In the Central African Republic (CAR), the situation remains precarious as ethno-religious violence continues despite the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers. In this context, religious leaders committed to peacebuilding provide a particularly important perspective, and a discussion featuring the views of the top religious leaders will be held November 10, 2014, 2:00pm – 3:30pm ET, at the U.S. Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave, NW Washington, DC 20037
The discussion will feature the highest-ranking Muslim, Catholic and Protestant leaders in CAR, Imam Omar Kabine Layama, Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga and Reverend Nicolas Guérékoyame Gbangou. The religious leaders will discuss their efforts to foster dialogue and social cohesion across religious dividing lines, and lay out a strategic vision for the future of the country. Their Interfaith Peace Platform works tirelessly to spread peaceful messages in villages nationwide, advises political leaders and shares a Central African vision of peace with the international community.
Their work has been recognized by TIME, which placed them among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2014, and by Search for Common Ground’s Common Ground Award, which they will receive later this year. The event is co-sponsored by Catholic Relief Services, Search for Common Ground and the Alliance for Peacebuilding.
This event will feature the following speakers:
- Imam Omar Kabine Layama, President, Central African Islamic Community
- Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga, Catholic Archbishop of Bangui
- Reverend Nicolas Guérékoyame Gbangou, President of the Evangelical Alliance of the Central African Republic
- Maria Jessop, Moderator, Senior Program Officer, Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding, USIP
- David Smock, Introductory Remarks, Director, Religion and Peacebuilding Center, USIP
Please visit the website of the event to RSVP. This event will be webcast live beginning at 2:00pm ET on November 10, 2014 at www.usip.org/webcasts.