africa was launched, based in Uganda. In Portugheis’ writings, speeches, thoughts, ideas and reflections transpire his desire “to make people think” and not take for granted what they read or hear, “no matter where.”
The Influence of Buddhist Principles on Social Conflict Dynamics and Mechanism of Conflict Resolution
This paper explores the causes and consequences of social conflict, violence, and war, and considers how Buddhist teachings may contribute to their prevention and resolution. Drawing on Buddhist principles, it identifies desire, hatred, fear, attachment, and delusion as key roots of conflict, while highlighting non-harming, patience, mindfulness, dialogue, and compassion as constructive alternatives to retaliation and violence. The presentation also examines the Four Sublime States—loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity—as foundations for peaceful relationships, alongside ethical conduct and responsible leadership. It argues that lasting peace requires both inner transformation and just social governance, and that Buddhist values remain highly relevant to building more humane and harmonious societies.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ven. Walmoruwe Piyaratana earned his BA in Pali with First Class Honor from the University of Peradeniya, and MA in Sanskrit from the Buddhist and Pali University in Colombo, MA & PhD in Buddhist Study from Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, Thailand. He has served as a lecturer at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and International Buddhist College in Hat Yayi, Thailand. He also served as the Chairman of the Word by Word Tipitaka Translation project into English under the National Research Council of Thailand. Currently, he serves as the Director of BA English Program in Buddhist Studies at the same university. So far, he has published more than 60 articles in Sinhalese, Pali, and English mediums, and published several books in Sinhalese and English Mediums. Some of his books are; Theravada Buddhism, Visuddhimagga Studies, Sigalovada sutta: How to Strike a Perfect Balance in Society, the Manual of Suttanipata, Essays on Buddhist Studies, the Noble Eightfold Path and Astanga Yoga: A Comparative Study, An Annotated Translation of Suttanipata, etc.
The Law of Ruma: Non-Retaliation, Emotional Literacy, and Peacebuilding Through Silent Self-Regulation
The Law of Ruma presents a simple framework for understanding how retaliation can escalate interpersonal conflict and how non-retaliation may interrupt that cycle. Using the metaphor of “Ruma” as a form of emotional value, the framework explains how anger can be transmitted between people and how responding with further anger may intensify or perpetuate conflict. In contrast, silent self-regulation creates a pause in which an individual can process emotion without immediately retaliating. This presentation explores the Law of Ruma through the perspectives of emotional literacy, non-retaliation, and peacebuilding. It considers how the framework may be used as an accessible educational tool to help individuals, including young people, visualize emotional exchanges and reflect on their responses to conflict. Rather than advocating passive acceptance, the approach emphasizes deliberate emotional regulation as a first step toward breaking cycles of retaliation and creating space for dialogue, understanding, and peaceful conflict transformation.
Jean Nishita is a Japanese author, independent researcher, and founder of the RUMA WORLD PROJECT. He created The Law of Ruma, an educational framework that uses a simple metaphor to explore anger, non-retaliation, emotional self-regulation, and peaceful human interaction. His work focuses on making concepts related to emotional literacy and peace education accessible beyond specialist academic settings, including to children and general audiences. He has presented and developed his work through academic and international educational forums in Asia and Japan. Through the RUMA WORLD PROJECT, he continues to explore how simple, understandable models of emotional exchange can contribute to peace education, conflict prevention, and the interruption of retaliatory cycles.
Peace in Practice: Teaching Reconciliation Through Social Identity Frameworks
This paper introduces a social identity–based pedagogical model for reconciliation that challenges the prevailing tendency to situate reconciliation exclusively in post-conflict settings. While much of the peace education and conflict prevention literature emphasizes early intervention and structural prevention, less attention has been paid to how reconciliation processes can be meaningfully taught and practiced during periods of escalating or ongoing violence. Addressing this gap, the paper positions reconciliation as a dynamic, relational process that operates across the full trajectory of violence and is central to sustaining human security in divided societies.
Methodologically, the model operationalizes key social identity theory variables to analyze how ingroup/outgroup relations transform under conditions of violence, demonstrating how the same identity-based factors can be leveraged to design reconciliation practices that address relational harm, restore trust, and cultivate moral re-engagement even in the absence of formal peace agreements. The paper reviews both classroom and real-world applications of the model, assesses its effectiveness, and advances an identity-centered approach to reconciliation that offers practical guidance for peace education, civil society engagement, and human security in divided and conflict-affected societies.
Dr. Jocelyn Barrett-Gonzalez earned her Ph.D. in Peace and Conflict Resolution from George Mason University (United States). She currently serves as the Program Coordinator for the Visiting Scholars Program at the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Her research delves into the less-explored realms of social identity theory within genocide education, aiming to unveil the underlying structure of group dynamics, the driving force toward destructive behavior, and the practices that can be implemented for healing and forgiveness amid genocide, rather than as a post-conflict practice. Dr. Barrett-Gonzalez has conducted research and taught reconciliation practices in post-genocide countries including Cambodia, Rwanda, and Serbia. Her research also specializes in other cases, including the Holocaust, the Namibian Genocide, and the cultural genocide of the Lakota in the United States.
Peace Was Never Possible — Until Now: From the Absence of Conflict to an Architecture of Coherence
Humanity has built institutions dedicated to peace, diplomacy, and conflict resolution, yet a fundamental question remains unresolved: What is peace, and against what common reference can we determine whether our systems, institutions, and actions are actually creating it? This presentation argues that many peacebuilding efforts may be constrained by the absence of a shared reference for the outcome they seek. Greenprint4LIFE proposes LIFE as that reference—not as an ideology or belief system, but as a common relationship within which human diversity can coexist. From this perspective, peace is understood not simply as the absence or management of conflict, but as coherence across internal, relational, and systemic dimensions.
The presentation also introduces A.C.T.E.—Accountability, Conduct, Transparency & Ethics—as an emerging framework for examining whether institutions, policies, technologies, and human choices align with their stated intentions and ultimately honour LIFE. Rather than offering another prescriptive model, it invites participants to consider a deeper question: What becomes possible when LIFE provides the reference, accountability provides the test, and peace becomes the alignment?
Geoffrey West is the creator of Greenprint4LIFE, an evolving framework exploring how humanity might redefine Peace through a common, LIFE-honouring reference.
His inquiry spans more than three decades across journalism, peace education, governance, human consciousness and systemic change. He earned a Master’s degree from the United Nations-mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica, where his research explored Education for LIFE or LIFE Education.
His continuing research culminated in the sovereign doctoral thesis, Holistocratic Global Peace and Sustainable Solutions, which examines why prevailing approaches to Peace have remained incomplete and develops Greenprint4LIFE as an interdisciplinary architecture for coherence across human and systemic relationships.
Geoffrey accepts creative responsibility for Greenprint4LIFE while maintaining that the framework must stand independently of its creator—evaluated on the merits of its principles, coherence, applications and contributions.
His work invites inquiry rather than conformity: LIFE is the reference. Peace is the alignment.
Faith Actors as Security Assets: Institutionalizing Inter-Religious Mediation in Ethiopia
In contexts marked by identity-based tensions, religious polarization, and recurring conflict, faith actors represent an important yet underutilized resource for peace and security. This presentation examines how religious leaders and interfaith institutions can move beyond informal peace initiatives to become recognized partners in conflict prevention, mediation, and peacebuilding. Drawing on Ethiopia's experience, particularly the Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action (JISRA), it explores how interreligious dialogue, community-based mediation, and the meaningful participation of women and youth contribute to social cohesion and peaceful coexistence. The presentation also examines opportunities to institutionalize these contributions through inclusive peace structures, partnerships with government and civil society, and stronger connections between community-led initiatives and formal peacebuilding mechanisms. It offers practical lessons for strengthening sustainable, locally owned, and inclusive approaches to peace and security.
Yilma Hirpa Boru is a development and peacebuilding professional serving as Program Director of the Ethiopian Interfaith Forum for Development, Dialogue and Action (EIFDDA), a national interfaith civil society platform in Ethiopia. He has extensive experience in interreligious dialogue, conflict prevention, social cohesion, freedom of religion or belief, gender equality, and community-led development. He has coordinated peacebuilding and development initiatives across diverse thematic areas, working with faith-based organizations, civil society, government institutions, and local communities to promote peaceful coexistence and inclusive participation. His work emphasizes strengthening partnerships and advancing the meaningful engagement of women and young people in sustainable peace and development. He holds a Master of Arts in Gender and Development from Addis Ababa University and an MBA from Jimma University. He has also completed specialized training in Positive Peace, interfaith engagement, and conflict mediation.
Beyond Settlement and Return: A Review of Research on Migrant Workers’ Employment Retention
This study examines the relatively underdeveloped field of migrant workers’ employment retention. A Web of Science review found far fewer publications on employment retention than on destination-country retention, return migration, or employee retention more broadly, suggesting that migrant workers’ decisions to remain with an employer have received limited focused attention.
Existing research is fragmented across concepts such as turnover intention, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, work adjustment, and job embeddedness. The study highlights a particular gap around pre-departure preparation, worker-job matching, and training, and calls for greater integration between migration studies, human resource management, and organizational psychology to better understand how pre-migration factors shape workplace adjustment, employment stability, and later mobility decisions.
Yuko Sugawara is a doctoral student at Chiba University and a representative of Myanmar Office of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Her professional experience includes international development cooperation, with a particular focus on Rural Development, Myanmar and human resource development. Through her research, she seeks to bridge perspectives from migration studies, human resource management, and international development practice.
Peace processes with non-political armed groups in Colombia: a systematic review and interpretive framework for understanding their sustainability
In Colombia, peace processes have been established with armed groups that possess a political character and with those that do not. While the former are extensively documented, the latter are not; available evidence regarding them remains fragmented and lacks an integrated interpretation of the factors influencing their sustainability. This study aimed to analyze through a systematic literature review the evolution of these processes between 1990 and 2025, identifying institutional models of state intervention, the main obstacles to their consolidation, and the conditions that foster their durability. The research followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines, utilized databases such as Dialnet, EBSCO, Redalyc, Scielo, Scopus, and WPSA, and analyzed a corpus of 28 documents using an interpretive-comparative documentary analysis. The results identified three institutional intervention models: exceptional judicial submission, institutional reintegration, and differentiated socio-legal dialogue; and five structural obstacles: the persistence of illicit economies, territorial control, the reconfiguration of criminal organizations, institutional weaknesses, and legal-political tensions. The study’s primary contribution is a proposed interpretive framework explaining the sustainability of these processes based on the interplay between the effective dismantling of criminal organizations, the transformation of illicit economies, and the consolidation of a comprehensive, permanent state presence in affected territories. The study offers conceptual tools for future research on organized violence, peacebuilding, transitional justice, and public policies aimed at developing peace processes with non-political armed organizations.
Dr. Jose Yesid Carrillo Cantillo holds a Doctorate in Political and Legal Studies and a Master’s degree in Political Studies from the Pontificia Bolivariana University. Specialist in Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law from the Externado University of Colombia. Specialist in Business Management from the National University of Colombia. Holds a degree in Social Communication and Journalism from the University of Antioquia. Full-time faculty member at the Faculty of Administrative and Economic Sciences of the Tecnológico de Antioquia University Institution (TdeA) and lecturer at the University of Antioquia. Member of the International Studies Research Group at TdeA. Possesses 14 years of experience with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), leading educational initiatives regarding International Humanitarian Law (IHL), human rights, violence prevention, risk education concerning weapon contamination, and assistance to victims of the armed conflict.
Areas of academic and research interest include, among others, armed conflict, peace processes, transitional justice, discourse analysis, geopolitics, and security and representation in Latin America.
Development of Buddhist Education to Propagate Peacefulness in Thai Society
This presentation explores the development of Buddhist education and its role in promoting peacefulness in Thai society. Drawing on Theravāda Buddhist teachings, it highlights the three stages of Buddhist education—Pariyatti (learning), Paṭipatti (practice), and Paṭivedha (realization)—as a pathway for personal and social transformation.
The presentation also examines four dimensions of development—physical, behavioral, mental, and intellectual—and considers how Buddhist doctrine can guide individuals in cultivating the mind, reducing suffering, and contributing to more peaceful and harmonious communities.
Venerable Dr. Subinoy Bhikkhu is a Buddhist scholar and Visiting Lecturer at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (MCU), Thailand. His academic work focuses on Theravāda Buddhist philosophy, Buddhist education, mental cultivation, and the application of Buddhist teachings to personal and social well-being. He has contributed to teaching in MCU’s English-language Buddhist Studies programs and has published on topics including the development of Buddhist education for peaceful societies and the Theravāda concept of the passionless mind (Virāga Citta). His work explores how Buddhist doctrine, ethical practice, and mental development can contribute to the reduction of suffering and the cultivation of more peaceful individuals and communities.
Beyond Symbolic Acknowledgment: Translating UN Special Rapporteur Recommendations into Domestic Legal and Policy Frameworks
International human rights mechanisms play an important role in identifying institutional shortcomings, promoting accountability, and recommending reforms. Yet the extent to which these recommendations influence domestic laws, policies, and institutional practices remains an important question for human rights governance and conflict resolution. This presentation examines how recommendations issued by United Nations Special Rapporteurs are received, interpreted, and translated within the domestic legal and policy systems of the United States and the United Kingdom. Using a comparative, process-tracing approach, the research investigates the relationship between international human rights recommendations and domestic institutional responses, paying particular attention to the mechanisms that facilitate or constrain meaningful policy engagement. Rather than treating formal acknowledgment as evidence of implementation, the study distinguishes among recognition, policy consideration, institutional mobilization, and observable change. In doing so, it contributes to broader discussions concerning international accountability, institutional responsiveness, and the relationship between human rights governance and conflict transformation. The presentation also considers how understanding these processes can inform future research and policy efforts aimed at strengthening domestic follow-through on international human rights recommendations.
Dr. Heizel Prince is a scholar and researcher specializing in migration governance, human rights, peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and institutional policy. She holds a PhD and is the author of Migration Realities: An Exploratory Case Study on the Impact of Venezuelan Migration and Conflict Dynamics in Colombia, which examines migration, structural inequality, and conflict dynamics through the experiences of Venezuelan migrants.
Her research explores how institutional structures, public policy, and governance systems shape access to rights, social inclusion, and conflict dynamics. Her broader scholarly work encompasses displacement, ethical considerations in migration research, and institutional approaches to conflict resolution.
Her collaborative research examines the influence of United Nations human rights mechanisms on domestic legal and policy frameworks, particularly the translation of Special Rapporteur recommendations into institutional responses. Her work seeks to connect academic research with practical applications in international accountability, institutional reform, human rights protection, and sustainable peacebuilding.
Reparenting Inner Child through Mindfulness: A Practice-Informed Approach to Peace Education
This paper explores reparenting the inner child through mindfulness as a practice-informed approach to peace education. It considers how awareness of childhood experiences and unmet needs can inform the relationship between inner peace and interpersonal peace.
The presentation brings together reflection on inner-child reparenting, mindful awareness, and psychoeducation. It explores opportunities for cultivating self-compassion, responding mindfully to difficult emotions, and approaching oneself and others with greater understanding and empathy in order to nurture peace.
Rather than presenting inner work as a substitute for addressing social conflict, the session considers its potential contribution to peace education.
Bagia Arif Saputra (Gia) is a well-being counselor and MA student in Innovative Mindfulness and Peace Studies at the International Buddhist Studies College, Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, Thailand. His interests include mindfulness, self-compassion, inner-child reparenting, and peace education. He has developed and facilitated mindfulness and self-compassion sessions over several years across Southeast Asia, including community sessions in his hometown of Cimahi, Indonesia. His current academic work explores how these practices may inform community-based peace education. Drawing on his facilitation experience, he is interested in making reflective learning accessible to people from diverse educational and social backgrounds.
Applied Buddhist Ethics of Non-Enmity (Avera) for Everyday Life in Times of War
Communities in conflict zones often perceive peace as an elusive objective, solely determined by military, governmental, and diplomatic entities. This research endeavors to explore the concept of non-enmity for society from an applied Buddhist ethical standpoint, emphasizing the meaningful moral agency possessed by individuals within their restricted domains. Employing textual analysis of Buddhist teachings sources, including the Dhammapada, Attadaṇḍa Sutta, Karaṇīya Mettā Sutta, and Sedaka Sutta, this study investigates the Buddha’s responses to violence in two instances: Viḍūḍabha’s campaign against the Sākyans and the Rohiṇī River dispute. The initial illustration demonstrates the Buddha’s capacity to establish honest boundaries, as evidenced by the three instances in which the army was repelled. The second illustrates successful mediation, redirecting disputing parties toward their true priorities. Subsequently, the paper applies these teachings to practical domains, specifically cultivating loving-kindness and non-anger. It underscores mettā as an antidote to fear, self-protection as a means to safeguard others, and the importance of making intention-based ethical decisions prior to crises. At the community level, the proposal aims to safeguard interconnected institutions, including non-enmity society. Negotiate for small, mutually beneficial requests instead of imposing sweeping demands. A daily regimen that incorporates mindful breathing, the cultivation of loving-kindness, limiting news consumption, and maintaining one’s livelihood. These practices provide society with a realistic, non-partisan framework for preserving dignity, compassion, and loving-kindness. The paper concludes that Buddhist peace in daily life is not the eradication of conflict but rather the deliberate preservation of spaces where conflict cannot infiltrate.
Venerable Dr. Neminda is a Theravāda Buddhist monk and Senior Lecturer at the International Buddhist Studies College (IBSC), Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (MCU), Thailand, where he has taught at Bachelor, Master and Doctoral levels since 2019. Trained in the Myanmar monastic scholastic tradition and in the Pāli and Abhidhamma disciplines, he holds a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from MCU and an M.A. from the Postgraduate Institute of Pāli and Buddhist Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. His research programme integrates canonical Theravāda scholarship with contemporary applications of mindfulness, examining how Buddhist doctrine can be translated into measurable frameworks for well-being, ethical development and social harmony. He has led and co-led research projects funded by the Thailand Science Research and Innovation Fund and the National Research Council of Thailand (NRIIS), and has published in Scopus Q2 and TCI Tier 1 and 2 journals on Buddhist integration for sustainable development, mindfulness-based happiness indicators, religious diversity, and Buddhist ethics. Alongside his scholarship, he serves as a meditation master and retreat teacher in Thailand, Myanmar, Hungary and Italy, and has represented MCU in interreligious dialogue at the Vatican and in United Nations Day of Vesak proceedings. He has supervised more than forty Master's and Doctoral candidates and has been recognised with research awards for both his individual and collaborative projects.