Thomas Uthup

Thomas Uthup is senior research associate, Institute of Global Cultural Studies, Binghamton University (SUNY). He is also founder of Friends UN Alliance of Civilizations (Twitter/@friendsunaoc), which promotes good practices in the governance of cultural diversity, intercultural education, interfaith relations, migrant integration, and youth empowerment. He previously served as research and education manager for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations project where he coordinated research networks and education projects, represented the Alliance at appropriate meetings, and provided inputs for senior UN officials on cultural issues. 

Dr. Uthup's academic focus has been on the complex relationships between culture and society, with special attention to religious factors – especially Islam – affecting political behavior. Dr. Uthup has published well over 90 newspaper, journal and reference articles. He has taught at Binghamton University-New York and the College of Wooster-Ohio and been a guest lecturer in classes at Oberlin College-Ohio and Cornell University-New York. 

Rick Ulfik

Rick Ulfik is founder and director of We, The World co-chair of The Foundation For Ethics and Meaning, and trustee of the Communications Coordination Committee for the UN. Rick organizes and promotes scores of events and other activities, large and small, every year. An accomplished composer and musician, he has written, produced, arranged, conducted, and performed for ABC, NBC, CBS, the Olympics, radio, feature films, commercials, records, CDs, and major recording artists from Queen Latifah to Judy Collins. For the past ten years he has dedicated more time to social change organizing. We, The World is a non-profit organization that develops global networks of collaboration and organizes large public gatherings to build mass involvement in creating a peaceful, caring, sustainable world. One of its projects is 11 Days of Global Unity September 11-21, with hundreds of events in more than 60 countries participating. 

Hans Ucko

Hans Ucko is an ordained minister of the Church of Sweden who writes, speaks, and consults on interreligious dialogue issues. He was president of Religions for Peace International from 2009 to 2011. From 1989 to 2007 he was the program executive for the Office of Interreligious Relations and Dialogue at the World Council of Churches (WCC), where he helped develop the joint WCC-Vatican document “Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World.” Ucko is the author and editor of several books, including Worlds of Memory and Wisdom: Encounters of Jews and African Christians (2005) and The Jubilee Challenge: Utopia or Possibility? (1998). He was the editor of Current Dialogue and a board trustee for Hartford Seminary. He received his doctorate in Theology at the Senate of Serampore College in Calcutta, India; his thesis examined the concepts of “people” and “people of God” as integral elements of the Jewish tradition and to Minjung and Dalit theologies.